Welcome back to another sunny week at UC Today.
As countries around the world begin to put plans in place for their return to work, the unified communication and collaboration market is preparing for a transition. Many organisations have wholly shifted their workplace strategies in the last couple of months, and we’re all waiting to see what the “new normal” might look like.
In the past seven days, we’ve had plenty of interesting stories to report on, from the latest on Zoom security issues to Pexip’s quest to become the new collaboration centre of Europe.
If you haven’t had a chance to keep up with all our stories from the last week, here are a handful of our favourites to keep you on track.
The Latest on Zoom’s Security Issues
Zoom has had an incredible journey in the collaboration landscape over the last couple of years. From an innovative startup looking to introduce the world to video-first culture, to a collab giant, Zoom has come a long way. In recent months, the massive influx of users now relying on video and audio conferencing tools has put significant strain on tools like Zoom. The result, unfortunately, has been issues with security and privacy.
The good news, however, is that Zoom’s team always seems to be open to criticism and feedback. CEO Eric Yuan announced his plan in April to take new steps to combat security flaws like Zoombombing. 2 weeks later, Zoom 5.0 launched, with improved encryption and security. Here’s the latest on what’s happening on the Zoom security front.
What’s Next for Microsoft Teams?
As Zoom strives to improve security for its users, competitors like Microsoft Teams are working to improve user experience in their own way. With more employees working from home and relying on Teams to stay productive, Microsoft has had an excellent opportunity to collect feedback. The company has been active on forums, collecting insights on how to improve.
Additionally, Microsoft recently announced the launch of a new collaboration bar for Microsoft Teams. The Yealink VC210 is now available for Teams users, and the Poly Studio X50 and X30 are hot on the trail. Here’s your guide to what’s coming soon for Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft Purchases Metaswitch
One major update announced by Microsoft recently was its decision to purchase Metaswitch. The acquisition was announced at the beginning of May, soon after Microsoft closed its deal with Affirmed Networks on April 23rd. Microsoft believes that acquiring the virtualised network provider, Metaswitch, will unlock new opportunities for creating a more sustainable ecosystem.
Microsoft will also be working with Metaswitch technology to offer operators more opportunities with things like 5G connectivity. With both Microsoft and Metaswitch delivering so much value to the communication and collaboration landscape today, we’re excited to see what comes from this deal. Check out the details here.
Google Meet Delivers New Gallery View
Google Meet, the video collaboration product from the Google G-Suite, recently received a massive update. According to an announcement in a Google blog post, the system will now support a Zoom-style gallery experience for video conferences. Everyone should have access to this functionality at this point, which means that you can now view up to 16 participants in a meeting at once.
Before the Meet update was introduced, it was only possible to see four people on the screen at once. The grid-style improvement is a huge step forward for Google Meet, although it still falls behind Zoom in terms of functionality. Zoom allows users to see 49 participants at once, while Microsoft Teams recently introduced a 3×3 grid function.
Pexip: The New Zoom of Europe?
Norwegian video experts, Pexip, recently saw a massive increase in customers over the last few months. The video software provided by Pexip currently supports countless leading brands, like PayPal and Spotify. Now, Pexip is hoping to raise $200 million in funding with one of the biggest IPOs ever to take place in Scandinavia.
The Pexip application has achieved a seven-fold increase in use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pexip believes that much of the demand for its platform comes from companies that need access to reliable and secure tools for collaboration, at a time when brands don’t fully trust Zoom. Check out Pexip’s plans to become the leading video conferencing solution for European companies here.
What’s your favourite story from the last seven days? Share your insights with us in the comments, or join the conversation on social media.
