www.affiliatedcom.com Open in urlscan Pro
2605:ae00:546:5f::a  Public Scan

Form analysis
1 forms found in the DOM

GET https://www.affiliatedcom.com/

<form action="https://www.affiliatedcom.com/" id="searchform" method="get" class="">
  <div> <input type="submit" value="" id="searchsubmit" class="button avia-font-entypo-fontello"> <input type="text" id="s" name="s" value="" placeholder="Search"></div>
</form>

Text Content

 * 972-846-9952
 * Pay Bill
 * Contact Us

 * Our IT Solutions
   * Business Phone Services
     * On-Site Phone System
       * Mitel
       * Avaya
     * Cloud Phone Systems
       * RingCentral
       * 8X8 Phone Systems
     * VOIP Business Lines
       * SIP Trunk Services
     * Telecom Maintenance Services
   * Communications Applications
     * Contact Center
     * CCaaS
     * Collaboration for Remote Workers & Mobility
       * Microsoft Teams Integration
     * Unified Communications UCaaS
   * SD-WAN
     * Disaster Recovery
     * Managed IT Services
   * Wi-Fi
   * Data Solutions
     * Network Security
 * About Us
   * Who We Are
   * One Bill
   * Total Care
   * Carriers
   * Scale Your Business
   * Locations
     * Arlington
     * Austin
     * Dallas
     * Fort Worth
     * Houston
     * Plano
     * San Antonio
 * Resources
    * Read Our Blog
   
    * Cloud Phone System eResource

 * Our Service Partners
   * Mitel
   * RingCentral
   * 8X8 Phone Systems
   * Avaya
   * Microsoft Teams
 * Industries Served
   * SLED Telecommunications
   * Hospital Telephone Systems
   * Legal Phone Systems
   * Retail Phone Systems
 * Menu




THE GREAT UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS DEBATE: MICROSOFT TEAMS OR ZOOM

Business Phone Systems, CCaaS, IT Outsourcing, Telecom Maintenance, UCaaS, Video
Conferencing, Virtualization, VoIP


Integrating business phone systems was just one of the many headaches businesses
faced when COVID swept the globe in March 2020 and moved nearly 60% of the
American workforce to remote work. While workers were quick to roll with some of
the nuances of a work-from-home (WFH) world (pets and kids making an appearance
on video calls and formal on top/pajamas on bottom dress codes), other elements
took longer to adapt to. Like, figuring out how to effectively collaborate in a
remote work environment, when impromptu water cooler catchups and office pop-ins
were no longer the name of the game. Here, 23 months later, remote work looks
like it is here to stay on at least a part-time basis for a good percentage of
the workforce. Still, many organizations struggle with cutting through the
online collaboration tool noise.


MICROSOFT TEAMS AS AN ONLINE COLLABORATION TOOL

While there are literally hundreds of online collaboration tools on the market,
Microsoft Teams is widely considered to be the most popular of these tools.
Microsoft launched Teams in 2016, much to Slack’s chagrin, but the platform
really picked up adoption speed with the pandemic, hitting 75 million users in
April 2020 (up from 20 million in November 2019).


KEY BENEFITS OF MICROSOFT TEAMS

Microsoft Teams definitely has a fan base. Some of the heavy-hitter companies
that swear by Teams include Ernst & Young, Pfizer, and SAP. Given that Teams
connects and integrates with all other Microsoft tools, this is a big win for
many organizations, especially those who are already Microsoft users (as there
is no additional cost).


KEY CHALLENGES WITH MICROSOFT TEAMS

While there are mechanisms in place for restrictions around team-creating
permissions settings, failure to enact these controls and processes correctly
can be a security risk in the event someone chooses to upload a malicious file.
Others point to the lack of a unified search feature for all products as a con.
Larger organizations may find their limited number of channels (200 public and
30 private per team) to be a barrier to adoption.


ZOOM AS AN ONLINE COLLABORATION TOOL

Zoom, a video teleconferencing program which hit the market in 2013, has the
stated mission to make communications frictionless. Similar to Microsoft Teams,
Zoom also experienced a significant surge of pandemic-related growth in 2020 and
2021. To the tune of 300 million daily users in June 2020 as compared with 10
million in December 2019.


KEY BENEFITS OF ZOOM

One big Zoom pro is that there is a free version that is available, albeit with
40-minute time limitations imposed on meetings. Zoom is an awesome option for
webinars, as it can

accommodate up to 10,000 virtual attendees. Fans of the platform also love how
user-friendly and easy to navigate it is.


KEY CHALLENGES WITH ZOOM

Zoombombing entered the common vernacular shortly after the pandemic hit and
internet trolls began crashing video calls with disruptive behavior including
sharing obscene material and making racist and misogynist comments in chat
windows. While the FBI was quick to issue a statement advising that the
weaponization of Zoom was punishable as a federal offense, much of the damage
was already done. Zoom lost a ton of business, with major companies like Google
subsequently banning use of the platform and scrambled to find ways to combat
this behavior. Zoom stepped up, introduced increased controls and better
direction on the provision of passwords and access information which has helped
to considerably curb the once rampant problem.

