Managed IT Support Microsoft Teams vs Google Meet vs Zoom: The Definitive Videoconferencing Battle
The COVID-19 pandemic required workers to work from house, but the program had to go on somehow. Overnight, videoconferencing platforms developed into the lifeline that held companies together. Even as operations return to typical, videoconferencing suppliers are pouring resources into their products.
The two primary collaboration suites, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace offer videoconferencing abilities, however we would be remiss not to include among the most popular videoconferencing apps in the market today-- Zoom.
At this moment, your business is nearly guaranteed to have a videoconferencing platform already. If not, or if you are looking to alter platforms, continue reading below for a breakdown of functions and alternatives that will assist you make your decision.
Are your conferences long or short? Are you mostly meeting internally or with leads and clients? Will you be hosting webinars?
It goes without saying, if your company is currently subscribed to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and you are happy with the platform, you need to utilize Teams or Meet respectively. If you are not registered for either and merely need a standalone videoconferencing app, Zoom has a complimentary variation that needs to fix the majority of your requirements.
In the sections below, we will compare all three significant videoconferencing platforms based on different metrics you ought to think about prior to selecting the ideal one for your organization.
Teams vs Meet vs Zoom: Integration with your other apps/services
Before diving into the full list of features for each platform, it is very important to comprehend just how much you receive from the whole of what you are paying for.
Teams and Meet belong to bigger productivity suites, whereas Zoom is a standalone product with all the videoconferencing-specific features you might require. While Teams and Meet can be acquired independently, they are best bundled with their larger suites, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
Case in point, a Zoom Pro membership only gives you videoconferencing capabilities. For less than Zoom Pro, the M365 Business Standard and Workspace Business memberships include a complete suite of company applications.
With Microsoft 365, you get a fully incorporated experience with desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. The most significant selling point of Microsoft is how quickly the apps work with each other, and the biggest distinction between Teams and its rivals is how centralized the suite is.
Groups leaps flawlessly from instantaneous messaging to video calls, with the ability to switch backward and forward in between them.
Google Meet is independent of Workspace's chat app, Google Chat. While users can use both Workspace apps all at once, the separation of the two is a bit counterintuitive.
With M365 and Teams, all chats, recorded conferences, and files are all housed in the same central area, making searchability far simpler.
With Meet and Zoom, you will need to seek out saved chats from old conferences, or in the case of Meet, head over to Google Chat.
This is likewise the case when working on collective files. Any files connected in a Teams chat will appear under its files tab at the top of the window, implying you do not need to lose time chasing them down when you need them.
Microsoft uses much more applications in their strategies than Google, though many go undetected.
Microsoft Sway enables you to quickly grab and cut a taped Teams satisfying that you can then house locally within Teams itself.
In the case that someone gets here late to a conference, or an employee records the exact same meeting and lets it run for hours after its conclusion, you can quickly grab the part of the meeting you require and save it.
This bypasses the storage that would be consumed by an hours-long video clip, along with the time it would take to upload, cut, and export said video from a video editing platform.
In addition, all three platforms do have combinations with different other business applications, so make sure to look at compatibility with any apps you currently utilize, and these platforms.
Groups vs Meet vs Zoom: Features
Comparing Free Versions vs. Paid
Microsoft, Google, and Zoom have actually all adjusted well to the need for specific features on their platforms, therefore the majority of the very same features overlap throughout plans for all three suites. This consists of screen sharing, video recording, live captions, and everyone's favorite: customized backgrounds. When it comes to some other functions, they vary across each company's offerings.
A table depicting the different strategies and functions of Microsoft Teams vs. Google Meet vs. Zoom Audio Conferencing On-the-Go
While present across the board, dial-in capabilities vary across strategies. Meet offers dial-in totally free with any of their paid plans, among the greatest benefits that the platform has more than its rivals.Teams offers its dial-in ability for $4 additional per user, per month; while Zoom's dial-in is toll-based.
Both Teams and Meet offer internet-based PBX options that can change your in-house phones, while Zoom's toll-based setup is not useful.
Microsoft 365 Business Voice incorporates flawlessly with Teams, allowing staff members to take business on the go, all with complete continuity.
Video Quality-- Who Supports the Best?
