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With Lockdown in effect the need for remote working has increased exceptionally. Along with it has been the need for reliable communication and in a digital age, what better than with a video call.
Regardless of whether you’re having meeings with suppliers and clients, or simply need to check in with companions and associates, video calling applications are extraordinary! Be that as it may, with such a large number of choices available, it tends to be hard realizing which is the best one for you and your business. Below is a brief comparison on just a few of the video conferencing applications available.
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Zoom
Zoom has very quickly became one of the most popular ways for video conferencing all over the world. Not just for business meetings but also for online friends and family gatherings. It’s popularity has spread and grown just as fast as What’s App did a few years ago, with the term Zooming becoming as synonymous as Googling or Snapchatting.
The cloud based platform allows for video and audio conferencing, collaboration, chat and webinars across mobiles, tablet, desktops, telephones and room systems. Of course there are different packages available.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″ background_enable_image=”off” border_color_all=”#000000″][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″ background_color=”#e2e2e2″ custom_padding=”10px|5px|172px|5px|false|false” border_radii=”on|3px|3px|3px|3px” border_color_all=”#e8e8e8″][et_pb_blurb title=”Basic – Free” _builder_version=”4.4.3″]
- Host upto 100 participants
- Unlimited 1 to 1 meetings
- 40 minute limit on group calls
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- All Basic Features +
- Host upto 100 participants
- 24 hour limit on group calls
- User management
- Admin Feature Controls
- Recording
- Encryption
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- All Pro Features +
- Host upto 100 participants
- Dedicated Phone Support
- Admin Dashboard
- Vanity URL
- Managed Domains
- Company Branding
- Branded Email Invites
- Cloud Recording Transcripts
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In a single Zoom call 49 users can appear on screen at once – which is a great feature for large conference calls.
Whilst on a call you can also collagorate with each other via Screen sharing as well as being able to share files and text chat.
Plug-ins are also available to integrate Zoom with iCal, Outlook and Gmail to make it very easy to schedule meetings.
All of these are fantastic features which make Zoom a widely popular choice to use for video conferening, hower you may want to consider various security issues which have came to light over recent weeks. There are multiple concerns over privacy risks and vulnerabilities which are being exploited by hackers around the world. This has led to data breaches and has allows unwanted guests to invade calls which has now coined the phrase “Zoom Bombing”.
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Microsoft Teams
For many years now Skype for Business has been the conferencing tool of choice, but it is now being phased out in favor of Microsoft Teams.
If you are already using Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) then its a perfect tool for you to use as it is included with all plans. Teams allows you to make conference calls similar to other applications but it also goes above and beyond that.
Teams syncronises with your Microsoft 365 account giving you access to all of your favourite apps allowing you to create, and edit all of your files whilst both in and out of a call with your colleagues.
As Microsoft Teams is not a dedicated Video Conferencing application the benefits extend to the features of Microsoft 365. Here are some of the differences in plans:
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- Video Calling
- Unlimited Chat and Search
- Team and Personal File Storage
- Real Time Collaboration with Office
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- All Teams Features +
- Host email with 50GB Mailbox
- Web versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote, Access and Publisher
- 1TB Cloud Storage with OneDrive
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- All Teams Features +
- All Business Basic Features +
- Desktop versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Access and Publisher
- One License to cover fully installed Office apps on 5 Mobile Devices, 5 Tablets, and 5 PC’s or Macs per user.
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*prices reflective of annual commitment and excludes VAT
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It’s seamless integration with the Microsoft 365 platform enables your team to work together like never before and can raise productivity to new heights. Be sure to checkout a future blog post as we delve deeper into the world of Microsoft Teams and how else it can benefit your business.
