The current spread of the Corona virus has forced most companies in the world to switch from office work to home work, with the aim of not negatively affecting productivity.
To achieve this, companies have turned to applications that offer video conferencing and applications that offer remote collaboration.
It is a fact that this cannot replace close encounters - face to face - where presence is more present, but since we are living in a time of "social distance", remote encounters - by video - are a golden opportunity.
With a computer and a webcam, or with a "smart" mobile device, you can have individual or even group meetings, regardless of where you are, thus offering the flexibility of working from home, at a time when staying at home is already made mandatory.
The growing concern of environmentalists about carbon emissions into space due to motor vehicle travel makes even more sense at home and holding online conferences and meetings online, compared to the costs that would be incurred. to travel from one place to another.
The usual offers for customers of companies such as Skype, Google (Hangouts) or Apple (Facetime) have made video communications seem like a normal part of the conversation process. Expectations that businesses will increase day by day the use of software for conferences and seminars through the web, simply thanks to the provision of a host of benefits such as time, cost, etc., are evident.
In the following we will list some of the best applications for virtual meetings, some of which are more popular with us, and some are less talked about even though they offer a host of qualities making them competitive in the market.
Cisco Webex Meetings
Webex Meetings is a video conferencing platform established in 1995 as a company that Cisco bought ($ 3.2 billion) in 2007. Due to the fact that behind this app is Cisco, expectations are naturally high - and will not be. disappointed. Although there are some paid versions, in most cases the free version will be more than enough for you.
This version offers you the opportunity to hold HD video conferencing for up to 40 minutes, with up to 50 participants, with the ability to split the screen, which you can record and save (MP4) - while also saving the transcription of Conversations - in which you can search for any keywords, and allows you to have room for private conversations. To save these conversations and share documents, you have 1 GB of cloud space available.
If these restrictions are disrupted, you can purchase the "Starter" version for $ 15 / month per user, which offers up to 24 hours of long meetings, 5 GB of cloud space, and integration with other video platforms such as MS Teams, MS Outlook, PowerPoint, Skype and other applications.
The Plus version, which you can get for $ 20 / month per user, increases the number of participants from 50 to 100, and allows you to customize the URL.
The most expensive version of Webex Meetings is for businesses, for which you have to buy at least 5 licenses from $ 30 / month per user. This version allows you to hold conferences with up to 200 participants, and take advantage of 10 GB of cloud space, and you will have several branding features available - which is special for this version.
Guests at your conference do not need to have a web account, nor do they need to download and install anything. In addition, through the Webex Meetings app you can also follow the conference from any video system that supports SIP or H.323.
Once you register your Webex Meetings account, you will be given a personal URL link, which you can use to manage meetings, schedule video conferencing, or even open recordings you've made before.
In terms of dating, you can use the Webex Meetings app - which gives you a better experience, or do it through the web. In addition to having a computer application, you can also use the mobile application.
GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is a service provided by LogMeIn, which you can use for conferences via the web regardless of the system you use.
In addition to offering the possibility of audio-visual conferencing and screen sharing, what sets this web application apart from other similar service providers is the ability to launch a conference call from your mobile (smart) service. not offered by some of the most popular companies. You can also adjust the picture and sound quality, as well as offer invitations for meetings and conversations with a single tap.
For this, you can download the app on your mobile phone, be it Android or iOS, which - both - have a very good rating from users.In terms of price, you can get the "Professional" version for € 12 per month, or € 10.75 per month if you make the payment for one year (€ 129).
This version limits the number of participants to 150, compared to the "Business" version which offers up to 250 participants. In addition, the "Business" version - which costs € 14.33 per month, or € 14 per month if you pay for it in a year - also offers some administration options, as well as a table for drawing and moving the mouse pointer. While the plan for Enterprise could accommodate up to 3,000 participants.
BlueJeans Meetings
BlueJeans Meetings is a web service that enables video conferencing that you can also use as an application on Android or iOS platforms. The special feature of this application on the web is the provision of sound quality which is supported by "Dolby Voice" which includes the removal of ambient noise, as well as the integration of hardware systems for conference offices. In addition, BlueJeans Meetings integrates with corporate applications such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Facebook Workplace, and offers a range of screen sharing tools, a whiteboard, and the ability to interact during meetings.
After a 30-day free service period, BlueJeans Meetings - the Standard version - can be obtained for $ 12.49 per host per month, or for $ 9.99 per host per month if you make the payment within a year. This version is designed for individuals and small companies and supports up to 50 participants, up to 72 hours of meetings with the ability to record meetings for 5 hours per host, integrated with "Outlook" and "Google Calendar", access to "Dektop" from a distance, and many other functions for Furniture, for Administration, and Security functions.
