WEBEX, MS TEAMS OR ZOOM.WHICH VIDEO CONFERENCING PROVIDER IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Categories: Telecraft | Cisco Webex | Zoom | MS Teams

webex team zoom

Video conferencing has taken the corporate world by storm! Not too long ago video conferencing used to be a weekly or monthly affair. It was done mostly by people in top management or with clients who needed to see their partners’ faces on regular intervals. But, in today’s new normal world, it has become an everyday thing. Video conferencing is now an intrinsic part of our everyday work life. From schools to universities to offices, we are all staying connected and collaborating via video conferencing. Remove video conferencing from our lives for even a day and things will take no time before going south. That’s why we are seeing video conferencing service providers by the dozens today.

If you are looking for one, chances are, you will end up finding many. Video conferencing is the need of the hour. The corporate world has suddenly adopted the video-first culture. And why not?! Video conferencing has resulted in higher productivity, enhanced engagement and greater connectivity. Enough reasons for more and more organisations to adapt to video conferencing. Are you also an organisation that’s looking for the best video conferencing solution? Then you are in luck! Because today, we will tell you about the three most sought after video conferencing service providers who are ruling the roost in this domain. After going through the details you can pick the one that suits your organisational requirements the best.

Things to consider before finalising a provider

infographics

So you have decided to choose a video conferencing service provider. Now comes the more important question – which one? How do you choose amongst many who all claim to be the best? The answer is simple. Pick the one that suits all your needs. Because there’s more to video conferencing than just holding meetings and connecting with people. To make things easier for you, here are the most important points you should keep in mind while choosing the right provider.

1. Cost:

Everything comes at a price and a good video conferencing tool is no exception. So always consider the one that fits right in your budget while fulfilling all your requirements.

2. Participants:

Small, medium or big, all organizations need video conferencing. Analyse which category you belong to and how many participants you have. That will definitely help you determine the right service provider.

3. Features:

Like we said, there’s more to video conferencing than just video conferencing. A good video conferencing tool gives you more features such as chatting, screenshare, content share, messaging, audio and video recording, background images and much more. Make a list of all the features you need before going out and find one.

4. User-friendly:

A good video conferencing tool should be user- friendly and offer a simple user interface. So it can be used equally well by all participants and has no or next to minimum technological goof ups.

5. Video quality:

The better video quality it offers, the more engaging it becomes for participants. Make sure to go for the one that offers HD quality video input and output.

6. Mobile-friendly:

Many participants join conferences and meetings through their mobiles. Keeping that in mind, make sure that the solution you choose is mobile-friendly and works on other devices like tablets as well.

7. Customer support:

Customer service is as important as the video conferencing tool itself. So if anything goes wrong or there is a software glitch, it can be addressed quickly and efficiently.

8. App integration:

Third-party applications also make for an important part of video conferencing, like PowerPoint. They let you import documents and presentations. Make sure the video conferencing tool you choose allows that.

Now that you know which points to consider before zeroing in on a video conferencing service provider, let’s have a look at the top three.

Cisco Webex

Webex is one of the top contenders worldwide when it comes to video conferencing. Offering a bouquet of features for enterprises of all kinds and sizes, Webex provides a unique, engaging and interactive experience to participants. It is one of the few service providers that combine enterprise integration and security with a newly simplified front-end. Which makes it the perfect choice for mid and large sized organisations. It offers meetings, file sharing, HD video and audio, breakout sessions, audio and video recordings and much more. Webex’s VCaaS options come as either Cisco Webex Meetings as a standalone product or embedded within the collaboration client. It also allows you to build various video solutions into your office with Cisco hardware and offers extensions, integrations and connections with Microsoft, which is a big plus any given day. To make the video conferencing environment more cognitive, Webex has introduced its new cognitive collaboration context. Which adds artificial intelligence to the meeting room and allows people to use things such as People Insights to know other meeting attendees even before a meeting starts.

Webex Advantages

  • Free plan available
  • Intuitive interface
  • Powerful application sharing and whiteboard features
  • Cloud recording included

Webex Disadvantages

  • More expensive on average
  • Limited to 10GB of cloud storage

MS Teams

MS Teams is one of the most popular video conferencing tools used by millions of people across the globe every day. Since it comes from the house of an IT giant, it offers unbeatable security, screen sharing, and high-quality video collaboration within an environment that’s deeply embedded into the Microsoft ecosystem. MS Teams empowers you to meet anyone from anywhere, be it from your laptop, tablet or phone. It allows smarter, interactive and innovative conversations through pre-installed templates and there’s an option to build your own template, too. You can set a personal status to let participants know when you are available, busy or temporarily away. You can even appear offline even when you are logged in. MS Teams offers everything from video conferencing to background blurring to video conversations that include real-time inline transcription. MS Teams has been adopted by more and more organisations due to its highly customisable features and integration options.

