"Now, we can just push them a link and they can jump in," Carrasco said. He spoke about CloudAXIS without having used it but said he's familiar with its features.

Setting up meeting participants with client software is a major hurdle to the use of videoconferencing, analysts say. CloudAXIS is designed to get around that problem by using standard browsers, with only a one-time download of a small plug-in. The user interface that pops up is the same regardless of the browser, the client device or the social network that delivers the invitation. That interface is a new one that Polycom developed to run on all platforms, from room systems down to smartphones, Levenson said.

To organize a video session, the leader can send links to participants through common online channels such as Skype, Facebook and Google Talk. When the users click on the links, the Polycom interface comes up in a browser window along with any other elements used in the session, such as a whiteboard. The back-end systems can adapt the quality of the session to the screen size and power of the user's device, Polycom says.

Polycom will make CloudAXIS work through social-networking platforms by tapping into open APIs (application programming interfaces), Levenson said.

Even though there's a plug-in required, there's a world of difference between that and making users install an application, said Ira Weinstein, an analyst at Wainhouse Research. For one thing, installing an application usually requires administrator rights that the end user may not have. Combining browser-based access with a consistent user interface should also help administrators, he said. "I can give you help when you have problems, because we're in the same UI," Weinstein said.