As of the time of this post, each platform shows video in HD, but the quality differs. Teams can 1080p video at 30 frames per second if you have 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth.
Zoom likewise has 1080p video, but it is limited to the platform's company or enterprise plans. 1080p can likewise be enabled by Zoom assistance in particular cases. Zoom's 1080p functionality requires 1.8 Mbps of bandwidth for 1-on-1 calls and 2.5 Mbps on group calls.
Meet will default to 360p video, but it can send out and get up to 720p video.
Audio quality across platforms depends on microphone and speaker quality, as well as the quality of your web connection.
Spaces and Workspaces-- Breaking Things Down
Breakout spaces are basically conferences that run concurrently to the original videoconference. These were particularly required for virtual education, so teachers might break students out into separate groups to find out.
There is a clear utility for breakout spaces in professional areas, too. If a larger group is meeting about a job, breaking down jobs into smaller sized groups, breakout spaces might be a great option.
Both Teams and Zoom have breakout rooms native to their base platforms, throughout all plans. These rooms are basically conferences that are running all at once to the original videoconference.
Recently, Microsoft likewise rolled out Together Mode, which uses AI to put video participants in numerous digital settings, together. While the utility is light, Together Mode could be a strong morale booster.
Groups vs Meet vs Zoom: Privacy and Safety
To its credit, Zoom responded quickly to the "Zoom battle" of the early days of the pandemic, including end-to-end file encryption and intensifying their privacy policy. Over 500,000 Zoom accounts were taken and posted for sale online soon thereafter.
While Meet has not had any famous events of privacy breaches, Google has actually had a lot of privacy concerns and a performance history of collecting data for use in advertising.
Microsoft has the very best track record of security and they likewise have the most transparent personal privacy policy.
All three platforms support two-factor authentication. Considering that 99% of cybersecurity attacks involve a password element, two-factor authentication is a must if you want a legitimate defense versus cybercriminals.
As a part of the larger M365 suite, all chats, notes, and files are secured and stored within OneNote and SharePoint, respectively.
Additionally, Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) is offered on its Business Premium and E5 plans, obstructing potentially malicious material from being accessed by those in your business.
Microsoft also uses Data Loss Protection (DLP) to catch delicate information being shared (like social security numbers), and instantly obstruct it from being sent out.
In addition to eDiscovery and legal holds within channels, chats, and files, Teams guarantees you remain compliant with all information storage regulations.
A graphic showing the course of info as it is encrypted from Microsoft Teams through Microsoft 365.
Google does provide eDiscovery in their Business and Enterprise plans and DLP in their Enterprise strategy just, however these are only restricted to Drive and Gmail. From what we can see Meet has no particularly noted DLP capabilities.Zoom does not use any of these functions on its main platform.
In general, Zoom has actually reacted well to its personal privacy challenges, however the changes are mostly cosmetic.
End-to-end file encryption (E2EE) is excellent to it support brisbane have, but its addition was more of a response to an issue than a total solution. It is unlikely that E2EE protects most users from more than file encryption in transit and at rest, like with Teams and Meet.
E2EE is most helpful in 1-on-1 conversations where sensitive details may be shared, and it will be readily available on Teams soon according to Microsoft.
The videoconferencing company has less to worry about since they are a single-purpose app, dealing entirely with videoconferencing, and not the storage of files, talks, and other information like Microsoft or Google.
Based on reputation alone, Microsoft stands well above the others in regards to security.
Since your information is all kept in a single space, Teams and its security features take your efficiency center and turns it into your company's own information fortress. This second level of security and privacy makes it the most safe, in our experience.
Groups vs Meet vs Zoom: The Verdict
Many videoconferencing platforms have comparable functions, your company's precise needs must figure out whether you select Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or Zoom.
For base-level features at an inexpensive cost, it is tough to beat Zoom, who is focused exclusively on videoconferencing. For the most bang for your buck, Teams ties your whole business together in one area, with the best possible functions and security offered.
If you are looking for an all-in-one collaboration hub that keeps all your interaction in one space, we extremely suggest Microsoft Teams.
IT Support Guys has leveraged the power of Microsoft 365 since 2008 when it was still called Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), and we have continued our partnership up until today day.