I like Zoom's breakout session feature. During a conference, you can have a breakout session and place people in different groups, which can later converge back into the same room. I also like the solution's webinar feature. The Zoom webinar allows you to create the different settings you want. You could join in between with your microphone automatically off. It has a feature where you raise your hand to ask a question or make comments.

Zoom for Government (GovCloud, FedRAMP) [Private Offer Only]
Carahsoft Technology Corp.External reviews
External reviews are not included in the AWS star rating for the product.
Facilitates easy communication and secure remote meetings without any hindrance
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
I cannot integrate Zoom with my Cisco teleconference, which prevents people from the teleconference mode from joining Zoom. I would like to see Zoom integrated with other third-party services.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Zoom since 2019.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Zoom is a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Zoom is a scalable solution. More than 500 users are using the solution in our organization, and we plan to increase the number of users.
How was the initial setup?
Zoom's initial setup is straightforward. You just download and install the app, which takes five minutes.
What about the implementation team?
After downloading and installing the app, you can set up your meeting schedule whenever you want to start the meeting.
What was our ROI?
With Zoom, you can communicate easily and have your meetings without any hindrance. You can join in from anywhere, and there are no barriers to your meetings. It saves travel time because people travel long distances to join meetings. The solution also saves costs on flights and accommodation so that people can work from their location and join meetings.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay a yearly licensing fee for Zoom, which is expensive in our part of the world. It is because of the instability in our currency. We cannot pay for all of the services in our local currency. That's the only big challenge we have. There's always a variation in the cost because every year we pay higher than the previous year for the support.
What other advice do I have?
Most of the meetings we have in our environment are via Zoom. It works well in terms of the number of users who can join. We are using a subscription-based licensed copy. With Zoom, our meetings are easily conducted and managed. There's been an improvement in Zoom's video quality. Zoom's screen-sharing and presentation capabilities are good.
Zoom's security features are effective in protecting our meetings because it has settings that allow you to admit only those you have invited for the meeting. Nobody can barge into your meeting without your permission. I would recommend Zoom to other users.
Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Helped us tremendously in collaborating with each other and getting our work done and offers the breakout rooms feature.
What is our primary use case?
We use it for all these virtual meetings – mainly official, predominantly official. Maybe at times, it could be for personal reasons also, but more than 95% of the time, I use it for work purposes only.
How has it helped my organization?
We are a team located across various locations. Not in the same geographic location. We are distributed.
And it's not possible to physically travel and meet people.
Sometimes it's simply not possible. But Zoom has helped us tremendously in collaborating with each other and getting our work done. Without Zoom, it would have been very, very difficult.
The breakout rooms feature is also helpful. For example, I have a meeting attended by hundreds of people and want to create subgroups. I typically use it for different role-play scenarios during training if we are trying to conduct some training on presentation skills.
So there's a large group, which is initially trained by an instructor. Then you get instructions that the room will be split into smaller breakout rooms. I'll give you a topic, and you'll practice in these smaller groups. That's one way I use it.
So it's like a simulation of a real brainstorming session I'd have in a physical space.
What is most valuable?
There are many valuable features. Security is one – you can lock Zoom meetings when you find that all the participants have joined so that there are no intruders.
You can put anyone in a waiting room to make sure you know who is trying to join, and then you can let them in. There's a breakout room feature, which is fantastic.
And, the common features like sharing content and stuff like that. Overall, it is a very user-friendly product.
What needs improvement?
The video quality of the free version might not be as good as the enterprise edition, but that's fair since it's free. It would be nice if Zoom improved that. But, I'm not expecting the best quality video when I'm using it for free.
For how long have I used the solution?
I currently use it. I use the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I've never experienced any instability. It's always been stable for me. Unless there's an issue with my own internet connectivity, Zoom runs smoothly.
The video quality is good since it depends on your internet connection. If you have a decent connection, there are no problems with video quality.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten.
That's one more thing I wanted to highlight – Zoom is extremely scalable. Performance never dips.
I've attended Zoom meetings with more than 200 people all across the globe, and there's no issue. The performance remains great.
Everybody in my company uses it. Zoom is the primary medium of communication for virtual meetings in our organization. Microsoft Teams is also available, but it's not popular. Zoom is the standard unless someone specifically requests Teams for compatibility with a client.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have also used Microsoft Teams. Even in my company, nobody uses it unless we specifically need to for compatibility with a customer.
Zoom is better than Microsoft Teams in terms of user experience and ease of use.
We switched to Zoom for two reasons:
- First, the user experience in Zoom is the best among all the virtual meeting platforms I've used.
- Second, it's the standard in our organization. For official purposes, it's the preferred method, and even for personal calls, I choose Zoom.
How was the initial setup?
