Fifteen months after the US and Europe went into lockdown for the primary time, many office-based staff have nonetheless not returned to their pre-pandemic workplaces. During that point, videoconferencing apps have continued to see an unprecedented — and unsurprising — degree of recognition. And as conversations about what the office of the long run may appear like collect steam, organizations are more and more trying to agency up their collaboration expertise stack to help a shift to hybrid work.Since we first reviewed the foremost videoconferencing platforms final yr, Zoom has posted its 2021 first quarter whole income at $956.2 million, up 191% yr over yr; Microsoft Teams has 145 million every day lively customers, up from 75 million final yr; and Cisco Webex has rolled out greater than 400 new capabilities since September.During the preliminary rush to distant work in early 2020, many firms turned to no matter video app was most handy. Now it’s time to reassess whether or not your group is utilizing the perfect videoconferencing platform for its wants. Here at Computerworld, we’ve tried to take a number of the headache out of your decision-making course of by trialing and evaluating a number of main videoconferencing platforms.For final yr’s assessment we examined 5 main platforms: Cisco Webex Meetings, Google Meet, LogMeIn GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. For this yr’s up to date assessment, we added one other main platform, BlueJeans, into the combo. With assist from colleagues throughout the US, we performed a collection of group video calls by way of the six apps to attempt to uncover which system supplies the perfect service for conferences with distant staff.The predominant standards we used to judge every platform could be boiled all the way down to person expertise, audio and video high quality, and administration concerns, together with admin instruments and safety. We paid explicit consideration to every platform’s person interface, its in-meeting options, and the way simple it was to make use of with out the necessity for prior coaching. The excellent news is that each one six platforms supplied us with strong audio and video, together with vary of options that helped to boost the expertise of every video name we performed. Not all videoconferencing platforms are created equal, nevertheless, and as a workforce, we favored some merchandise over others. While our opinions are subjective, we hope the next evaluations and side-by-side characteristic comparability desk assist any group struggling to seek out the correct videoconferencing software program make an knowledgeable funding choice.Note: All assembly screenshots have been supplied by the distributors. For privateness and safety causes, we opted to not present screenshots with Computerworld staffers of their houses. BlueJeans Virtual MeetingsBased in 2009 as Blue Jeans Network, BlueJeans launched its cloud-based service in 2011 with the aim of constructing videoconferencing obtainable to anybody with a video-enabled gadget. In addition to its predominant video assembly platform, Virtual Meetings, BlueJeans affords merchandise for convention rooms, telehealth, webinars, and different occasions. The firm was bought by Verizon in 2020.Plans and pricingStandard: $10/host/month; as much as 100 individuals per namePro: $14/host/month: as much as 150 individuals per nameEnterprise: $17/host/month; as much as 200 individuals per nameEnterprise Plus: customized pricing; as much as 200 individuals per callA 14-day free trial is on the market for the Enterprise plan. (See plans and pricing particulars.)User expertiseAs with all the opposite platforms included on this assessment, our BlueJeans take a look at name was undertaken on the free model of the platform, with name individuals becoming a member of from a wide range of completely different gadgets and places.When I first downloaded the desktop app to arrange the assembly, I used to be instantly postpone by the truth that my webcam was robotically turned on and my face grew to become the background of the log-in display. At no level was I warned that this may occur or requested if I wished to toggle this setting on or off earlier than my digicam turned on. Once logged into the app, I used to be in a position to disable my digicam, however having my face unexpectedly staring again at me whereas I entered my username and password was not one thing I welcomed.Setting up a gathering contained in the app ought to theoretically be quite simple: there’s an choice to hyperlink both a Google calendar or Microsoft Outlook calendar. However, once I tried to combine BlueJeans and Outlook, I used to be knowledgeable that this wasn’t potential, as Outlook wasn’t put in on my gadget. (It is.) As with many of the different platforms, the workaround fortunately wasn’t that taxing; you merely copy the pre-generated private assembly data right into a calendar invite and ship it out to all of the individuals.Once on the decision, one other quirk we got here throughout was the truth that all individuals had moderator permissions turned on by default. Again, this is likely to be one thing the host can toggle on or off when organising the assembly, however once I organized the decision, it actually wasn’t apparent to me. Thankfully, nobody on our take a look at name abused this newfound energy, however this might undoubtedly trigger a problem if assembly with third-party customers.Besides these preliminary points, the in-call options supplied by BlueJeans all appeared to work as supposed. Although the model we tried was not characteristic wealthy, all individuals have been in a position to share their screens, view and annotate the whiteboard, and allow a digital background. There’s additionally an choice so as to add a reputation plate to your video tile; nevertheless, that may solely be seen by different individuals if they’re in gallery mode. BlueJeans
BlueJeans affords assembly individuals the standard array of in-meeting controls and views. (Click picture to enlarge it.)
