Frequently asked questions
General information
- What is Adobe® LiveCycle® Collaboration Service?
-
Adobe LiveCycle Collaboration Service, formerly Adobe Flash® Collaboration Service, is a hosted service that enables organizations to incorporate real-time multiuser collaboration into rich Internet applications (RIAs) that drive revenue and improve customer acquisition and retention.
This powerful and flexible framework accelerates the development and deployment of user-centric and engaging applications by developers who work with Adobe Flash and LiveCycle. This service can enable in-context collaborative experiences without burdening IT organizations with global deployment, maintenance, and scalability concerns.
In addition, since all Collaboration Service based applications can run within the free, ubiquitous Adobe Flash Player runtime, customers and citizens can engage with these applications online with no additional software needed.
- What collaboration features are available to developers?
-
LiveCycle Collaboration Service offers the following key features:
In-context collaboration
Easily add prebuilt components such as whiteboard functionality, text chat, webcam video, and Voice over IP (VoIP) audio for easy integration with any RIA. For example, this can enable organizations to engage with product consultants and others to design products in real time to drive community participation and product sales.
Collaborative data capture
Easily collect data online by entering information in a multiuser, collaborative, forms-based application.
User management
Enable developers to interface with existing authentication systems such as LDAP or OpenID, so they can detect and change presence, status, and roles in the context of a collaborative workflow.
VoIP audio
Improve productivity by enabling multiple users in dispersed teams to speak to one another through a browser without the need to install additional software.
Webcam video broadcasts
Enable meeting hosts and participants to use a webcam to broadcast live video in meetings, enhancing the effectiveness of overall communication. Hosts and participants can pause, share, or stop their cameras at any time during the meeting.
Text chat
Leverage the flexibility to conduct one-on-one or community chat in-context within an existing or new application interface without having to launch or run separate desktop chat applications.
Multiuser whiteboards
Enhance collaborative experiences by providing multiuser whiteboards that allow users to explore and discover ideas rapidly and dynamically.
Session and user management
Automatically handle session management such as failover and reconnections. The application can also display a list of room attendees in the form of a roster.
Roles and permissions
Define and implement roles and various permissions to enable different user rights within the application.
Real-time push messaging
Enable developers to create collaborative portals and applications with real-time push messaging. These can range from a simple chat box to a complex collaborative application, such as expert consultation with an existing or potential customer, a live support desk, or a multiuser eLearning application.
Support for Adobe AIR
LiveCycle Collaboration Service leverages Adobe AIR®, a cross-operating system runtime that allows developers to use their existing skills to build and deploy RIAs on the desktop. Obtain additional reach and connection to your customers.
- What are some of the use cases enabled by LiveCycle Collaboration Service?
-
Use cases include customer engagement applications that drive sales through engaging customer experiences such as pre- and post-sales workflows. This can also lead to improved customer satisfaction through differentiated services.
You can also deploy eLearning enablement to improve retention and comprehension of material. This can lead to upselling users to additional eLearning services.
In-context collaboration allows teams to engage with product consultants and others to design products in real time, driving community participation and product sales.
- Why did Adobe change the name from Flash Collaboration Service to LiveCycle Collaboration Service?
- Adobe wanted to better align our service strategy and offerings to extend our reach into the enterprise developer community.
- How is LiveCycle Collaboration Service different from Adobe ConnectNow and Adobe Acrobat® Connect™ Pro?
-
LiveCycle Collaboration Service is a technology service targeted at Flash and LiveCycle developers who wish to add multiuser collaboration capabilities to their new or existing applications. Examples where embedding this functionality is appropriate include customer service applications, collaboration tools, and eLearning enablement.
Acrobat Connect Pro is a full-featured web conferencing and eLearning solution. Adobe ConnectNow is a lightweight personal web conferencing solution.
- Does LiveCycle Collaboration Service provide screen sharing?
- No, LiveCycle Collaboration Service does not currently offer screen-sharing functionality. Screen-sharing functionality is only available from Adobe through our ConnectNow and Acrobat Connect Pro web conferencing products.
- Is it possible to integrate LiveCycle Collaboration Service and Acrobat Connect Pro?
- No, LiveCycle Collaboration Service is an entirely different technology than Acrobat Connect Pro. Though customers may use the existing Acrobat Connect Pro APIs to create loose integrations, these technologies are not interoperable.
- How does LiveCycle Collaboration Service relate to Acrobat.com?
- LiveCycle Collaboration Service helps power Acrobat.com by adding real-time capabilities into the application. ConnectNow, the personal web conferencing service included with Acrobat.com, was built using LiveCycle Collaboration Service.
- Where can I get more information about LiveCycle Collaboration Service?
-
For more information about LiveCycle Collaboration Service, visit Developer Connection site.
You can also call 888-649-2990 to receive an immediate response to your questions.
Join the Adobe Forums to ask questions, discuss, and share feedback with other users.
Read the latest the product team has to say about LiveCycle Collaboration Service by visiting the Collaborative Methods blog.
Get inspired by a collection of applications created using LiveCycle Collaboration Service by visiting the showcase.
Gain access to articles, samples, and a lot of other information about how developers are building applications with Adobe Flex®.
