Zoom vs Microsoft Teams: Which video conferencing app is better?

With the proliferation of COVID-19 pandemic, many people are working remotely and are connecting with other employees, customers and partners through different cloud-based video conferencing solutions. But remote workforce requires more than just online meetings to stay productive and be successful.

• They need a single hub to meet, chat, call and collaborate.
• They need tool/software that can support all types of workers – from firstline to C-Suite.

There is no doubt that a number of options are available today, but the two most popular options are Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Let’s see the differences : Microsoft Teams Vs Zoom.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a business collaboration app by Microsoft that helps employees stay connected and organized, chat – all in one place. It comes included in your Office 365 or Microsoft 365 subscription.

With Teams you can:

• Hold meetings, have conversations and share files. You can access, share and edit Word documents, Excel and PowerPoint files in real time.
• Schedule a meeting using calendar that syncs with your Outlook calendar.
• Call anyone from Teams, even if they are not using Teams. Teams of 10 or 10,000 can meet in a single place, no matter where they are located.
• Send instant messages with gifs, stickers and emojis in a group chat or in one to one message and stay connected.

Zoom

Zoom provides a cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, collaboration, chat and webinars across desktops, mobile devices, telephones and room systems.

Below is a detailed comparison between Teams and Zoom based on different parameters.

SECURITY:

Teams: One of the most important things that you get with Microsoft Teams is security. Microsoft had posted its security best practices in a blog post in which it had shared that Teams data is not used to serve ads to the users, recordings are stored in a controlled repository protected by encryption and permissions and that it deletes all the user data at the end of the subscription.

This ensures that your data remains safe within Microsoft Teams.

Zoom: It lacks security features, like preventing data loss or stopping users from opening malicious files, exposing users and IP to risk. As per a Forbes article, Zoom’s A Lifeline During COVID-19: This Is Why It’s Also A Privacy Risk. It provides limited contractual commitments.

Though Zoom is trying to make its services safer as per another Forbes article – Zoom Security: Here’s What Zoom Is Doing To Make Its Service Safer

REMOTE WORK ENABLEMENT:

Teams: Since Teams come with Office 365 or Microsoft 365 plans, you get a lot more features apart from online meetings. These features are required for productive online work. With Teams in Office 365 plan, you get*:

• 1 TB online secure file storage and sharing.
• Online Office applications like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Yammer and more.
• Business Class email with 50 GB inbox and Calendar.

Zoom: It can only enable online meetings; you will need additional third-party tools for fully equipping your remote team for collaborating productively. This bouncing back and forth from one interface to another can disrupt workflows and affect the productivity of your organization.

COMPLETELY INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE:

Teams: As stated above, Office 365 and Microsoft 365 planscome with features that help the workforce be productive remotely, irrespective of their language, workstyle, abilities or skills. Teams scales to enable large cross-company meetings and live events.

Zoom: It lacks tools like automated workflows, real-time live captioning that help people to stay productive. Since it provides host-based licensing, only the designated hosts get full-fledged capabilities and the rest get minimum functionalities. Live events are supported only on a paid basis.

Here’s a tabular comparison between the two:

Zoom Vs Microsoft Teams.

Features	Microsoft Teams	ZOOM
SECURITY
Use location, device, and risk level to ensure only the right people view content, join meetings, and present (MDM/MAM)	Yes	No
Protect files, chats, and content from being exposed accidently through data loss prevention and sensitivity labels	Yes	No
Prohibit recordings or transcripts stored in the cloud from being accessed, monitored, or viewed by unauthorized users unless engineers are providing technical support	Yes	Yes
Protect users from malicious software hidden in links and attachments (Advanced Threat Protection);	Yes	No
Get support for 90+ national, regional, and industry-specific compliance requirements and standards	Yes1	No
Comply with policies and regulations more easily, with built-in tools for legal hold, data retention, and case management (eDiscovery, Legal hold, Audit log, Content search)	Yes2	No
REMOTE WORK ENABLEMENT
Schedule and review upcoming meetings and agendas natively right from your calendar	Yes	No
Chat, share presentations, transfer controls, or send files within the meeting	Yes	Yes
Take notes and co-author in real-time during the meeting with seamlessly integrated document collaboration and digital whiteboarding	Yes	No
Reduce distractions through custom backgrounds	Yes	Yes
Store meeting content and discussions in one place with persistent context and notes captured in channel or chat (before/during/after)	Yes	No
Record meetings in the cloud and access previous meeting recordings and transcripts	Yes	Yes
Untether productivity through walkie-talkie mode on smartphones, tablets, and hands-free devices	Yes3	No
CREATING AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE
Ensure accessibility with real-time AI-enabled captions	Yes	No
Overcome language barriers through in-line chat translations in over 60 languages	Yes	No
Simulate in-office discussions with multiple, simultaneous live video streams and virtual hand raising	Yes4	Yes
Deliver live events for up to 10,000 attendees as easily as a meeting, at no extra cost	Yes5	No6
Automate and digitize workflows with low-code tools to make processes easier for remote workers	Yes	No
Empower unlimited interactions for the entire organization, not just designated hosts	Yes	No

Note: Microsoft 365 E5 plan forms the basis of tabular comparison. Teams benefits may vary by the license.

Don’t wait! Ensure your business productivity today with Microsoft Teams.

*Considering Microsoft365 Business Basic (Previously Office 365 Business essentials)

1 Certifications include: HIPAA, HITECH, ITAR FedRAMP, FISMA, EU Model Clauses / Privacy Shield, ISO, SSAE, SOC (1, 2, & 3), For a complete list, please visit the Microsoft Trust Center.

2 Capabilities included for Microsoft Teams channels, chats, and files. Does not cover meeting recordings or transcripts.

3 Walkie Talkie in Microsoft Teams will be available starting July 2020.

4 Microsoft Teams currently offers 4 live video streams with 9 coming by mid-May 2020, while they work to increase this limit even more in the future.

5 Temporarily increased to enable up to 100,000 attendees through the live events assistance program, through July 1, 2020.

6 Zoom provides live events as a paid add-on based on participants, charged per month/per host (1k/$340; 3k/$990; 5k/$2,490; 10k/$6,490)

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general information purpose only. Product features and information are subject to change. This information has been sourced from relevant resources available in the public domain in April 2020. We make best endeavors to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date, however, ZNet does not warrant or guarantee that anything written here is 100% accurate, timely, or relevant to the website visitors. Please use your best judgement and consider other information sources before making a purchase.