Item: Zoom
Rating: 6
Author: Russ Spranger Sr.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Our first exposure to zoom was during the lockdowns. We did what we could remotely and did a lot of screen meetings. As good as it is it is not a permanent substituete for face to face interatction. Zoom was easy to set up and use. We would typically have 5-7 remote logins and found it worked as well as we expected. Zoom was not a low dollar solution, We eventually went to Microsoft 365 which allowed Teams as a remote meeting application. There was no sense in our usin g both applications so we eventually went exclusively with Teams.

Pros and Cons

Simplicity in administering meetings
Stable platform whether using it on a PC or ipad or phone
The ability to save meeting formats was helpful, We didnt have to re-do everything each time

For me the sharing of a desktop for instructional purposes was more difficult than I expected.
Zoom is not the low dollar application. They need to rethink their pricing sructure.

Return on Investment

Zoom allowed us to function during difficult times
Sharing information with remote employees eliminated the need to email documents

Alternatives Considered

Microsoft Teams

Zoom is easier to configure than teams but has basically the same features. The main reason we went with teams was it is part of micorsoft365 and integrates well with other micorsoft products. At the time we needed a quickly configureable system to get in touch with remote workers. Zoom was a quick fix. Teams was much more difficult to use than zoom, however, the cost of zoom added onto our existing micorsoft accdounts made it more imperative to be able to use teams.

Key Insights

Do you think Zoom delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Zoom's feature set?

Yes

Did Zoom live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Zoom go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Zoom again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Fullbay, Right Networks, Splashtop, Adobe Acrobat, Fathom

Likelihood to Recommend

Zoom is a good program. I don't feel it has the best security but it is easy to use and served us well during the non-contact period we went through. We were able to have face to face contact wirh remote employees because of zoom. We are not a technical company but Zoom allowed us to function during challenging times.

Usability

Zoom is made for the non tech office. It has features that can be made to do what you need to run things on a day to day basis. Immediately we we able to get meetings going with remote employees. The ability to be able to add smartphone connected people was a big plus. Zoom met our needs at the time.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Quick to learn Convenient Familiar	None

Easy Tasks

Basic meetings are fairly easy to configure, The ability to save meeting configurations is a plus for the meeting manager
The ability to allow all meeting participants to an open discussion is a good feature.
The ability to be able to mute or deny access to a meeting or discussion is also a good feature

Difficult Tasks

Zoom is built for the average person to be able to have discussions with one or many remote participants
The ability to allow new meeting participants is a little more difficult than it should be

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Yes - It worked well, At first we didnt use it but them we discovered that the ability to contact someone that is sitting in their truck was a game changer, No pc necessary, no WIFI connection necessary, The ability to add anyone with a smartphone was great. That gave access to meetings that would normally be missed.
To this day, remote access is important. Zoom led the way on this feature.

Zoom met our needs during difficult times.

Software Version

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with Zoom