Microsoft Teams is a work stream collaboration and communication platform from Microsoft. It features meetings, chats, calls, and file sharing. Zoom is ideal for video communications, with video and audio conferencing, collaborating, chat, and webinar-specific features. Which platform is the best for a small business?
The decision to use Zoom or Microsoft Teams depends on each company and its goals. In either case, the platforms have advantages and disadvantages. Understanding the features each offers is key. With many organizations up against new challenges with remote work and the need to video conference, it is well worth researching both to determine what works best.
Integration with Existing Systems
For small businesses already using Microsoft products, especially the Office 365 stack, Teams may be a natural choice. Microsoft built Teams to integrate seamlessly with these systems so users can do everything in one place. For those not interested in Office 365, they will have to look at Zoom’s integrations to determine if it is a good fit.
Zoom and Slack integrate well, ensuring that some of the real-time collaboration features of Teams extend to Zoom. This is just one of the many add-ons and integrations for Zoom, of which there are fewer for Teams. There is even a Zoom integration for Office 365.
Platform Pricing
Any small business already using Office 365 will have access to Microsoft Teams. If pricing is a big concern and the company is already spending some of its budget to have access to Teams, it makes sense to trial the system before considering Zoom. Buying into MS Teams will require a one-year commitment.
Zoom’s pricing ranges from a free version with a time limit to the highest tier, which offers unlimited cloud storage. Both systems operate on a per-user license fee. Both are comparable in price.
Platform Security
You may recall hearing stories about ‘Zoom bombing’ earlier in 2020, during which people took advantage of unsecured Zoom rooms. Since then, concerns about Zoom’s security persisted in the media, but both Zoom and Teams offer strong security features. Both include two-factor authentication, domain claiming, device management, and end-to-end encryption, to name a few security considerations.
Again, Microsoft Teams offers an advantage to those already using Microsoft products, particularly the Azure Active Directory. In this situation, anyone using Teams falls under existing access policies, so the security matches the overall enterprise platform.
Ease of Use
Zoom is well-known for its ease of use. There is nothing complicated about setting up an account. Users do not even necessarily need an account. A single click will start a video conference.
Teams requires more time and knowledge to use to its fullest. People logging on outside of the internal team may struggle. Of course, there is more to Teams, so users have to navigate file sharing, different channels, and other work stream collaboration techniques and features.
Ease of use, then, comes down to who is using your platform and what they need it for. If you want something simple to help people network, Zoom makes that as easy as clicking a link. If you are working on more complex projects, onboarding someone to Teams and all of its features will give you a more robust platform than Zoom.
Internal vs. External Collaboration
MS Teams is generally designed to work within a ‘team’ of people who have corporate email addresses to connect them. It is perfect for working internally as a result, especially for those who are already familiar with the Office stack. Zoom, on the other hand, is often an ideal choice for external collaboration.
If your company works mostly internally, MS Teams may be the better fit. If you are looking to meet with a larger number of external users, such as customers or vendors, Zoom is ready for point-and-click use by anyone.
In conclusion, it’s worth noting that some companies invest in both MS Teams and Zoom. They recognize that there are features that they desire in both platforms. If you want or need to go one way or the other, don’t worry! Tor Technologies is happy to investigate your collaboration and communication needs. We will help determine a plan that keeps your work efficient and successful.
Our team is here as your partner in all things IT and tech strategy. Contact us using our online form today to get started on a consultation with our crew. You can also give us a call at 808-797-2100 or email us at [email protected].
Our team is here as your partner in all things IT and tech strategy. Contact us today!
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