Item: Zoom
Rating: 7
Author: Alexander Cooper

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Zoom is used for inter-company communications where Skype for Business is unavailable. One of our clients currently does not allow Skype but has approved Zoom. Zoom allows screen-sharing, face to face video calls, as well as voice calls. I have yet to use it for messaging.

Pros and Cons

Essential features work flawlessly.
Better network connection than Skype.
High-resolution screen-sharing.

No out of the box integration with Outlook and I'm unable to see any way of integrating it easily.
Video calls do not prompt you to allow your webcam-- you are immediately exposed.
It takes a long time to boot up.

Return on Investment

Better communication with clients leading to improved collaborators.
Time savings, as we didn't have to try to connect our Skype for Business solution.
Time and effort savings. None of the issues that plague Skype, such as video failing.

Zoom Rooms

I use Zoom every working day to communicate in daily stand up meetings, as well as for video conferences, both between clients and internally. I have not had a single issue with Zoom, and the same cannot be said for Skype.

Alternatives Considered

Skype for Business (formerly Lync)

Zoom may not have the best integration with Office 365, especially not Outlook, but it seems a far more stable platform for calls and messaging.

Likelihood to Recommend

Zoom is well suited for scenarios where communication is required but Skype isn't an option or is not compatible with your current network implementation. It is less appropriate for inter-company communications, as Skype for Business is better integrated with most Office 365 deployments. It is best to have both, as there are cases where Skype video calls do not cope with the current network speeds or it may just be having a buggy day. I haven't had an issue with Zoom calls at all when video calling, and I can't say the same for Skype.

A Stable Skype

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Zoom