MS Teams Advantages

  • Highly customizable
  • Tightly integrated with other Microsoft Office apps
  • Plentiful integration options
  • Included with Microsoft 365 business accounts

MS Teams Disadvantages

  • Most effective only in a Microsoft-centric environment
  • Compartmentalized design gives an air of formality and rule- following that may inhibit open dialogue

Zoom

Like its name, Zoom has zoomed past its counterparts when it comes to video conferencing. For most organisations and participants, Zoom has become synonymous with video conferencing. No wonder it is the first choice for most of us when it comes to hosting video meetings and staying connected. From schools to universities to corporations, Zoom is everywhere! Offering a combination of competitive features, like audio and video conferencing, webinars and hardware room systems, Zoom is one of the easiest video conferencing platforms to use. What makes Zoom really stand apart from its competitors is the fact that you can add countless participants, both internal and external, without having to download any software. It also offers virtual video backgrounds to make video meetings interesting and fun, along with screen sharing and co-annotation. It won’t be wrong to say that in terms of features, reliability and security, Zoom is definitely one of the best video conferencing tools that you can consider without any second thoughts.

Zoom Advantages

  • Generous free account
  • Competitively priced paid plans
  • Stellar performance
  • Rich features for hosts and participants
  • Easy to use
  • Good track record for prompt support resolution

Zoom Disadvantages

  • No toll-free dial-in numbers for the US or the UK
  • Can't add description or meeting agenda to invite from the app
  • Mixed track record for company response to privacy and

security concerns

So which one do you think you are going to choose? It’s not a difficult call but you need to keep all your needs in mind while choosing. Where some organisations prefer Zoom others just like MS Teams. It all depends on how efficient you find a platform or how easy it is to use. Moreover, the size of the organisation plays an important role, too. But whichever category you fall into, one of these three video conferencing solutions is just the right one for you. Consider their advantages and disadvantages, tick them against your requirements and you will find the perfect match.

EDM

WEBEX, MS TEAMS OR ZOOM.WHICH VIDEO CONFERENCING SOLUTION IS THE BEST FOR YOU?

Video conferencing has taken the corporate world by storm! Not too long ago video conferencing used to be a weekly or monthly affair. It was done mostly by people in top management or with clients who needed to see their partners’ faces on regular intervals. But, in today’s new normal world, it has become an everyday thing. Video conferencing is now an intrinsic part of our everyday work life. From schools to universities to offices, we are all staying connected and collaborating via video conferencing. Remove video conferencing from our lives for even a day and things will take no time before going south. That’s why we are seeing video conferencing service providers by the dozens today. So when you go out looking for one, here are a few questions you should ask.

  • How much does it cost?
  • How many participants can there be?
  • What are its features?
  • How user-friendly is it?
  • How is the video quality?
  • Is it mobile friendly?
  • How is customer support?
  • Does it integrate applications?

Now that you know which points to consider before zeroing in on a video conferencing service provider, let’s have a look at the top three.

Cisco Webex

Webex is one of the top contenders worldwide when it comes to video conferencing. Offering a bouquet of features for enterprises of all kinds and sizes, Webex provides a unique, engaging and interactive experience to participants. It is one of the few service providers that combine enterprise integration and security with a newly simplified front-end. Which makes it the perfect choice for mid and large sized organisations.

Webex Advantages

  • Free plan available
  • Intuitive interface
  • Powerful application sharing and whiteboard features
  • Cloud recording included

Webex Disadvantages

  • More expensive on average
  • Limited to 10GB of cloud storage

MS Teams

MS Teams is one of the most popular video conferencing tools used by millions of people across the globe every day. Since it comes from the house of an IT giant, it offers unbeatable security, screen sharing, and high-quality video collaboration within an environment that’s deeply embedded into the Microsoft ecosystem. MS Teams empowers you to meet anyone from anywhere, be it from your laptop, tablet or phone.

MS Teams Advantages

  • Highly customizable
  • Tightly integrated with other Microsoft Office apps
  • Plentiful integration options
  • Included with Microsoft 365 business accounts

MS Teams Disadvantages

  • Most effective only in a Microsoft-centric environment
  • Compartmentalized design gives an air of formality and rule- following that may inhibit open dialogue
  • Zoom

    Like its name, Zoom has zoomed past its counterparts when it comes to video conferencing. For most organisations and participants, Zoom has become synonymous with video conferencing. No wonder it is the first choice for most of us when it comes to hosting video meetings and staying connected. From schools to universities to corporations, Zoom is everywhere! Offering a combination of competitive features, like audio and video

    conferencing, webinars and hardware room systems, Zoom is one of the easiest video conferencing platforms to use.

    Zoom Advantages

    • Generous free account
    • Competitively priced paid plans
    • Stellar performance
    • Rich features for hosts and participants
    • Easy to use
    • Good track record for prompt support resolution
    • Zoom Disadvantages

      • No toll-free dial-in numbers for the US or the UK
      • Can't add description or meeting agenda to invite from the app
      • Mixed track record for company response to privacy and security concerns

      Like Webex the most? Great! CLICK HERE to get one for your organisation.

    Share:

    Post a Comment
    Author : Anadi Bhardwaj