74 TECH ADVISOR • JULY 2020WORKING FROM HOME TIPS
What is Zoom?
Zoom (fave.co/2RAjFIk) is a cloud-basedvideo
conferencingtool.Createdwithlargecompaniesin
mind, it enables users to host and record meetings,
participatein groupchats,andcollaborateasif they
wereinthesameoffice.TheappworkswithWindows,
Mac,AndroidandiOSoperatingsystems.Features
While both Skype and Zoom allow you to hold video
meetingsandrecordthemforlaterreview,theydiffer
significantlyinscale.Skypecansupportupto 50
participantsona singlevideoconference(thesame
limitappliestovoicecalls).Zoomcanaccommodateup
to1,000videoparticipantsand 49 on-screenvideos.
Anotherdifference:bothZoomandSkypeallow
userstoparticipatein a meetingevenif theydon’t
haveanaccount– theycansimplyjoinviaa shared
linkorcode.ButSkyperecentlyuppedtheantewith
a feature calledMeetNowthat’sbeenpromoted
heavilyduringthecoronavirusshutdown.Hostscan
nowcreateandsharea freemeetingevenif theydon’t
haveSkypesoftwaredownloadedontheirmachine.
Theprocessis donethrougha Skypewebinterface
and takesjustafewclicks.
Onceyoulookbeyondvideoconferencing,thetwo
tools’basicfeaturesetscompareprettyfavourably.
Both supportscreensharing,whiteboarding,andthe
sharingofdocumentsandotherfiles–allessential
forgettingworkdone.Zoom,however,hassome
business-ready capabilities Skype lacks, such as
breakout sessions, the ability to generate meeting