I would rate my experience with the initial setup a ten out of ten, with one being difficult and ten being easy.
There's basically no setup. If you want to install the app, you can. If you don't want to install it, you can just start using it right from your browser.
It can be on-premises or cloud-based. And the third option is that you don't install it at all – we can start accessing it from the browser. So you have complete flexibility. It's not really restricted to a particular deployment option.
So it's a matter of minutes to either deploy or start working within the browser. It's really quick and easy.
If you want to install it, it can take a few minutes. If you choose not to install, you can start using it right from your browser immediately.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For personal use, I use the free version of Zoom, so I haven't paid anything.
I've used Zoom for official purposes within my organization and for chatting with friends using the free version.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I've used other virtual platforms like Webex, Teams, and Skype, and Zoom definitely stands out. So, I found the things that were lacking in other products present in Zoom.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend it for the following reasons:
- If you're looking for a scalable solution, go for Zoom. It offers the same level of performance regardless of the number of participants. I've personally experienced it with up to around 300 participants.
- Zoom is extremely user-friendly and easy to pick up.
- Plus, you have complete flexibility – use it in your browser, install the desktop app, or use the mobile app.
Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Easy-to-use product with efficient reliability
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for Zoom is for conducting meetings and attending virtual learning sessions.
What is most valuable?
The platform's most valuable features are collaborative video call and chat functionality.
What needs improvement?
The product's interface needs enhancement.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Zoom for many years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable product. I rate it a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The platform is capable of handling around many hundred users.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used Microsoft Teams before.
How was the initial setup?
Zoom is easy to install.
What about the implementation team?
I implement the product myself. It's mostly an automated installation process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have to pay for the product's license.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend stable, easy to use, and reliable. It has efficient security features as well. I rate it a nine out of ten.
Secure, has helpful features, and enables users to communicate with colleagues from all over the world
What is our primary use case?
We are using Zoom for everyone. Everything is based on Zoom. It also connects our SIP devices. It is a video conferencing platform. We use it for team meetings. We use the solution to have meetings with colleagues from all over the world.
What is most valuable?
The product quality is very good. Zoom has a good setup globally. We use the screen-sharing feature. It is helpful. The security is good. The solution doesn’t have anything related to data protection. The solution has come up with new AI features.
What needs improvement?
The tool must enhance the features it provides. It can incorporate more features. Webex has a SIP connection integrated into it. Webex also allows third-party connections.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for more than three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool’s stability is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. It is plug-and-play. It is simple. The product is deployed on the cloud.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is reasonable. It costs $15 a year.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Zoom and Webex are good products.
What other advice do I have?
I haven’t faced any issues with the tool. We are familiar with Zoom. I do not have much idea about other products. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.
A cloud solution for meeting with high video quality
What is most valuable?
Most collaboration tools share common features. Recently, Zoom has increased the number of concurrent users for collaborative purposes. Previously, the limit was 50, but now it's 10,000. You can host multiple thousand people with a licensed or free version. This is beneficial because both teams and individuals can use the service. Zoom has aimed to cater to both corporate sectors, where licences are prevalent, and individuals who may be using the free version, such as students, faculty, or small to medium enterprises.
The video quality and stability of Zoom are good, but they depend on the communication network and backbone infrastructure. Sometimes, when we use Zoom and don't have a good backbone facility, there can be issues. Zoom provides different background screen functionalities for privacy protection. These are standard functions worldwide. You can opt for new backgrounds, customise settings, and establish privacy preferences. In terms of collaboration and reviewing, Zoom offers standard features similar to other collaboration tools.
What needs improvement?
Zoom has frequent updates, occurring every week or twice a week. This poses a significant issue because sometimes when we attempt to initiate a call, the system begins an upgrade process, taking at least 30 seconds and sometimes up to two minutes. This unscheduled upgrade can be inconvenient for users, as they must wait for the update to complete.
When users who don't have the plugin available, they sometimes encounter difficulties using the browser-based system. They don't need to download any additional applications for the purpose of meeting. Zoom should invest more in this area.
Secondly, the primary target customers are the enterprise or business sectors, rather than students. Microsoft is heavily targeting the business sector. However, if these users eventually adopt Zoom for educational purposes, they will need to use the same application.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Zoom for 3-4 years. We are using this latest version of the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable.
I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution’s scalability is high. if you record everything, It's encrypted. It is in the Oracle database, which is a piece of mind for me that my communication, my recording should not be. Security breach should not be there. I can set all the security parameters accordingly.
200+ users are using this solution. We are using two hours a day.
I rate the solution’s scalability a seven out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used the Microsoft team because it is built-in hardware and is easy to manage.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy and takes very little time since It is a simple configuration. Zoom has a backend agreement with Oracle. Oracle is managing end-to-end infrastructure and cloud services of Zoom. Any user can deploy the solution depending on their expertise.
