The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live our lives and has completely transformed the way we do business. From lockdown regulations and travel restrictions through to having a general fear of the virus, many businesses have been forced to virtualize most of their operations. Whether you run an SME or work for a multinational corporation, the virtualization of the world is something we’ve all had to adapt to. While Skype was once the go-to software for meetings, Microsoft Teams and Zoom have slowly gained momentum in the market. Here’s an insightful comparison of the two platforms.
Zoom
The ups…
For some time now, Zoom has been one of the biggest players in the video conferencing arena. In a recent blog by Zoom’s CEO Eric S. Yuan, he said the usage has ‘ballooned overnight’. He then went on to explain, “as of the end of December last year, the maximum number of daily meeting participants, both free and paid, conducted on Zoom was approximately 10 million. In March this year, we reached more than 200 million daily meeting participants, both free and paid.”
The downs…
While the platform has afforded businesses the opportunity to continue working remotely, it has not been without any shortfalls. According to Tech Xplore, one of the most notable issues relating to the Zoom app is that of hijacking or “Zoom Bombing”. Simply put, this is when hackers intrude on others’ meetings, often sharing inappropriate content that is unrelated to the meeting.
Interpretation functionality
Zoom now offers a language interpretation functionality. At the start of the meeting, the host simply enables the interpretation feature, which automatically gives interpreters access to their own audio channels. Attendees are then able to select an audio channel of choice where they will hear the translated audio. They can also opt to hear the original audio at a lower volume.
Security guidelines
Here are some guidelines on how to ensure optimal safety and security during your Zoom sessions.
Microsoft Teams
The ups…
Microsoft Teams offers an exceptional experience as it provides integration with Microsoft 365 while allowing users to access, share and edit standard Microsoft productivity tools such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel- all in real-time. In addition to this, Tech Republic explains that, “As well as being able to chat and video call, shared files are synched with OneDrive and SharePoint to keep copies securely in the cloud.”
In a recent earnings call, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that in the month of April, Microsoft Teams reached 200 million meeting participants in a single day, generating more than 4.1 billion meeting minutes.
The downs…
While Microsoft Teams hasn’t experienced the same amount of backlash relating to security issues, Abnormal Security warns that hackers have been impersonating notifications from Microsoft Teams in order to steal the credentials of employees.
Interpretation functionality
Microsoft Teams does not have a language interpretation functionality however, for companies that conduct meetings in various languages, Microsoft recommends the combined use of Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Translator.
Security guidelines
Here’s a set of privacy, security, and compliance tips for Microsoft Teams.
There you have it- a consolidated comparison of the worlds leading video conferencing software. The biggest difference seems to be the fact that Microsoft Teams lacks an integrated language interpretation functionality, whereas Zoom allows for basic interpretation. The only thing that is missing is the interpreter, and you know who to call for the best available interpreters in Southern Africa!
As specialists in the language interpretation field, we now offer our own CRN Remote Simultaneous Interpretation platform, which has enabled us to continue servicing our clients during these unprecedented times. For more information on this offering, click here.