The Pro version includes all the options of the Standard version, plus additional options such as the number of participants increases by 25, ie 75 participants, 25 hours of video conferencing for hosting, integration of Slack and MS Teams applications, integration of Gong sales service & Zoho, integration of the Learning Management System including Canvas and CirQLive, as well as many other Security and Incident Management features offered by Okta and Splunk.
The Enterprise version supports up to 100 participants, registers unlimited, includes interactions with any of the traditional video conference rooms through H.323 / SIP, and offers support for management, recommending steps to achieve results and success. long-term, technical management advice on implementation and many other services.
BlueJeans has been named after its founders to show that their app is as convenient and easy to use as it is appropriate to wear a pair of jeans.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams, as the successor to Skype for Business, is more of an Office 365 feature than a separate application. To register for the free version of Microsoft Teams, all you have to do is have an active e-mail address.
The standard version, which costs $ 5 per month for users, supports up to 300 members, guest access, voice and video calls for individuals and groups, card sharing - up to 2 GB for one user and 10 GB for groups , screen sharing, as well as collaboration with documents through the online applications of the Office package.
This is nothing compared to the Business version ($ 12.50 months / user) and the Enterprise version ($ 20 month / user) of Office 365, where the Teams program is just one feature of the software package. In that package, administrators have access to a wide range of management, security, and other tracking tools. Group members, in these versions, can share cards up to 1TB per user, can schedule direct meetings from Outlook, can record (video) meetings, and interact in documents through Office programs and SharePoint online. In addition, these plans support online training sessions and seminars through the web.
Zoom Meetings
Zoom Meetings offers solutions for HD video conferencing conferencing and messages for mobile and computer devices, up to 1,000 participants simultaneously, and up to 49 videos on a single screen - which is only suitable for large screens.
Collections - between two people, or between groups - can be stored on your computer or in the Cloud. In addition, participants can share their screens during the collaboration, share cards in the Chat chat window, search the history of collaborations, and offer archiving options for up to 10 years.
Sessions can be started by a web browser or by a dedicated application - be it for PC or mobile, providing two-way encryption (via AES 256-bit), role-based security (compatible with HIPAA), as well as integration with Gmail, Outlook and iCal applications for meeting schedule recording.
The free version offers unlimited one-on-one meetings, limiting group meetings to 40 minutes for up to 100 people. It also offers the ability to record on your computer, or in the "Cloud" of meetings in .MP4 (Video), .M4A (Audio), and .txt (text chat - Chat).
The initiator of the meeting could check the audio, video, and screen sharing for all participants of the meeting, who if they have something to say have the option of raising their hand.
In addition to the free version options, the Pro version ($ 14.99 months / host) offers meeting times up to 24 hours, 1 GB of Cloud storage, user management and other tools for administrative controls (appoints someone to arrange appointments for you) as well as Skype interaction for Business.
The business version ($ 19.99 per month / host, starting at 10 hosts) supports up to 300 participants, administrator panel, convenient links (eg ants.zoom.us), login using your company's accounts (Single Sign -on), brand marking of the company, integration with LTI (Moodle, Canvas, Desire2Learn, and Blackboard), as well as Transcription of recordings in "Cloud".
If you need more than that, you can get the enterprise version for the same price, but you have to pay for at least 100 hosts - so $ 1,999 / month. This version, in addition to the options for the business version, offers support for up to 500 participants (Enterprise Plus offers up to 1,000), unlimited storage in "Cloud", and other business qualities.
Google Meet
Google Meet is an integral part of the G Suite and G Suite for Education app packages, and is a replacement for Google Hangouts in the accounts they pay for these two packages.
Since Meet is part of Google's application package, it is fully integrated with other G Suite applications. This means that you can schedule a Google Meet appointment directly from Google Calendar, and send out invitations to this email meeting using Gmail.
If you use the app, which comes for both Android and iOS, you will receive notification of the meetings you have that day, to which you can respond (participate) with a single tap. And if you use the Enterprise version of the G Suite, you can join the meeting by phone while you are traveling, where you do not have access to the Internet.
If you use other dating apps like Skype or Microsoft Teams, or any other app that uses SIP and H.323, you can join a Google Meet meeting using the Pexip Infinity Platform.
Google Meet can be purchased through the G Suite Basic package for $ 6 per month for users - which supports up to 100 participants, or through more advanced packages such as business ($ 12 months / user) or enterprise ($ 25 months) users) which support 150, respectively 250 participants.
