Item: Fuze
Rating: 8
Author: Brontis Shane Orengo

Support Rating

The Fuze support team are actually quite helpful. They hold periodic seminars and offer information for IT personnel to learn more about, and get familiar with, the product. Their support has made the team much more proficient with the software which has allowed us to more adequately support our clients.

Implementation Rating

Although I might be in the minority with this thinking within my group, I feel that Fuze has some ways to go before it can truly compete in the large world of Video Conferencing. It is an excellent solution for interoffice communication, and voice calls and conferences, but using the software as a standalone video conference solution isn't my ideal scenario.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Fuze is being used as a cost-effective video conference solution within my company. Although we on occasion use it to communicate between offices, we primarily deploy it to remote locations with a laptop to connect our clients with their witnesses for examinations.

Pros and Cons

Fuze is easy to navigate and use, with an intuitive design that allows for new users to understand how to connect to a meeting and control what is happening.
Fuze is available on all common platforms, meaning a user can choose to download an app, or simply use it as a plugin to their favorite browser.
Quality of Audio and Video is very impressive, and the overall bandwidth needed for a meeting is relatively low compared to other solutions in the market.

Because this program isn't particularly robust, a benefit for the user as it doesn't hog your device's resources, you can sometimes feel it struggle to provide a crystal clear image. It's a trade-off, but one that is fairly visible.
The name. Sometimes when I mention Fuze to a client they assume its another company that has a similar name. They often go to the wrong site (if they're not following the link in the email) or will call back asking why a payment company is going to connect their meeting.
There is some ground to cover on recognizability. Sometimes when offering Fuze, a client might ask "What about (other more recognizable solution)?" and list off names before they agree to test the software.

Alternatives Considered

Zoom

Zoom is probably a more reliable solution for Video Conferencing as the user interface is about as easy to use, but with the added benefit of being able to connect to nearly any type of system from newer Lifesize Icon units, to older Polycom systems, to the ancient SIP systems used in many prison systems. Fuze has some compatibility issues with different models and units. Computer to computer/phone/tablet works just great, but actual VC units might be an issue.

Other Software Used

Lifesize Video Conferencing, Skype for Business, GoToMeeting

Likelihood to Recommend

Quick internal meeting are great for this. I would highly suggest this for a solution to keep your company connected, especially if you have multiple offices and employees in remote locations. Because of it's lack of branding and reasonable video/audio quality, you may consider using more robust options when connecting clients to their meetings.

Fuze Your Team Together With An Excellent Communication Software

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with Fuze