Zoom

When the pandemic hit, many businesses needed a way to communicate internally with staff, as well as be able to talk to partners and customers. Video conferencing software was the perfect solution to this issue. And Zoom was the right app at the right time. I had heard of the company due to its tremendous rise in popularity in the media and wanted to test it myself.

One of the more robust attributes that drew me to Zoom is its free version that affords users unlimited 40-minute meetings. I tested the free version and found it has limited features. However, it is still a good way to test the product. Also, when I analyzed the levels of subscriptions offered, I felt the paid subscription plans and add-ons were confusing, and the pricing doesn’t match up with the upgraded features provided for each level.

Another nice feature is its large participant capacity, which is part of a premium plan, though. It’s good to know that companies can upgrade down the line if they decide to start hosting webinars with hundreds or thousands of participants. In addition, when I conducted several test meetings, I found that Zoom’s ability to live stream on Facebook was a good feature to help expand audiences.

However, one of the flaws we found in using Zoom is that all participants must download the Zoom app prior to joining a meeting. If attendees forget to download the app to their devices before joining a meeting, the start time can be delayed, causing confusion and downline scheduling conflicts.

I was also surprised to find that the Zoom app doesn’t support HD resolution. My team found that the 780p resolution is insufficient, and my team members have also complained about poor video quality on multiple occasions.

Yet, the most severe flaw we discovered was related to its security issues. As far as I am concerned, the cyber protection built into Zoom was not designed for Zoom’s meteoric growth, and my team found it has opened new vulnerabilities for cyberattacks. I have heard from various news sites that a new attack, known as “Zoombombing,” is Zoom’s weak security offshoot. Zoombombing is a hack that allows hackers to crash Zoom meetings. These attacks certainly are disruptive and annoying and underscore the weakness of Zoom’s overall cyber security. But unfortunately, I didn’t take the problem seriously until one of my internal team meetings ended up being Zoombombed. Following this disturbing incident, I, along with the rest of my team, stopped using Zoom, and we are in the process of looking for another video conferencing app.

Rating

Overall

2.5/5