Zoom vs. Teams: What to Consider When Making a Switch

Since the Pandemic, the use of communication and collaboration tools has become commonplace for modern businesses, especially those with remote or hybrid teams. Two of the most popular video conferencing and collaboration tools are Zoom and Microsoft Teams, both offering chat, screen sharing, and video conferencing functionalities.

As we settle into the new standards of working with each other and our clients, your organization might be considering if you still need both Zoom and Teams. If you’re thinking about switching from Zoom to Teams (or vice versa), there are a few key differences between the two that might influence your decision.

In this blog post, we’ll compare these two platforms and help you determine which features you need and where you can eliminate overlap or redundant costs.

Zoom: The Video Conferencing Specialist
Thanks to its user-friendly interface and reliable video conferencing capabilities, Zoom quickly became a household name during the pandemic. In fact, it was so widely used that it joined the ranks of brands whose name is used as a verb.

Some of Zoom’s strengths include:

● Ease of use: Zoom is widely praised for its intuitive design, making it easy for people of all technical skill levels to schedule, join, and participate in meetings.
● High-quality video and audio: Zoom is known for its clear audio, HD video, and ability to carry out meetings even with an unstable internet connection.
● Scalability: Zoom works just as well for meetings with 2 people or 200, and it can handle as many as 1,000 users. It may be a good option for organizations that routinely run training or webinars with external participants.
● Versatility and Feature Richness: Zoom offers a wide range of features, including screen sharing, virtual backgrounds, breakout rooms, and recording capabilities, catering to diverse needs from business meetings to online classes.

Microsoft Teams: The Integrated Collaboration Hub
Microsoft Teams is part of the broader Microsoft 365 ecosystem. It offers video conferencing and integrates with a wider suite of collaboration tools — like Outlook for email, SharePoint for file storage – and it has functionality to allow for connecting various apps, chats, and workflows.

Key advantages of Teams include:

● Integration with Microsoft 365: Teams seamlessly connects with other Microsoft apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and allows for live editing of documents while on a call.
● Comprehensive collaboration features: Microsoft Teams comes built with chat, file sharing, and project management tools which make it great for ongoing projects and collaboration.
● Security and compliance: Teams benefits from Microsoft’s enterprise-grade security and compliance suite.
● Highly customizable: Teams offers extensive options for tailoring the platform to specific organizational needs and provides a host of third-party plugins and integrations.

When to Consider Switching from Zoom to Teams
Both Zoom and Microsoft Teams offer powerful video and audio-conferencing functionality that helps remote teams stay engaged and communicate efficiently. Still, each tool has advantages and disadvantages that make them suitable for different situations. For example, Teams has more robust meeting collaboration features than Zoom, while Zoom offers AI tools at no additional cost.

Here are seven scenarios that might have you considering switching:

1. 1. Your organization already uses Microsoft 365: If your business is heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, switching to Teams can provide a more integrated experience. This can streamline workflows and reduce the need for multiple software subscriptions, particularly if your organization is paying for Zoom subscriptions.
2. 2. You need more than just video conferencing: Zoom excels at video meetings. Meanwhile, Teams works well for businesses seeking an all-in-one collaboration platform, offering ongoing project management, file sharing, and team communication.
3. 3. Security and compliance are top priorities: While both tools have security and compliance features, Teams offers advanced features that may be better suited for industries with strict regulatory requirements.
4. 4. You want to reduce app switching: Moving back and forth between apps can waste valuable time. Teams’ all-in-one platform can help reduce the amount of time spent switching between tools and tasks, potentially boosting productivity.
5. 5. You’re thinking about cost efficiency: Paying for Zoom licenses can be expensive, particularly with their recent restrictions on Basic (free) licenses. If you already have Microsoft 365 licensing Teams is included at no extra cost on most standard plans, leading to significant cost savings compared to maintaining separate Zoom Businesses licenses.
6. 6. You have long-term collaboration needs: Teams is designed for ongoing collaboration, making it ideal for organizations looking to foster a digital workplace culture beyond just video meetings.
7. 7. Your large enterprise has complex needs: For larger organizations with diverse departments and complex workflows, Teams’ customizability and integration capabilities may be more beneficial.

Considerations Before Switching
Charting your course from Zoom to Teams requires a clear destination—define what success looks like before embarking. Considering these factors ahead of time can pave the way for a smoother transition from Zoom to Teams and ensure that your business reaps the full benefits.

Before making the switch, consider the following:

1. User adoption: Evaluate how easily your team can adapt to the new platform — how long it will take, how easy it is to use, and how it fits into current workflows.
2. Training requirements: Teams has a steeper learning curve than Zoom, it is important to factor in the time and resources needed to train staff on Teams.
3. Existing integrations: In addition to the suite of Microsoft 365 tools, Teams integrates well with many other apps. Check if your current tools integrate well with Teams to minimize the impact of a transition.
4. External Meetings: Given Zoom provides a more intuitive interface and meeting join process, if you have external meetings that are high stakes, such as sales calls or with non-tech-savvy populations, it might be worth keeping Zoom for those purposes. Even if you aren’t able to completely transition off of Zoom you might be able to limit your licenses only to staff who conduct external meetings and use Teams for internal meetings and collaboration.
5. Cost savings: Consider whether the money you save on Zoom licenses can justify the change management involved in switching to Teams.

With its high-quality video and audio, Zoom is perfect for video conferencing, particularly with external parties. But Microsoft Teams offers an all-in-one collaboration solution, especially for businesses already using and paying for Microsoft 365. Your decision to switch will depend on your organization’s specific needs, existing tech ecosystem, and your long-term collaboration strategy.

Your organization may also find value in keeping both Zoom and Teams, using Zoom for external communications and Teams for internal collaboration. Assess your business’ unique requirements, consult with key stakeholders, and consider running a pilot program before making a full transition.

For additional support in considering your options or for assistance in making a change, Insource Services can help you streamline your collaboration, security, and cost-efficiency priorities. For more information, please email us or call 781-235-1490.