A colleague who examined the power to hitch the assembly by way of numerous internet browsers was pleased to find that BlueJeans helps Firefox, Safari, and Opera along with Chrome and Edge. Additionally, one other colleague who used the BlueJeans iPhone app to entry the decision was “pleasantly surprised” by her expertise.Audio and visible high qualityUnfortunately, one platform is all the time going to have to come back final within the audio and visible high quality take a look at, and this yr it was BlueJeans.One colleague had issues getting his microphone to work with the platform, however even after this problem was resolved, the image high quality for many people was noticeably pixelated, and the audio had a bent to drop out at instances.It ought to be famous that at no level was it unhealthy sufficient for us to desert the decision; nevertheless, a number of individuals did remark that this name was the worst when it comes to general image high quality.Management concernsBlueJeans affords 4 Virtual Meetings plans, offering extra superior administrative capabilities with every tier. With Pro plan and above, the platform affords integrations with dozens of enterprise productiveness, collaboration, advertising and marketing, and IT administration and safety apps.All content material in transit is encrypted utilizing AES-256 GCM; recordings are saved in safe containers, protected with AES 256-bit encryption, and accessible solely by the recording originator. Meeting IDs are randomized, and hosts can allow passcodes, lock conferences, and take away individuals. The platform additionally helps two-factor authentication and single sign-on.In phrases of assembly options, it’s undeniably one of many extra primary platforms we examined — though as I’ve already identified, this isn’t essentially a nasty factor. If you desire a platform that lets you verify in along with your workforce with none bells or whistles, then this may give you the reply.Additionally, whereas BlueJeans does provide a free trial, it solely lasts two weeks, so if this can be a platform you might be contemplating, you will have to go for a paid model for long-term use.Bottom linePros: Easy-to-use platformCons: Limited free trial; not very characteristic wealthy; preliminary digicam settings are a bit invasiveWhile the platform is easy and simple to make use of, the problems we had with video high quality imply it’s unlikely to be the only option for vital conferences or these with giant numbers of individuals.Cisco Webex MeetingsA granddaddy of the online assembly house, Webex (previously WebEx) has been round since 1995. WebEx Communications was acquired by Cisco in 2007 and its web- and videoconferencing software program subsequently rebranded as Cisco Webex Meetings. Cisco now affords different Webex-branded merchandise comparable to Webex Events and Webex Contact Center, however when folks say “Webex,” they usually imply Webex Meetings.Plans and pricingFree: as much as 100 individuals per name; 50-minute name restrictStarter: $13.50/host/month; as much as 100 individuals per nameBusiness: $27/host/month; as much as 200 individuals per nameEnterprise: customized pricing; customizable variety of individuals per name(See plans and pricing particulars.)User expertiseWhen we examined Cisco Webex final yr, organizing a gathering was very simple. On your person profile web page, you would choose Schedule, then enter the assembly title, date, and time, plus the e-mail addresses of your individuals. Webex then auto-generated a gathering ID hyperlink and password and despatched out a calendar invite that included a dial-in quantity for individuals becoming a member of by telephone from the UK (the place I’m primarily based), plus a hyperlink to worldwide dial-in numbers for about 50 nations. I assumed that this may nonetheless be the case a yr on, however sadly, clicking Schedule this time round introduced up this error message: IDG
(Click picture to enlarge it.)
