Tag: Zoom

  • Once the king of voice chat on the web, Skype is shutting down May 5th, 2025

    Once the king of voice chat on the web, Skype is shutting down May 5th, 2025

    Microsoft is no stranger to acquiring programs only to later shut them down (though they pale in comparison to Google’s own graveyard of acquisitions) and now Skype will be the latest casualty with a shutdown date of May 5th, 2025 being officially set.

    Skype, once the leader of online telecommunications and one of the original online video chat programs, began operating in 2022. Skype, which was a shortening of the original project name “Sky peer-to-peer” skyrocketed into popularity in the early 2000’s reaching 100 million users in 2006.

    After a tumultuous fall out with the early founders and buy outs that included eBay, Skype was sold to Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion. Microsoft quickly integrated Skype into their Office platform but with the release of Microsoft Teams in 2017 the writing was on the wall for Skype as to which Microsoft based communications platform would succeed in the long run.

    Skype failed to keep up with competitors during the pandemic when video chat use was at an all time high due to restrictions on in-person activities. Zoom, WhatsApp, Facetime and even Teams itself performed better in the same space – it’s been reported in 2023 just 36 million people still used Skype daily compared to it’s peak of 300 million users which mirrors Teams current daily active users.

    So it makes sense that Microsoft is shuttering Skype in favor of Teams here in 2025, but for those that are new to Microsoft Teams or even those that have already made the switch, what benefits are available that puts it above other communications programs still competing in the space?

    1. Integration with Microsoft 365: Teams naturally integrates very well with Microsoft 365, from booking a Teams meeting right from your Outlook client to creating groups that have a shared SharePoint folder that allows users to share files while they’re chatting about them in real time. If you’re a Microsoft 365 subscriber you’re leaving features on the table if Team is not your communications platform of choice.
    2. Robust Team Collaboration Features: Unlike competitors like Zoom, which is mainly a video conferencing tool, Teams offers extensive team collaboration features like persistent chat, threaded conversations, shared workspaces, and built-in task management with Microsoft Planner and To-Do.
    3. Better Security and Compliance: Teams benefits from Microsoft’s enterprise-grade security, including end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, and compliance with industry standards like HIPAA, GDPR, and ISO 27001.
    4. Unified Communication Hub: Microsoft Teams combines chat, video conferencing, file sharing, and project collaboration in one platform which will not be found in the competition which are largely standalone programs.
    5. Better Pricing for Enterprises: For businesses already using Microsoft 365, Teams is included at no extra cost, making it a more cost-effective solution. Other platforms may charge an arm and a leg for enterprise features such as longer meetings or hosting larger groups.

    Unifying communication in your company can be a game changer when it comes to making sure everyone is on the same page. Whether you’re looking to implement Microsoft Teams or optimize your existing communication tools, Valley Techlogic’s expert IT solutions can help you streamline collaboration, enhance productivity, and keep your business connected—anytime, anywhere. Reach out today for a consultation.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on X at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • 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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  • Tips for Using Zoom Safely

    Tips for Using Zoom Safely

    Dogs on ZoomMost of us are finding ourselves working from home either altogether or at least part of the time, and with that change also comes conducting work meetings from home. While we all probably had at least an awareness of video client tools such as Microsoft Teams and Skype, a new contender came through and became the working from home meeting tool du jour – I’m talking of course about Zoom.

    Zoom has added 2.22 million users so far in 2020 (the previous year they gained 1.99 million for the entire year). Unfortunately, with such unprecedent growth also comes growing pains in the form of unauthorized users jumping onto calls and even cyber security issues. So how can you use Zoom safely, and what led to it becoming such a popular option in the first place?

    Unlike many of its competitors Zoom allows you to see multiple participants at once, rather than one at a time while they’re talking. It also has the unique functionality of allowing users to join from a browser which lets participants avoid downloading the client if they don’t wish to or are unable to.

    You can also host an unlimited number of meetings with up to 100 participants with only the free client (up to 500 participants and concurrent meetings being paid features). Screensharing is also possible and a nice feature.

    With that said there have been some draw backs, call quality may be somewhat unpredictable compared to more seasoned products in this arena (although I think it would suffice to say they’ve all had some troubles in these heretofore unheard-of times). Users have also reported issues with scheduling and adding meetings to their calendars. The biggest issues though, have been in the avenue of security.

    Starting with so called “Zoom Bombers” – which have been one of the most publicized issues – it is described as having uninvited users join your private video call and start spamming unsavory materials either in the chat or via voice and/or video.

    Many of these intruders gained access via businesses posting the video chat link to their public social media accounts. The best method of protection against this by far is adding a password to your Zoom chats and not posting them publicly.

    It’s also come to light that there are some critical cyber security issues with Zoom, especially regarding user data.  500,000 Zoom user accounts and passwords were recently found for sale on the dark web due to a data breach by a cyber security firm.

    This serves as a good reminder to keep your passwords varied, change them periodically and use a password manager. You can check the whimsically named site https://haveibeenpwned.com/ to see if you’ve been a victim to this breach or any others.

    Suffice to say despite its faults Zoom is probably here to stay for the foreseeable future, especially as the country’s workforce continues to work from home. Taking some necessary steps will keep your work meetings intruder free and safe.

    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 X at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.