With Video Conferencing in mind, a downside to Microsoft Teams at the moment is that the maximum number of users on a video call is currently 20. Now whilst this may be more than enough for some SMB’s, it’s worth noting that you can only see a maximum of 4 users on screen at anyone time. The system simply puts the last 4 active users displayed on screen for all to see. Microsoft is apparently looking at improving this mechanic to match other conferencing servcies available, but there is not expected ETA.
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Google Meet
For users of the G Suite, Google Meet (formerly Hangouts) becomes a simple and great option for you. Although primarily designed for use with Google Chrome browser there are mobile apps available for both iOS and Android.
The features of Google Meet depend on which version of G Suite you have.
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- Maximum Participants – 100
- Presentations
- External Participants
- Dial in by phone number
- 30GB Cloud Storage
- Use of Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, Keep
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- Maximum Participants – 150
- Presentations
- External Participants
- Dial in by phone number
- Unlimited Cloud Storage
- Use of Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, Keep
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- Maximum Participants – 250
- Presentations
- External Participants
- Dial in by phone number
- Unlimited Cloud Storage
- Use of Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, Keep
- Data loss prevention for Gmail
- Data loss prevention for Drive
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Regardless of which GSuite package you have, currently Google Meet only allows you to view up to 10 people on screen at any one time. However Google recentlly announced that they will be improving their services and we can expect to see the following changes:
- Tiled layout for larger calls to allow you to see upto 16 participants at once.
- Low-light mode to make you more visible on calls
- Noise Cancellation to help limit interruptions
- Present a Chrome tab to share high quality video or audio content
It’s worth pointing out that Google Meet is essnetially the new, up and coming version of Google Hangouts. It is essentially Google marketing towards businesses rather than consumers.
As of June 2020 the alternative Google application, Google Hangouts, will only be offered to consumer accounts (which is essentially anyone with a gmail or googlemail email address. The big difference here in terms of video conferencing is that Hangouts calls only allow for upto 25 participants. It also follows the same limitations for users on screen.
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Webex
Webex is a system which has been incorporated into the daily life of many large organisations over the years. I’m sure it will come as no surprise as to why once you realise that Webex is developed by Cisco. Pioneers in terms of technology, communication and security.
Here are some of the features and benefits of the different plans available:
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- Maximum Participants – 100
- Meet as long as you want
- See upto 25 Participants on screen
- Call-In Audio (Dial in)
- Unlimited number of meetings
- Desktop, Mobile & Tablet App
- Personal Meeting Room
- Screen Sharing and Collaboration
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- All Free Features +
- 5 GB of Cloud Storage
- Recording Transcriptions
- MP4 Meeting Recordings
- Customizable Personal Room
- Intergation with 3rd Party Apps
- User Management
- Feature Controls
- Business Hours Support
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- All Free Features +
- All Starter Features +
- Ability to assign alternate hosts
- Allow others to schedule meetings on behalf of the host
- Customizable Webex site URL
- Admin Portal
- Analytics
- 24/7 Customer Support
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It’s also worth noting that Cisco give you the choice of 2 Applications to choose from depending on your needs. Webex Meetings and Webex Teams.
Webex Meetings is the application which focuses on real time video conferencing and offers all of the featues above, however Webex Teams begins to take things a step further and functions a little more like Microsoft Teams. It gives you the ability to create multiple groups/teams and shared workspaces so that you can work on projects live and collaborate with others. It also allows you to instant message individuals and groups when they are not on a call.
The interactive white board feature is a favourite of ours as you can draw using your computer, tablet or mobile and even interact when not on a call.
Your messages, files and whiteboard drawings are all fully encrypted too.
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We hope that this gives you a better insight to the features and benefits of the top video conferencing applications available.
When it comes to IT sadly there is no “One Size Fits All” so it is important to understand the needs of your business and the potential growth these applications can have on your business.
Due to the spread of COVID-19 businesses have had to adapt in order to move forwards. Remote working has became essential for the survival of most SMB’s and could shape the future of business all together.
If you would like to setup remote working for your business then why not speak to one of our experienced engineers.
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