By Jennifer Adams
Photo by Chris Montgomery at Unsplash
At a point in history where video technology is sustaining schools and many businesses, it is important to know your options. On the surface, Zoom and GoToMeeting® may appear to be the same because both allow the user to meet with anyone from anywhere, but there are differences. Knowing the differences between the two will help you to make the best choice for yourself and your business.
A popular choice for millions of businesses, GoToMeeting® is a video conferencing tool that comes complimentary with a Voice-Over IP phone system from XETX Business Solutions. It is extremely flexible, allowing the user to work from any browser, as well as most mobile devices, and either with or without a camera. And it is fast becoming a favorite tool for teleconferencing, online meetings, and sales demonstrations. Salesforce integration is available to power sales team’s productivity by scheduling, updating, and starting sessions directly from Salesforce. The user can share or turn over control of meetings, allowing for multiple meeting facilitators, and allow another user to control the mouse and keyboard, but retain administrative control over the meeting. The video and sound quality are in HD, providing optimal sound and visual quality.
In addition to video conferencing, GoToMeeting® offers scheduled meetings through Outlook, Google Calendar, iOS calendars as well as other popular devices and apps. All GoToMeeting® plans are guarded with government-grade encryption methods, are HIPPA compliant, and offer Risk Based Authentication to monitor and determine if unusual behavior is taking place.
Zoom is one of the most popular video conferencing tools on the market right now. Like GoToMeeting®, Zoom supports HD sound and image quality resolution. Zoom’s basic plan is free, but calls are restricted to 40 minutes or less and host up to 100 participants. Meetings can be recorded, as long as you are not using the Android or iOS app, but depending on the plan, the user may have to pay for extra storage space. Zoom’s screen sharing is available as well as alternate backgrounds and offers a plan that is HIPPA compliant.
Its noteworthy that Zoom and GoToMeeting® have been very supportive of education, healthcare, and law offices during the Coronavirus pandemic. The meeting duration limit was removed for educators under the Zoom Basic plan. Emergency Work Kits, including GoToConnect®, were created by GoToMeeting® that eased the stress of long-distance learning. Depending on the plan, Zoom is HIPPA compliant offering a plan called Telehealth. Both platforms have been helpful to lawyers because this technology allows them to be present in meetings without having to fly in. GoToMeeting® and Zoom both offer break-off rooms called Zoom Rooms or GoToRoom for conference room integration.