Additional Zoom cons include the fact that users must download an app (which can
be problematic if an organization has rigorous firewalls in place) and the lack
of comment control.


INTEGRATION WITH CONTACT CENTERS

So, where does that leave us all on the Teams versus Zoom debate? Affiliated
Communications Partner, Jim Carter, weighs in on integrating business phone
systems.

“A lot of times, we find in companies that they use both tools. Some people
think Teams is better. On the other hand, there are diehard Zoom fans who find
it way more user friendly. Both are highly cost effective. Both reduce
integration requirements because they are already so widely integrated. Less
customization. No need to introduce another vendor. Both tools have a lot going
for them.”

How do these tools integrate with existing phone systems? Through a Unified
Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solution. UCaaS will streamline all your
organization’s communications tool into one unified, cloud-based platform.


MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION

Tool fatigue is a real thing. A 2018 survey of 2,000 knowledge workers gave
these interesting insights:

 * 20% of workers use 6 or more communication apps on a regular basis
 * Almost 70% of respondents toggle between various apps up to 10 times in a
   single hour
 * Older employees (over 45 years old) prefer email, while the 18–44 demographic
   prefers team messaging
 * Over 70% of employees point to the volume of their communications as a
   problem

Ultimately, the best way to effectively cut through the online collaboration
tool noise as well as avoid tool fatigue is to seek IT consulting and support
services from a trusted tech company, a Managed Services Provider (MSP) that
focuses on cloud services, voice, data and video. Affiliated Communications is
that trusted tech company, providing unified communications support to Texas
businesses since 1984. Our talented and highly skilled team of professionals
works with organizations to implement IT solutions designed to simplify and
streamline their business practices while mitigating risk. Reach out for your
complimentary collaboration tool assessment today. Try integrating business
phone systems now!

February 2, 2022/by Affiliated Communications
Tags: business phone systems; unified communications, cloud services, contact
center, Integrating business phone systems

SHARE THIS ENTRY

 * Share on Facebook
 * Share on Twitter
 * Share on Pinterest
 * Share on Linkedin
 * Share by Mail



https://mlumolzss8pe.i.optimole.com/WTNahdI-S8eB9OLD/w:auto/h:auto/q:auto/https://www.affiliatedcom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Integrating-business-phone-system-e1644232725377.jpg
560 841 Affiliated Communications
https://www.affiliatedcom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Affiliated-Communications-logo.png
Affiliated Communications2022-02-02 18:35:412022-02-07 11:10:52The Great Unified
Communications Debate: Microsoft Teams or Zoom


YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE


Unified Communications: The Key to Your 2021 IT Services Game Plan

Be Strategic And Save With Your Business Phone Systems

Affiliated Communications Business Outlook

It Is Time for a Sanity Check: Outsourced IT and Your Business Growth

Which Small Business Phone Systems Offer the Most Value for You?

Improve Unified Communications with SIP Trunk Business Phone Systems



RECENT POSTS

 * 
   The Great Unified Communications Debate: Microsoft Teams or ZoomFebruary 2,
   2022 - 6:35 pm
 * 
   Unified Communications and Hybrid Work Resolutions for 2022January 12, 2022 -
   1:23 am
 * 
   Merging Business Technology Through UCaaSJanuary 3, 2022 - 9:00 am
 * 
   Cloud Based Phone Systems and Their Impact on Your BusinessDecember 15, 2021
   - 8:00 am
 * 
   What Our Crystal Ball is Predicting for Unified CommunicationsDecember 2,
   2021 - 6:36 pm


CATEGORIES

 * Business Phone Systems
 * CCaaS
 * Cloud Services
 * Disaster Recovery
 * education
 * IT Outsourcing
 * SD-WAN
 * Support/Advice
 * Telecom Maintenance
 * UCaaS
 * Video Conferencing
 * Virtualization
 * Voice Solutions
 * VoIP


PLANO

800 Jupiter Rd. Suite 200, Plano, TX 75074

(972) 846-9952




HOUSTON

419 Century Plaza Dr. Suite 200, Houston, TX 77073

(281) 524-2174




AUSTIN

2105 Donley Dr Suite 300, Austin, TX 75758

(512) 764-0503


OFFICE HOURS

Monday-Friday

8am-5pm CST

Support

Available 24/7 atidispatch@affiliatedcom.com


RECENT POSTS

 * The Great Unified Communications Debate: Microsoft Teams or Zoom
 * Unified Communications and Hybrid Work Resolutions for 2022
 * Merging Business Technology Through UCaaS
 * Cloud Based Phone Systems and Their Impact on Your Business
 * What Our Crystal Ball is Predicting for Unified Communications

Website by Abstrakt Marketing Group © 2020

 * Twitter
 * Facebook
 * Linkedin

 * Sitemap
 * Privacy
 * Partners

Unified Communications and Hybrid Work Resolutions for 2022

Scroll to top