The hybrid working environment continues to grow and develop as more companies switch from office working.
The model allows companies to give their employees a better work-life balance and enable them to work from anywhere.
A RingCentral study found that 58 percent of UK workers would change jobs or industries to ensure a hybrid or remote working environment.
Vin La Rocca, Senior Vice President for Americas and EMEA, HP Hybrid Work Solutions, has declared that “hybrid work isn’t a trend; we live in that world”.
Due to the rise in hybrid working, vendors compete to create the best video conferencing solutions possible.
Video conferencing systems need to ensure that all meeting attendees have an equal say, no matter their working location.
Here we look at the best video conferencing solutions for hybrid work:
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is an all-in-one remote and hybrid communication tool that allows users to chat, call, and conduct video meetings from a single solution.
Teams is ideal for hybrid work due to the range of certified devices that integrate with the platform.
These devices can be installed outside physical conference rooms, and they will synchronise with the Teams meetings calendar.
Employees can use Teams to share files and conduct video conferences, supported by Teams’ built-in features and third-party integrations.
During a Teams call, users can conduct Q&A sessions, collect feedback, take notes on a whiteboard, assign action points, and more.
The platform is pre-configured to run with Microsoft’s Office productivity suite, which you can access from any device.
Pricing for Microsoft Teams starts from $4 per user per month; however, there is a free version of the platform.
Webex by Cisco
Cisco acquired collaboration leader WebEx in 2007 and gradually merged Webex features into its product range.
Cisco Webex offers a variety of hardware and software tools to support distributed teams, whether it is knowledge workers, decision-makers, or contact centres.
The Cisco Webex video conferencing platform is designed for the hybrid workplace.
In addition to video calling, it supports chat, file sharing, and third-party integrations to help hybrid teams stay connected.
The company’s range of hardware devices, like Webex Desk Series, Board Series, IP Phones, Room Series, and more, can be installed across the physical workplace.
Pricing starts at $14.50 per user per month for Webex by Cisco.
Google Workspace
The Alphabet-owned search engine giant rebranded G Suite as Google Workspace in 2020, underscoring its investment in hybrid and remote work technologies.
It enables video conferencing through Google Meet, a video platform for small to mid-sized businesses and large enterprises.
Users can switch seamlessly between chat and video calls, with Meet also having a range of hardware devices that can be installed in an office.
This includes Series One Desk 27 (for home offices and WFH power users), Series One Board 65 (for team conferencing rooms) and customisable Series One room kits.
In addition to video conferencing, users can add a global dial-in license to make calls to domestic and international numbers.
Pricing starts at $6 per user per month for Google’s Business Starter package.
GoTo Room
GoTo Room is a video conferencing and hybrid collaboration solution for home-based and traditional offices.
It provides users with an end-to-end room kit, complete with speakers, cameras, control hubs, and mounted displays.
Video conferencing equipment from leading hardware vendors, such as Logitech and Poly, is certified for the solution.
GoTo will set up the solution, and users have the option to rent the room kit on a monthly subscription.
Small and medium companies that do not want to invest in new hardware for hybrid work can consider this option.
GoTo Room supports video conferencing through the built-in GoToMeeting license.
The GoToMeeting solution can be used on any device, including mobile phones, and is available in 190+ countries.
Any company wanting to deploy GoTo Room needs to contact the company directly to arrange a quote.
Zoom Rooms
Zoom Rooms is a hybrid work solution that couples the company’s powerful video conferencing platform with “hardware as a service” capabilities.
The company also allows for professional implementation services and development support.
Using this solution, up to 1,000 video participants or 10,000 webinar viewers can attend a conference.
Users can convert a touch display device into a digital whiteboard and access up to 12 whiteboards at once.
Zoom integrates the video conferencing solution with office endpoints from Poly, Cisco, Lifesize, and others.
While WFH employees can join via the Zoom meeting platform, Zoom Rooms powers collaboration in the office.
The solution is a great way to drive productivity and information seamlessly across environments.
A free 30-day trial is available with prices starting from $499 per year per room for 49 Zoom Rooms licences.
RingCentral Rooms
RingCentral Rooms is a solution that is designed to make meetings in a hybrid environment easier.
The solution has all-in-one Android appliances with RingCentral’s video offering already integrated so that it can be up and running in minutes.
It features tablet controllers from vendors such as Poly, Logitech, Yealink and Jabra.
Customers can use their mobile devices to control the meeting room to keep everything familiar to the user.
A personal mobile device can start, stop, and control meeting settings, wherever the user is based.
RingCentral Rooms licences can be added to RingCentral Message Video Phone (MVP). Alternatively, it can be added on for the RingCentral Video Pro+ licence for $49 per month per room.
