This growth is usage of videoconferencing software has skyrocketed with the onset of COVID-19 (see our earlier post on COVID-19 and the Future of Work) with an explosion of new and varied users who would previously never even think about using such software to begin with.
Previously, only businesses and government agencies would consume videoconferencing technologies in order to arrange meetings of teams who were spread out remotely in different locations. These technologies would often be of a paid nature and may also be encrypted or tethered to a VPN software (see How to Choose the Best VPN for You).
However, after the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the impracticality of going to offices, more and more companies (including small businesses) decided to opt for virtual meeting applications out of necessity in order to arrange meetings with colleagues and teams to get work done.
Soon after, a new segment appeared with schools and educational institutions also joining the fray and resorting to online videoconferencing and streaming in order to complete classes, labs and even examinations. Other new modalities emerged including doctor consultations, legal advising and even cases of marriages via videoconferencing making headlines over the past few months.
Most videoconferencing applications apart from having the standard audio/video streaming service, also provided features like video recording, webinars, API integrations and 3rd party functionalities, VPN and security options, cloud storage and multi-language support and transcriptions.
Truly, the sky is the limit now for videoconferencing - especially considering the uncertain situation regarding COVID and how it may affect us further in the future. To make the decision easier for you, we have narrowed the best videoconferencing software down to 2 choices - one completely free and another paid.