Instead, I needed to create a separate invite in Outlook, invite the assembly individuals, and supply a hyperlink to my private assembly room. (Note that I used the free model of Webex for testing.) While this workaround did work and we have been all in a position to be a part of the assembly efficiently this fashion, it overcomplicated what had beforehand been a easy course of.The internet, Windows, and Mac software interfaces are comparatively customary. You can decide to view all of the assembly individuals directly or have the platform toggle between the latest audio system that can assist you maintain observe of who’s speaking. Along the underside of the display are icons to allow and disable your microphone and digicam, to share your display, and to open the chat and participant checklist panes — the final two will seem on the right-hand facet of your display when chosen.As anticipated, the cellular interface is extra restricted; customers who joined the decision by way of smartphone relatively than a pc mentioned that they may see solely as much as 4 folks on the display at anyone time — a criticism levelled at many of the platforms we examined. One colleague who joined the Webex name by way of her iPhone skilled a problem with the breakout room operate. Instead of coming into her assigned room, her cellular app crashed, and she or he was pressured off the decision and unable to hitch the breakout room.Furthermore, a colleague accessing the assembly by way of an internet browser was unable to see some other individuals’ digicam feeds or hear what they have been saying. Their names have been nonetheless seen within the nook of the video squares and would proceed to mild as much as point out who was talking, however mentioned colleague was pressured to depart and rejoin the assembly as a way to get sound and video again.The chat options we examined all labored as anticipated. The chat window lets you ship messages to the entire group or privately to a person within the assembly, which is a pleasant contact, and the whiteboard functionality is on the market to individuals on each the Cisco Webex desktop and cellular app. Cisco
Webex Enterprise customers can rapidly ballot colleagues throughout video conferences. (Click picture to enlarge it.)
Users also can specific their emotions by means of a wide range of emoticons: icons together with clapping fingers, a thumbs up, and a coronary heart will seem in backside left-hand nook of a person’s video when chosen. On Cisco Webex paid plans, these emoticons are powered by gestures, that means if I have been to clap my fingers on digicam, the clapping fingers icon would robotically seem on my video tile. Other newly obtainable options on paid plans embody background noise cancelling, stay transcription and translation, and customizable assembly layouts that transcend speaker and gallery view.Cisco Webex has spent numerous time during the last yr bettering the platform in an effort to “deliver a Webex experience that is 10x better than in-person [interactions],” in response to an organization announcement. While it’s comprehensible that the free model could be restricted when it comes to options, I used to be disillusioned to see that the just lately rolled out closed captioning and stay translation skills weren’t obtainable on our name. Cisco has talked lots in regards to the significance of accessibility, and I don’t assume that ought to include a price ticket.Recording the assembly supplies a full audio and visible playback that may be downloaded and shared. A file of the chat log and an inventory of assembly attendees can also be obtainable once you watch the recording. Audio and video high qualityBesides the problems talked about above, each the video and the audio have been principally clear and remained comparatively constant all through the whole lot of the decision, with nobody dropping out at any level. We couldn’t hear one colleague at the beginning of the decision, however this was sorted comparatively rapidly when he adjusted his system settings.There was an apparent degradation within the high quality of some individuals’ video feeds when there was a bigger variety of individuals on the decision, and a few folks famous that they skilled a minor lag when the decision switched to a unique speaker; nevertheless, this was not so unhealthy that it impacted general high quality.Unfortunately, a colleague who joined the assembly by way of the app on his Android telephone skilled some vital audio points. Despite all of the in-call indicators exhibiting he was not muted, we couldn’t hear him for the whole lot of the decision. It’s unclear whether or not this problem was attributable to a {hardware} or a software program error, however that participant didn’t expertise related points with any of the opposite merchandise we examined.Management concernsCisco affords a free plan and three completely different paid plans for Webex Meetings, with every tier supporting extra assembly hosts and individuals. The platform was forward of the curve final yr, being the one one in our earlier assessment to supply end-to-end encryption. While that is now not a singular providing from Cisco, it illustrates that the platform has lengthy had safety on the forefront of its growth.For instance, Webex robotically locks digital assembly rooms when a gathering begins. It additionally supplies hosts with the aptitude to display customers earlier than they enter a gathering, stopping any unauthorized personnel from becoming a member of a name they shouldn’t be part of.By default, the service makes use of an ISO-certified, multi-layered safety