12 Tips to Help You Choose the Right Videoconferencing (or Webconferencing) Software

In Part 1 of this in-depth post, we discussed the reasons why you can’t use Zoom anymore for your business, and highlighted the top 5 alternatives to Zoom, including our favorite videoconferencing tool, Microsoft Teams. If you haven’t yet, please read Part 1.  You know you want to. 

Here in Part 2, on Day 17,004,368 of the coronavirus, we’ll cover 12 extremely important features and capabilities to look for when choosing your new business videoconferencing software. 

Stay home, stay safe – and keep your business data safe when you use cybersecure videoconferencing tools like Blue Jeans and the 4 tools listed below. If you have any questions, just reach out to the IT experts at Interplay! 

Okay, so you know the tools now. What you don’t know is which tool will be best for you. Of course, if you’re our customer you can feel free to give the Interplay team a call and flat-out ask us which tool you should use (we can answer that pretty quickly for you). Or you can do some research and look into each tool on your own. 

As you’re researching (or chatting us up NOT over Zoom), check into these features and functions: 

1. The number of participants allowed on a call, and how many can stream video
2. Video quality (though this may be impacted by your bandwidth)
3. Dial-in options for out-of-team participants
4. Screen sharing for multiple people, not just the host
5. Integration with your calendar and email tools, at the very least
6. Mobile apps, so people can call in whenever and wherever
7. Room capabilities, which mean you can wire an entire conference room to be a videoconferencing area (Will we ever meet in rooms with real people again?) 
8. Recording capabilities, and where the recording is stored (locally or cloud)
9. Chat tools in the meeting, so people can have side conversations and pass notes
10. Whiteboard tools in the meeting, so your team can collaborate on one screen
11. Browser-based access, which makes it so that people don’t have to download an app to access your meeting (note that browser-based conferencing is a resource hog on your device)
12. Enterprise-level security tools that meet your regulatory requirements, such as HIPAA

Get the Right Tool Now (and Stop Using Zoom)

Whichever videoconferencing tool you choose, make sure it offers you a good blend of convenience, ease-of-use, features, security, and flexibility to meet both formal meeting needs and casual, watercooler calls with your teammates and all those Zoomer Boomers. (Seriously, can we copyright this term?) 

And, uh, whichever tool you choose, make sure it isn’t Zoom. At least for a while. Don’t get us wrong, we think Zoom is cool… we just happen to know that reliable cybersecurity is even cooler than Zoom. To keep our own business safe, we use Microsoft Teams – and we want to make sure your business stays safe all the time as well. (Just say no to Zoom!)

We also want to make sure the videoconferencing tool you choose is perfectly set up and configured for your needs, so all the integrations work well and everyone is able to access and use the tool properly. So, when you have questions or are ready to start setting up your new, super-secure, super-duper-awesome videoconferencing software, call up the friendly IT experts at Interplay for help. 

You know us, we’re always happy to lend a helping hand to make all your business IT work better, faster, and way waaay cooler for you. Reach out.