With COVID cases spiking around the nation, it is anyone’s guess as to when this pandemic will be under control. Many organizations are looking for ways to return back to the office environment. However, there are many companies who have settled into and learned to embrace the remote work concept, making these flexible strategies a part of their protocol go forward. While videoconferencing has been a staple of corporate work environments for years, it is now one of the most common ways of meeting and collaborating with colleagues; and is used not only in business but education, retail, medicine and more.
The choices made regarding videoconferencing tools in the beginning of the pandemic were done so quickly, often based solely on ease of use and affordability. Free (or close to free) applications such as Zoom took hold quickly. But now that the situation looks more long term, many organizations are looking into options that are more secure, and in many cases, open source. Something to look out for? Videoconferencing companies that offered their commercial platforms at no charge throughout 2020 may begin to return to a for-profit model as the pandemic drags on.
Videoconferencing Choices Abound
There are many videoconferencing options for organizations searching beyond the mainstream. Because of the usage demands resulting from COVID, many open-source projects have emerged. These projects offer companies more robust offerings often utilizing WebRTC, the open-source, real-time communications framework developed and maintained by Google.
This blog will highlight open-source videoconferencing tools and platforms of all types; some free, some paid, some on-premise and some cloud based. With a wide variety of choices, it is likely your organization will find the right long-term solution for your needs.
- Apache OpenMeetings: Released in September of 2020, the latest version of OpenMeetings provides users with videoconferencing, instant messaging, whiteboard sharing, and collaborative document editing. There is no desktop or mobile app; rather end users utilize the system via a web browser on their desktop or phone.
- BigBlueButton: Developed primarily for the online learning and education community, BigBlueButton is a professional conferencing system that provides real-time sharing of audio, video, slides, chat, and an instructor/presenter’s screen. Students engage with others via the sharing of emoji icons, polling, and breakout sessions.
- Element: Protected by end-to-end encryption and device verification, the Element chat app was created as a secure option for collaborating with teams, friends and organizations. The platform was designed as an alternative to Slack, allowing for communities and text messages. Because this is primarily a chat app, it has less sophisticated videoconferencing capability as some other options.
- Jitsi Meet: The free and open-source videoconferencing and instant messaging suite provides instant free videoconferencing without requiring an account. Users can share their desktop or presentations, chat with each other, and even use emojis within a video call. Invitations can be created with custom URLs, including fun and creative URLs that are easier to remember than a long string of disparate letters.
- Nextcloud Talk: Nextcloud is an open-source, on-premises content collaboration platform that features a myriad of tools, of which videoconferencing is a highlight. The platform endeavors to provide control directly to IT teams for integration with their existing architecture. If not already utilizing Nextcloud for other applications, the installation simply for videoconferencing may be overkill.
The workplace evolved rapidly in 2020, and by all accounts will continue to change and develop. If your company or organization is looking for strategic ways to adapt to the new normal of doing business, call Alliance IT today. We can help.