mannequin, as outlined in its 2021 Webex safety white paper. End-to-end encryption is on the market for customers of all plans, however directors with paid accounts should allow it. (Users of the free plan can file a assist ticket with Webex to request that E2E encryption be enabled.) Note: when E2E encryption is enabled, options comparable to community recordings, breakout rooms, and the power to hitch earlier than the host are disabled, and the online app and video endpoints are usually not supported.Currently, the paid plans supplied by Cisco Webex are a number of the most feature-rich obtainable, with greater than 400 new capabilities having been added within the final 9 months alone. However, whereas it’s comprehensible that the free model could be restricted, stripping the platform again a lot does detract from the heights its different tiers have reached.While Webex labored nicely sufficient for our take a look at name, should you’re in search of a platform that may host each giant and small conferences, the drop-off in video high quality we skilled because the participant checklist grew is likely to be value holding in thoughts.Bottom linePros: Offers end-to-end encryption; ample in-meeting instruments for individuals and hostsCons: Not nice for big conferences; free tier is lacking some options supplied by different platformsCisco Webex was forward of its rivals final yr by providing E2E encryption, and the corporate continues to make safety a precedence for its customers. Audio and video high quality are typically good, though I wouldn’t advocate this platform should you wanted to frequently host calls with giant numbers of individuals.The sound points our colleague utilizing the Android app skilled have been actually a problem; nevertheless, one other colleague who attended the assembly by way of the iPhone app commented that it supplied a number of the finest customization choices in comparison with the opposite platforms we examined.Cisco has clearly labored exhausting during the last yr to make Webex a frontrunner within the videoconferencing house, significantly below its paid plans. While the free choice we examined actually allowed us to have a (principally) profitable video name, it simply doesn’t really feel as polished as a number of the different free companies we tried.Google MeetGoogle Meet is included with Google Workspace (previously G Suite), the seller’s workplace suite. As such, it’s tightly built-in with the opposite Workspace functions, together with Gmail and Google Calendar. Meet can also be obtainable at no cost to anyone with a Google account, with fewer options than are included with the paid Workspace plans.Plans and pricingGoogle Meet solely: free; as much as 100 individuals per name; 60-minute name restrictGoogle Workspace Business Starter: $6/person/month; as much as 100 individuals per Meet nameGoogle Workspace Business Standard: $12/person/month; as much as 150 individuals per Meet nameGoogle Workspace Business Plus: $18/person/month; as much as 250 individuals per Meet nameGoogle Workspace Enterprise: customized pricing; as much as 250 individuals per Meet callA 14-day free trial is on the market for all paid plans. (See plans and pricing particulars.)User expertiseSince our final assessment, my workplace has transitioned from Google Workspace to Office 365, that means that organising this assembly wasn’t fairly as handy because it was final yr. However, regardless of my lack of entry to Google Calendar, scheduling a gathering in Google Meet was nonetheless comparatively ache free. You merely go to Google Meet in your browser, click on “new meeting,” and choose “create a meeting for later” from the drop-down menu that seems to obtain the assembly hyperlink. You can then copy this hyperlink right into a manually set-up calendar invite in your e-mail supplier of selection. Google Workspace customers (or people who use Meet and Google Calendar) can nonetheless schedule conferences straight in Google Calendar.Although Google has just lately rolled out a slew of recent options for Google Meet – considerably later than a lot of its rivals – the platform remains to be one of the vital primary on provide. In holding with Google’s web-first philosophy, it’s the one platform we examined that doesn’t present desktop customers with the choice to entry conferences by way of an app as an alternative of a browser. (Android and iOS apps are, nevertheless, obtainable on cellular gadgets.)Once on the decision, the in-meeting capabilities permit customers to mute and unmute themselves, flip their webcam on and off, share their display, activate closed captions, and talk by way of textual content chat with everybody. Paid Workspace customers have entry to a wider vary of options, together with breakout rooms, polls, noise cancellation, stay streaming, and the choice to file the assembly.One massive enchancment from final yr is the power to see greater than 4 folks on display at anyone time, alongside the power for customers to vary between completely different structure settings and set digital backgrounds, all options that weren’t obtainable after we examined the platform final yr. We additionally continued to be impressed by the accuracy of the real-time closed captioning Meet affords. Individual customers can select whether or not to run the service or not and might toggle it on and off all through the assembly. During our take a look at calls, we discovered the extent of accuracy the AI-driven characteristic supplied was excellent. Google
Google Meet affords individuals a wide range of layouts for group conferences. (Click picture to enlarge it.)
