Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Something Else – Who Makes the Grade?
A Video Conferencing Report Card from Your Managed Service Experts Creating opportunities to engage with and support your customers and colleagues is more important now than ever – but which platform is best for you and your situation? Security upgrades and feature add-ons are taking place quickly – here is our report card for the…
A Video Conferencing Report Card from Your Managed Service Experts
Creating opportunities to engage with and support your customers and colleagues is more important now than ever – but which platform is best for you and your situation? Security upgrades and feature add-ons are taking place quickly – here is our report card for the top services out there:
ZOOM
– Easy, Fast, Ideal for non-sensitive conversations.
Our grade: B/B+
Zoom is quick to install, relatively easy to operate, and with enhanced security protocols in place and their recent added features. We recommend this service for:
- Staff meetings and client updates
- Screen sharing, chat functions, meeting recording
- Happy hours and social gatherings
- Non-sensitive client support (nothing with passwords being exchanged or financial data)
PRO TIP: We highly recommend signing up for at least the $14.99/month Pro account, the benefits are well worth the nominal cost. A Pro account allows you to have meetings longer than 40 minutes, save your meeting recordings to Zoom’s cloud, and manage participants in a seamless way. This plan only includes one host, but unless you’re planning on multiple meetings at the same time, that won’t be an issue. If you are, the upgrades are easy and cost-effective.
MICROSOFT TEAMS
– Ideal for Office365 Users, More Secure
Our grade: A-
The best thing about this service is how seamlessly it integrates with Office 365 -with Teams video conferencing you can leverage email, chat, Microsoft Office apps, and a host of other MS products to make file sharing, collaborating, and overall communication much better. The platform also meets “more than 90 regulatory and industry standards“, a claim that Zoom cannot make, giving it an edge when it comes to overall security. The system can be setup to require multi-factor authentication, and processes more than 8 trillion security signals every day in order to keep users secure.
This service also has broader usage and application:
- One-on-one meetings as well as the ability to host 10,000 user public events
- Included features allow for scheduling assistance and meeting note taking
- Meeting follow-up and “life-cycle” tracking
PRO TIP: We use Microsoft teams for all of our internal work as well as client consultations and remote work. If you are not already using Office 365, then it’s a more expensive solution than Zoom for just video conferencing, but the additional features and integrations make it well worth it. We’d be more than happy to tell you about our experience with the platform as a managed service company, drop us a line any time.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_column_text]
CISCO WEBEX
– Most Secure, Most Expensive, A Great Tool
Our grade: A+
Cisco has been the name in cyber security since the Internet was founded – their services are tremendous, they’re also more expensive – though you are able to try the system for free. If you’re handling delicate business matters, this is probably the service you want to use.
- Preferred system for financial services and government
- 95% of fortune 500 companies use Cisco security
- Their YouTube channel is a tremendous resource for best practices and how-to’s
PRO TIP: We have been working with Cisco and Webex for a long time. If you want to set your business up with their security services, we can help with installation, configuration, and support.
More questions? Need help getting set up on the system that’s right for you? Our helpful technicians are here 24/7 to be of assistance.