About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators. Zoom is one of the best and most popular video conferencing platforms out there. It’s used to host one-on-one or group meetings as well as webinars. However, it’s not the only one of its kind.
Boston University provides a variety of conferencing solutions for effective collaboration among members of the University as well as external colleagues.
A variety of conferencing scenarios can be found below. Each scenario offers recommended products that best fit the scenario. A more detailed comparison of the different products and their features is provided in the Online Meetings Product Comparison section that follows.
To request a consultation for your particular conferencing needs, contact the IT Help Center or your local support representative.
Online Meetings Scenarios
| Online Meeting Scenario | Recommended Product |
|---|---|
| I want to have a one-to-one online meeting | Microsoft Teams |
| I want to offer virtual office hours | |
| I want to run an online session for my class in Blackboard | Zoom Meetings |
| I want to poll my participants or assign them to breakout rooms | Zoom Meetings |
| I want to record an online meeting in the cloud for later viewing by attendees | Microsoft Teams |
| I want to record an online meeting in the cloud and publish it for public viewing | Zoom Meetings |
| I want to record an online meeting without using the cloud | Zoom Meetings |
| I want to hold an online meeting where restricted use data may be shared | Microsoft Teams |
Online Meetings Product Comparison
Zoom Meeting Download
Zoom
| Features | Microsoft Teams | Zoom Meetings |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | ||
| Available To… | Students, Faculty, Staff | Students, Faculty, Staff, Departments |
| Compatibility | ||
| Desktop App | Windows, Mac | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Mobile App | iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
| Browser Support Without Downloads or Plugins | Yes; Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. | Yes; Google Chrome is preferred. |
| Browser Plugin for Improved Functionality | No | Yes |
| Capacity | ||
| Maximum Meeting Attendees | 300 | 300 |
| Audio and Video | ||
| HD Video Capable | Yes | Yes |
| Join Meeting with Audio Only | Yes | Yes |
| Join Meeting by Phone (Domestic) | Yes, with cost | Yes |
| Join Meeting by Toll-Free Number | Yes, with cost | Yes, with cost |
| Chat | ||
| Chat Within Meetings | Yes | Yes |
| Chat Outside Meetings | Yes | Yes |
| Content Sharing | ||
| Screen Sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Application Sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Annotate Shared Content | No | Yes |
| Whiteboard | Yes | Yes |
| Meeting Capabilities | ||
| Breakout Rooms | Yes | Yes |
| Polling | Yes, via 3rd party plugins | Yes |
| Cloud Recording | Yes | Yes |
| Local Recording | No | Yes |
| Recording Transcription | Yes | Yes, Cloud Recordings only |
| Automatic Live Captioning | Yes | Yes |
| Join Before Host | Yes | Yes |
| Integration | ||
| Join Meetings from H.323 or SIP Devices | No | Yes |
| Outlook Calendar Integration | Yes | Yes |
| Google Calendar Integration | No | Yes |
| Security | ||
| Approved for Confidential Data | Yes | Yes |
| Approved for Restricted Use Data | Yes | Yes |
| Approved for HIPAA Data | Yes | Yes, in Zoom Meetings for HIPPA Only |
| Approved for ITAR Data | No | No |
| Encrypted Meetings | Yes | Yes, however SIP devices may be unable to join calls using encryption. |
Microsoft Edge Zoom Meetings App
Last Updated: March 31, 2021