Tag: video chat

  • Our first look at Teams 2.0

    Our first look at Teams 2.0

    As we mentioned in our last post, Windows 11 is coming and with its announcement also came with the announcement of what’s being dubbed “Teams 2.0”.

    In preview builds right now appearance wise Teams 2.0 is very similar to the Teams you’re used to using. It has the same minimalistic UI you’re used to. However, one change is you can now switch light, dark and high contrast mode. This is a customization feature found in other video conferencing software now brought to Teams to make the program more user friendly and inclusive.

    Speaking of customization, you can also shrink your Teams windows exactly how you like now instead of simply shrinking the window down horizontally only. This will allow users to integrate a Teams window as they’re setting up their workstations for the day. The application can also “click” into place, fitting the size of the square or rectangle the user has left for it.

    Under the hood you’ll find that Teams 2.0 is much lighter than your existing Teams applications. While this is an early build of the program it’s interesting to note and holds true to Microsoft’s promise of making Windows 11 lighter in every fashion. Many video chat programs are memory hogs for older machines and a more agile chat client would be welcome for those as well as lighter duty laptops with less memory capacity.

    You can also quickly invite users with a link with Teams 2.0, allowing users to hold meetings more on the fly without having to schedule something through the Outlook calendar. This is one benefit found in Zoom that we think Microsoft is wise to integrate into Teams to broaden their appeal.

    Another change is you can now find users by their phone number or by syncing your contacts with Outlook and Skype. It’s clear with Windows 11 the goal is to have Teams be the de facto video chat choice and adding the ability to lookup friends and family will greatly extend the use of Teams outside workplaces.

    Although we still expect workplaces to be the primary use of Teams and we’re looking forward to more changes aimed at catering to the workforce marketplace beyond the scaled down client size (though don’t get us wrong, we definitely approve of that benefit). In the current preview builds video chat and voice chat are disabled so we’re unable to comment on that functionality at this time.

    This is still very early on in the process, and we anticipate more changes to come not just for Teams 2.0 but also Microsoft 11 as a whole.

    Skype for Business is Ending News

    In fact, it’s already been announced that the web client version will be released for preview soon, improved PowerPoint integration and also the ability to utilize multiple user accounts under a single client. Microsoft is a flurry of activity as they gear up for the fall release of Windows 11.

    Users currently on Windows 10 are already receiving patches aimed at getting their computers Windows 11 ready. As we noted in a previous blog Windows 11 will be a free upgrade to users already on Windows 10.

    Still on Windows 7 or 8 in your office? It’s still possible to upgrade to Windows 10 either for free or for a small $99 upgrade fee. This is going to much less than Windows 11 will be retailing for at launch and a 50% discount on the Windows 10 Pro retail cost. Windows 7 ended extended support in January of last year and Windows 8 will be soon as well. It’s not a good idea to remain on an operating system no longer supported by Microsoft and can leave your business much more vulnerable to cyber security attacks.

    If you need assistance upgrading the machines in your office so that they’re Windows 10 or 11 ready, reach out to us here.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these tech articles from the last week.

    This article was powered by Valley TechLogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • Microsoft Teams is changing, can it catch up to Zoom in popularity?

    Microsoft Teams is changing, can it catch up to Zoom in popularity?

    There’s no question that Zoom is a behemoth in the video call making space, from its massive growth back in March to the re-energized vigor as schools across the nation are using it to conduct virtual lessons now in August. Zoom has a commanding 42.8% of the web conferencing market and it doesn’t seem like they’re losing any steam.

    Platforms such as Google, Microsoft and Cisco are trying to re-invent their web conferencing platforms to capture more of that lucrative pie. Today’s article is going to focus on the changes coming to Microsoft Teams as well as its existing features and evaluate whether it might be the better platform for your business.

    Microsoft Teams was released in 2017, it came 6 years off the massive acquisition of Skype by Microsoft (the once popular video chat software now languishes, a shadow of its former glory). Teams solved Microsoft’s problem with Skype being P2P (Peer to Peer) and gave a business facing option to all the companies already using their Office 365 platform.

    Before Zooms rising popularity Microsoft’s main competitor in this space was Google, with Google Hangouts being another popular option in the video conferencing space (now called Google Meet). Google is still an excellent choice, especially for companies who use the Google suite primarily within their businesses. Where Google falters in our eyes may be their habit of constantly pursuing new targets versus improving upon existing services (see the Google Graveyard for more of what we mean).

    Zoom has taken over the market mostly for it’s easy of use, you don’t even need to download it. Also, with zero cost to entry and a paired down UI even those who are less tech savvy can find their way around using it. If you want to set up a meeting with someone all you have to do is send them a link and you’ll be good to go.

    So why would a company want to switch to Teams? Microsoft Teams comes out ahead in the collaboration space, a one-off Zoom meeting is great for external meetings (say a sales call with a potential client) but for meeting with your in-house staff Teams is really the better option.

    Both have scaled up the number of users you can have on a call (100 in the paid for version of Zoom, 5000 on Teams). Both have a good chat system and the privacy enhancing benefit of blocking out your background (although we’d argue Teams does this a little better).

    Credit: Microsoft

    Where Teams comes out ahead for internal use is its integration with Office 365. When you create a new team of users to work collaboratively on the platform, it will create shared versions of One Point, Share Point and Plan. You can also have separate channels so you can easily distinguish who is working on what and organize your work more effectively.

    On top of that, Microsoft is now allowing Teams to have integrations with other applications, including Zoom. Allowing third party applications on the platform could further expand their popularity and allows third party designers to bring new solutions and tools that will greatly expand its usability.

    Microsoft is even allowing users to log into Teams with a personal account as well, encouraging people to use the platform for calls with family and friends. At a time when video conferencing is so crucial to staying connected, it doesn’t hurt to have more options.

    Microsoft Teams is a robust answer to the question of conducting office collaboration and Zoom is the quick and easy option for an impromptu meeting on the fly for colleagues and prospects alike. In our mind when it comes down to which is better for your business between Zoom or Teams, the answer may very well be both.

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    This article was powered by Valley TechLogic, an IT provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

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