Google has just lately added in-meeting, real-time translation in 5 languages. When I turned on the French translation, nevertheless, the characteristic picked up hardly any of our in-meeting speech and as an alternative of offering a seamless translation expertise, random and seemingly inaccurate French phrases have been sporadically displayed. The whiteboarding characteristic was additionally a bit hit or miss: though it labored nicely for these accessing the assembly by way of the browser, cellular individuals couldn’t use the whiteboard with out downloading a separate app first.Additionally, whereas the display share characteristic labored as anticipated and offers you the choice to share your whole display, a window, or a tab, because the presenter I couldn’t see what I used to be sharing inside the name, which I didn’t like. Google has since mentioned that it’s updating Google Meet’s UI, permitting customers to concurrently see different individuals alongside their in-call presentation.Audio and video qualityThroughout the decision, the audio and video high quality of all of the individuals held up comparatively nicely, and general, we skilled no main technical points. No one had any points getting their microphone or digicam to work – most probably as a result of we’ve all used the platform beforehand, so all our settings had already been configured.A colleague of mine did say that he’d been on a Google Meet name with greater than 60 colleagues primarily based in India and had seen a critical degradation in name high quality throughout that assembly.Management concernsIf the assembly host and all of the individuals are already hardwired into Google Workspace, then Google Meet is the simplest and most evident videoconferencing selection to make use of. As beforehand talked about, Google has just lately rolled out a bunch of recent options for Google Meet, and the platform is healthier for these modifications.Despite this, the free model of Google Meet continues to be one of many extra primary platforms on this roundup; nevertheless, that isn’t essentially a criticism. While options like background noise suppression, in-meeting emojis, and the power to customise your face through the name is likely to be good, not having them doesn’t infringe on Google Meet’s means to host a profitable video name. Additionally, providing a restricted variety of options signifies that customers of the free model don’t have a noticeably poorer in-meeting expertise, as was the case with a number of the different platforms we tried. Meet doesn’t provide end-to-end encryption, however Google says that it adheres to Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) safety requirements for Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) and Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) and that Meet recordings saved in Google Drive are encrypted at relaxation with “at least AES 128.” (Google has supplied a weblog put up with details about Meet safety.) Google Workspace affords the standard array of administration options together with an admin portal and analytics studies. Bottom linePros: Simplicity of the platform makes it simple to make use of and doesn’t over-complicate conferences; wonderful real-time transcriptionCons: Doesn’t provide as many in-meeting options as different platformsIf your group is a Google Workspace buyer, Google Meet is a strong videoconferencing choice, particularly should you frequently use the opposite communication and collaboration instruments Google affords. Setting up conferences is easy, the decision high quality is first rate, Google’s safety is enterprise-ready (however omits E2E encryption) — and also you’re already paying for it as a part of your Workspace subscription. However, should you want superior in-meeting instruments, take into account trying right into a extra subtle videoconferencing product. LogMeIn GoToMeetingGoToMeeting was first launched again in 2004 as an internet assembly, desktop sharing, and videoconferencing software program package deal. After LogMeIn and Citrix’s GoTo unit merged in 2017, GoToMeeting formally grew to become a LogMeIn product and now heads up the GoTo catalog of merchandise, which additionally consists of GoToWebinar, GoToTraining, and GoToRoom.Plans and pricingFree: as much as 4 individuals per name; 40-minute name restrictProfessional: $12/organizer/month; as much as 150 individuals per nameBusiness: $16/organizer/month; as much as 250 individuals per nameEnterprise: customized pricing; as much as 3,000 individuals per callA 14-day free trial is on the market for all plans. (See plans and pricing particulars.)User expertiseWhen endeavor the testing of all of the platforms on this assessment, the plan was to entry every one by way of a spread of gadgets and apps as a way to give a well-rounded overview of the expertise every one affords. Like nearly each different platform, LogMeIn affords desktop customers the choice to obtain an app. Unlike with the opposite platforms, nevertheless, none of us might efficiently obtain and set up the Windows or macOS app.The app would begin downloading, however when close to completion, an error message would floor saying set up had been blocked as a consequence of our firewall. The solely workaround a colleague