Now more than ever, the workforce relies upon internal collaboration and video conferencing tools to stay connected on projects and tasks. Most commonly, we hear about Microsoft Teams and Zoom. They both offer great features but they are, in fact, vastly different. We could provide a long laundry list of capabilities, limitations, features, etc. within this blog, but to keep it simple, we’ll touch on some of the more basic reasons you may want to consider one platform over the other.
- If you’re looking for a simple video conferencing tool for a ‘face-to-face’ meeting, zoom could be a fitting option. However, if you’re intending to collaborate on a document, powerpoint, pdf, etc., WHILE having a video conference, then you may want to consider Microsoft Teams. This is arguably the most distinctive difference between the two platforms. Teams allows you to host video meetings, chat with team members, edit documents, spreadsheets, etc., AND provide file sharing and hosting options within a single platform.
- If you’re presenting to a client or prospect and there’s multiple people joining the meeting, Microsoft Teams may be a better option with their new dynamic view feature that is coming soon. This feature allows the platform to auto-adjust and focuses on whomever starts to speak and present, making it easier to realize who is talking when there’s a large group of people on the call. Microsoft Teams will also be rolling out a ‘Presenter mode’ feature that provides even more of a professional experience when delivering presentations to your clients or prospects. This feature allows you to present your slideshow while having your video up at the same time. Body language is important during a presentation, and providing that visual for your recipients could be crucial in the overall success of an important meeting. For more information on these features and other new capabilities that will be coming soon, visit Microsoft’s page here.
- If you’re a small office that tries to keep things simple and are only looking for basic meeting features, like a 7×7 video grid, breakout rooms and custom backgrounds, then Zoom may be the better choice for your business. However, if you’re looking for these features, plus a little more, Microsoft Teams may be a better fit. Yes, Teams offer those same features, but it also provides the option of a noise cancelling feature, so you can fade out the dog barking or the neighbor’s lawn mower running in the background.
- Security should always be a top concern when evaluating a new platform for your organization. Microsoft Teams has built-in security features that help protect your users and data. For example, within Teams, a user is restricted to forwarding a meeting and requires approval for another user to take control of the screen. Microsoft Teams also has built-in data loss prevention and sensitivity labels so that files, chats and content are not exposed on accident. Additionally, Teams includes Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection that protects users from malicious software hidden in links and attachments. Microsoft is consistently and heavily involved in data and user security, so it’s no surprise that they have these built-in features. Since the pandemic, Zoom has been recognized for their lack of security features. As stated in a recent Forbes article published by Kate O’Flaherty, “ Zoom’s main issue that hit very hard in the end was the fact that it failed to build in security from the start.”
Whether you work in finance, education, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, engineering, etc., employees need a way to stay connected and organized. Making sure you properly invest the time and research into the right platform is imperative. If you have any questions or concerns which option is right for you, please let us help. We’re familiar with both options and are more than happy to guide you in the right direction. Contact us today for more information, or attend our webcast on April 15th, 2021, for a further analysis of the two platforms!