Since the coronavirus outbreak doesn’t appear to come to an end soon, companies have started encouraging employees to work from home, where possible. However, there’s no I in “team” so many people stuck at home need to find ways to collaborate with their colleagues as they did before. Here’s where Google comes in – the company announced it was giving free access to their video conference services, including the advanced capabilities to all customers.
The features Google is talking about include increasing the number of participants per call to 250, live streaming for up to 100,000 viewers within a domain and recording meetings and saving them to Google Drive.
Normally, these features cost $25 pers user per month. However, the necessity to communicate in these hard times has made Google rethink their position and offer the Enterprise suite to every Google user. Until July 1st, G Suite and G Suite for Education customers will be able to enjoy Hangouts Meet fully.
Microsoft is another company that’s trying to use their tech for the greater good. They’re offering free access to a premium Microsoft Teams service for the next six months. Originally meant for Chinese institutions like hospitals and schools, the trial will be accessible to anyone, although there’s a catch. Before using it, you have to work with a Microsoft partner or someone from thei sales team to set it up.
Next Tuesday, Microsoft is also updating the free version of Teams, enabling a bigger number of people in a team and video calls scheduling.
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