95% of businesses surveyed say that video conferencing increases efficiency and productivity.
The software you choose for those video calls has a big impact on your overall efficiency. We often provide I.T. consulting for companies in Denton county and beyond to help them choose the right solutions so they don’t end up wasting money.
When it comes to video meeting software two of the most popular apps are Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Which one is better for you? Read on for a comparison of both platforms.
MS Teams vs Zoom for Remote Video Conferences
Both Teams and Zoom are big names in the team collaboration and video conference arena, but they both have distinct differences. Those differences can make one better for your needs than another.
Here’s an overview and comparison of each platform.
Microsoft Teams Microsoft Teams is part of the Office 365 universe and is fully integrated with all the Microsoft applications on the platform. However, you don’t have to have an Office 365 subscription to use Teams, they offer a free version, it just makes it more powerful (by far) if you do. Teams is first and foremost a team collaboration platform and is somewhat of a cross between Zoom, a file storage program, and a team chat like Slack. The video conference capability is just one of many of the platform’s features. So, if you’re looking for a robust team collaboration platform, then Teams is going to give you more features than Zoom will. Key features of Microsoft Teams:
Channeled Team Chat
Full integration with Office 365 and many third-party programs
Video and audio conferencing
Live event broadcasting
File sharing and collaboration
“Tabs,” which is a central work hub feature of Teams Free Version of Teams:
Unlimited users on the platform
Unlimited chat and search
Group and one-on-one video calling
Limit of 50 users for a group video call
10GB of team file storage + 2GB of personal file storage per person
Screen sharing & background blur
Data encryption at rest and in transit Paid Version Features:
Scheduled meetings
Meeting recordings
Hosting meetings up to 250 users and online events for up to 10,000 users
Additional security and administrative features
Zoom Zoom is designed to be a video conferencing software first and foremost and adds other collaborative features. It does not have the same multi-function interface as Teams, which is a benefit to those who are looking strictly for video conferencing and nothing else. Where Teams wins in the feature area, Zoom wins for simplicity and ease of use. Since it’s designed to do video, there aren’t other features that get in the way. An important warning to those thinking of using Zoom. It’s been in the news recently for a phenomenon named “Zoom bombing.” This is where a malicious user joins someone else’s Zoom meeting for the express reason of causing disruption (like shouting expletives.) This has caused several school districts and other organizations to stop using Zoom due to security concerns. To their credit, Zoom responded quickly with security updates to the platform, explaining they were caught off guard with the spike in consumer users due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like Teams, Zoom also offers free and paid versions. Key features of Zoom:
Simple video conferencing
Messaging
Screensharing
Whiteboarding Free Version of Zoom:
Host up to 100 uses on a video call
Unlimited 1-to-1 meetings
There is a 40-minute limit on group video calls
Virtual background
Unlimited number of meetings
AES 256 bits encryption Paid Version Features:
Host meetings up to 500
Increased meeting duration
Cloud recording storage space
Additional administrative features