discovered was to supply an older model of the software program and obtain that as an alternative — however when he tried to launch the desktop app, it opened the online app in a browser as an alternative. So, all of the desktop customers ended up utilizing the online app, and solely in Chrome or Microsoft Edge; the GoToMeeting internet app doesn’t help Safari or Firefox.As we have been utilizing the free model, it’s comprehensible that our assembly choices could be restricted. Our assembly might solely maintain 4 individuals at a time, though surprisingly we did have six folks on the decision at first, regardless of a big banner on the high of the display studying: “This session has reached its maximum number of participants (4).” When individuals dropped off the decision, they have been then denied entry again into the assembly as a result of we have been nonetheless over capability.Additionally, my colleague who joined by way of the iPhone app described her assembly expertise as “horrible.” Holding her telephone in portrait mode meant she might solely see two individuals in full, with the third lower in half and no choice to scroll up. Her face was additionally lined by the microphone and digicam buttons. When she tried to vary a few of her settings, the app took a very long time to reply. She’s not sure if this lag was a problem attributable to her telephone, her connection, or the GoToMeeting app.That being mentioned, the in-meeting options obtainable with the free trial are primary however work nicely. Sharing my display was a simple and glitch-free expertise, as have been the controls obtainable to me as a bunch, comparable to muting and unmuting individuals and giving them presenter standing. GoToMeeting affords Business and Enterprise plan customers extra options comparable to drawing instruments, observe taking, and a sensible assistant that detects motion gadgets. Also obtainable to the Business and Enterprise plans is the power to file a gathering both domestically or to the cloud. LogMeIn
GoToMeeting has easy-to-use in-meeting instruments. (Click picture to enlarge it.)
Audio and video qualityGoToMeeting affords customers the choice to have their digicam both in 4:3 or widescreen mode, relying on their desire. The video high quality supplied by GoToMeeting appears to have improved since we reviewed the platform final yr, with one colleague commenting it was maybe the clearest he’d ever seen me on video. However, one other colleague’s video wasn’t working — a problem he wasn’t conscious of till we requested him if he’d deliberately turned his digicam off.There have been additionally just a few points with audio. One colleague’s audio was muted the whole time, regardless that the in-meeting settings indicated that wasn’t the case. When she left and tried to rejoin the assembly to see if that may resolve the difficulty, she was advised the assembly was at capability, so by no means obtained an opportunity to resolve the difficulty.Management concernsNot with the ability to obtain the appliance on the desktop was a giant problem, and though it might in all probability be mounted by speaking to our IT administrator, having to make modifications to safety and firewall settings to entry a video name isn’t best. It might additionally trigger potential points for conferences with exterior individuals.In addition to the free model, GoToMeeting affords three paid plans, with rising numbers of customers supported and admin controls added. While it’s comprehensible that limits will likely be imposed on free trial variations, except you go for a paid GoToMeeting plan, the platform wouldn’t be best for something aside from very small inner workforce conferences.That mentioned, GoToMeeting does provide toll-free dial-in telephone numbers for greater than 50 nations (for a further charge). That’s an vital consideration if you might want to meet with individuals who stay in areas of the world with poor web connectivity.When it involves GoToMeeting’s safety credentials, the platform doesn’t provide end-to-end encryption. However, all three paid plans present customers with TLS 1.2, government-grade AES 256-bit encryption, and a risk-based authentication system that robotically determines if suspicious conduct is happening, comparable to a login from an unauthorized gadget from a distant location. And assembly organizers can lock assembly rooms to cease individuals from beginning a name earlier than the host has joined.Bottom linePros: Uncomplicated and unfussy; giant vary of toll-free dial-in numbers availableCons: Meetings restricted to 40 minutes and 4 individuals with free plan; app obtain could also be blocked by some firewallsAlthough GoToMeeting isn’t the shiniest videoconferencing product we examined, it does kind of every thing you want in an uncomplicated and unfussy manner. Setting up a gathering and dialing in is straightforward for each established and first-time customers. The audio and video high quality, nevertheless, was inferior to the others we examined, and except you are utilizing the very restricted free plan, you solely have two weeks to make use of GoToMeeting at no cost earlier than you might want to make a monetary funding within the platform.
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