Availability
- How can I purchase LiveCycle® Collaboration Service?
-
LiveCycle Collaboration Service can be purchased directly from the Adobe Store on a pay-per-use basis or from our partner ConnectSolutions.
For more information on pricing, consult the Collaboration website.
- Is there a trial account of LiveCycle Collaboration Service available?
-
Yes, just sign up for an account via our developer portal. All developers with a valid Collaboration Service account are allotted a monthly free quota of US$15. If you use up your free quota during your evaluation, simply upgrade your account for more capacity through the developer portal.
Register for a free trial account.
- Do I receive LiveCycle Collaboration Service at no charge if I have a current LiveCycle ES2 maintenance contract?
- No. Since LiveCycle Collaboration Service is a new service to the LiveCycle family, there is no free upgrade offered to this service.
- Do I need to purchase LiveCycle ES2 in order to have access to LiveCycle Collaboration Service?
- No. LiveCycle Collaboration Service can be purchased as a standalone service.
Pricing and deployment
- What are the supported currencies?
-
Developers can purchase their subscription and pay with a payment card in the following currencies:
- U.S. dollar
- Euro
- Pound sterling
- Swiss franc
- Danish krone
- Norwegian krone
- Swedish krona
- Australian dollar
Optionally, customers can purchase from the Adobe partner ConnectSolutions. Contact ConnectSolutions for its detailed pricing information.
- What deployment options are available?
-
This hosted service can be deployed as a single-tenant or multi-tenant environment. The multi-tenant deployment can be purchased directly from Adobe.
Customers that desire a single-tenant deployment can work with ConnectSolutions. A representative can be reached at 800-860-1351, or you can visit the ConnectSolutions website.
- What is the difference between single- and multi-tenant hosting options?
-
Single-tenant provides a dedicated environment to your organization.
Multi-tenant provides a shared environment for multiple organizations with each customer's data protected via programmatic controls and policies.
Security
- How secure are the applications that are developed with LiveCycle Collaboration Service?
-
Adobe uses industry-leading security engineering processes in building its products. With LiveCycle Collaboration Service, security is considered at every level, from applications to networks to physical facilities. In addition to the latest technologies, world-class security requires ongoing adherence to best-practice policies.
Application-level security
LiveCycle Collaboration Service employs some of the latest technology available for Internet security. Using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology for both server authentication and data encryption helps ensure that your data and documents are available only to your authorized users.
Network-level security
LiveCycle Collaboration Service leverages firewall protection, intrusion detection systems, SSL encryption, and proprietary protocols to protect your important information. In addition, Acrobat.com regularly contracts with independent third-party firms to perform audits and security assessments on the Acrobat.com service, helping to ensure that best practices and industry standards are followed.
Physical facilities security
Hosting LiveCycle Collaboration Service in a protected server environment using a firewall and other advanced technology prevents interference or access from outside intruders.
The Collaboration Service hosting facilities are protected by multiple layers of physical security, and only authorized personnel may access the facilities and servers. In addition, all access is logged, and logs are regularly reviewed and protected from outside access. All data center equipment has physical protections in place to prevent data theft and environmental hazards in order to prevent assets from being lost, damaged, or compromised and to prevent interruption in business activities.
- Does Adobe help ensure the privacy of user or customer data?
-
Developers can build Collaboration Service applications that authenticate against their own user databases, without exposing any specific user details to the service. Any data sent via LiveCycle Collaboration Service has customizable privacy and persistence settings, such that a developer can restrict who receives such data and control the duration that it is retained.
Support
- What support options are available for LiveCycle Collaboration Service?
-
Free community forum support is available on Adobe Forums.
Support through the Adobe Enterprise Developer Program is also available. See the program page for more details.
- What are the system requirements for LiveCycle Collaboration Service?
-
For development work, you'll need to have Flex SDK 3 or later or Flash CS4 Professional.
For the runtime, use Flash Player version 9 and later or any AIR runtime version.
You can find product-specific platform support and system requirements at the bottom of the product page.
Additionally, please consult the system requirements for AIR and Flash.
Adobe Stratus
- What is the relationship between Adobe Stratus and LiveCycle Collaboration Service? They sound like the same product.
-
Adobe Stratus on Adobe Labs is a preview technology for Peer-Assisted Networking using RTMFP for media and data delivery. LiveCycle Collaboration Service offers similar functionality to Stratus but has a commercial option with a pricing model that companies can use to integrate RTMFP into their business solutions today. Most importantly, Stratus will not be a commercially available offering. For more information about Stratus, visit the Status Labs page.
- What is RTMFP?
-
Real Time Message Flow Protocol (RTMFP) is a UDP-based protocol that enables peer-to-peer communication between Flash Player or AIR clients. The technology was introduced in Flash Player 10 in November 2008. More information about RTMFP can be found on the Stratus Labs page.
- Does LiveCycle Collaboration Service offer the same functionality as Adobe Stratus?
-
Yes. LiveCycle Collaboration Service offers the same technology as Stratus today for peer-to-peer audio and video streaming. LCCS also offers a developer framework and hosted service designed for real-time collaboration, as well as the ability and option to connect RTMP connections with RTMFP clients.
