The Coronavirus pandemic has made millions of people worldwide to move their offices home as they practice social distancing so that they don’t get infected with the virus, or spread the disease to others.
The availability of internet means we can stay connected and do our jobs (those that can be done online), from the comfort of our homes on a couch or carpet, in your bed, or in the toilet. At this point it doesn’t matter where in your house you working from, as long as you don’t step out.
For those businesses and organizations that hold occasional meetings in the boardroom or in any other room they usually hold them from, working from home may seem like a block to their meetings. We said may, but with technology, it really shouldn’t. There are numerous software packages that provide video conferencing services so you and your team can hold meetings wherever you are on in the world.
Here are our five picks.
Skype
Skype, one of the many Microsoft-owned products, has been tried and tested. Skype can be accessed both through their app installed on your mobile device or straight through the browser without installing anything.
Skype has a screen sharing option, you can automatically blur backgrounds, record chats, and live subtitle conversations.
The free version of Skype allows you to have up to 50 participants in a video conference, the paid version supports up to 250 participants and by virtue of it being a Microsoft product, you get Office integration.
Zoom Meeting
Zoom Meeting’s popularity is increasing every other day because of its powerful features. With the free version, you can have up to 100 participants in a video conference call, but it is limited to 40 minutes per session. There is no time limit if the call is between just people.
Just as Skype, Zoom can also be used to basically just chat, and with 256-bit TLS encryption, all your conversations, text or video, files shared are as safe as ever.
Google Hangouts
Would it be a complete software list without a Google product? Those guys are everywhere. Google Hangouts is the free version of Google Hangouts Meet which is only available for G Suit customers.
Google Hangouts video conferencing supports up to 10 people, but their chat option can have up to 150 participants. Google Hangouts comes pre-installed on basically every Google-based device, but it is also available for iOS, ChromeOS and on the browser without installing anything.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Google announced that until July 1, 2020, Enterprise-level features such as meetings of up to 250 people, recording to Google Drive and more are available for free. Generous much, huh?
CyberLink U Meeting
Cyberlink U Meeting is another tool for video conferencing. Although its full productivity is on the premium version, its free basic version allows you to hold a meeting with up to 25 people spanning a length of 30 minutes.
It is entirely web-based so you don’t need to install any software to use it. U Meeting does not offer video recording or the ability to dial into meetings using VoIP systems.
Cisco Webex Meetings
Arguably the world’s leading network software developers, Cisco’s Webex Meetings will do you just good. With over 1GB cloud storage and AES 256-bit encryption, Webex Meetings offers unlimited video calls of unlimited length for up to 100 participants per session with HD video and audio.
You can use Webex meetings through mobile apps, but holding your meetings through the browser provides the best experience.
Bonus.
WhatsApp and Messenger
Yes, you read that right. You can hold meetings for smaller groups using your favourite messaging apps WhatsApp and Messenger, all Facebook-owned. WhatsApp supports four participants per video call whereas Messenger allows you see six participants on the screen, but up 50 people can join the conversation.
It is important to note that the quality of your video conference calls will depend on the quality of your internet connection. With that being said, working from home should not stop you from holding your meetings to plan your week.
Your weekly plan should include washing hands with soap for 20 seconds regularly. Don’t forget that.