It is managed or maintained by Oracle and Zoom itself but on the client side, updates are a bit annoying.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Offers good video quality, and helps maintain a hybrid work environment
What is our primary use case?
I receive Zoom meeting invites from others. A few years ago, I set up an account but didn't use it much.
How has it helped my organization?
We maintain a hybrid work environment, and Zoom makes collaboration easier.
What I like most about Zoom is its simplicity and functionality.
It also works well here in Nigeria, even when internet connectivity isn't great.
What is most valuable?
The video quality is good. The security features are good.
The main benefit is that it allows us to easily connect and collaborate, even in areas with less reliable internet.
What needs improvement?
For me, the only thing I'd suggest is to make the pricing more affordable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Zoom on and off for maybe three or four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable as well. We don't actually subscribe to Zoom. We mainly use it to attend meetings but not to set them up.
While everyone in our organization (which is less than ten people) has Zoom installed, we don't use it to host meetings ourselves.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've been working with virtual meeting platforms like Webex.
I've mostly used Google Meet and Microsoft Teams recently. But I've also used Webex in the past.
I also used Zoho once.
For screen sharing and presentations, I actually prefer Google Meet, followed by Zoom. Microsoft Teams can be a bit more challenging, especially if your internet connection isn't strong.
I mainly installed Zoom because it was very popular.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was straightforward and didn't take long. If you're downloading the app and setting everything up for the first time, it should take about five to ten minutes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If you have short meetings and don't need many advanced features, like extra storage, you might not have to pay for a license. It really depends on your specific needs.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate it an eight out of ten. It's a user-friendly product. It's a good choice if you sometimes need to use it where internet connectivity isn't the strongest.
It's a good product, and I would highly recommend it – especially because it works well even with less reliable internet connections.
Helps to conduct daily conferences, planning meetings, and other necessary work-related discussions
What is our primary use case?
I use the tool daily as a project manager. I conduct scrum calls for my team, which are spread across multiple locations and geographies. I host daily conferences, planning meetings, and other necessary work-related discussions via Zoom. Additionally, we hold review meetings with the product managers. These sessions involve video conferences with the product managers as well.
What is most valuable?
Zoom has facilitated our remote and hybrid meetings, particularly in the context of our agile processes such as scrum. In the past, estimating story points required physical presence in a room, where we would use visual cues or hand gestures. We can create polls with Zoom and share them with team members for direct input. The recording feature is also good. Additionally, features like whiteboarding allow for specific collaboration sessions tailored to different team members' needs. Auto-scheduling meetings and integration with Microsoft Outlook make organizing and attending meetings effortless. Overall, the product is good and convenient.
The screen sharing and whiteboarding features are particularly valuable. We utilize whiteboarding when someone needs to explain something remotely. It allows for the quick creation of visual aids and animated views. Additionally, the seamless recording feature is highly beneficial.
The tool's security features are good. There is no overlapping of any other calls with this call. Many security features are enabled, like for the call you are hosting. If it coincides with some other meeting, Zoom allows us to prevent other persons from joining this meeting and then deal with it. So there are specific options for that, which is quite helpful. Sometimes, we run over time, and we may not have the time to onboard new participants. The tool automatically pushes them into a separate meeting group. They understand that we are busy on a separate call and are not disturbed by the current meeting.
What needs improvement?
I don't have any particular issues, but I think the user interface could be improved. Previously, I used Microsoft Teams, where the chat, video, and audio options were all easily accessible in one place, making the user experience smoother. In Zoom, it's a bit more manual. For example, we must use external chat options like Slack and manually send the Zoom URL link to initiate a chat. In MicrosoftTeams, you can directly call and chat with someone from the contact list simultaneously.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the product for two and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution's stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate Zoom as a nine point five out of ten regarding scalability. It's highly scalable and seamless, with minimal hiccups compared to other platforms like Teams, where there might be some integration lag. Currently, more than 10,000 users are using Zoom in our company. As of now, we don't have plans to increase usage further,
How are customer service and support?
I haven't had the opportunity to contact Zoom's tech support because everything has been running smoothly. Our organization has a separate team that handles Zoom requests, and they interact with it's proprietary support team on our behalf. So far, I haven't encountered any issues requiring me to contact them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Apart from Zoom and Microsoft Teams, Google Meet is another option we considered in our company. However, we ultimately chose Zoom because it was already adopted by our organization, and it integrates well with Outlook and Slack, which we heavily rely on for communication.
How was the initial setup?
I rate the solution's deployment a ten out of ten. Microsoft Teams is more difficult to install than Zoom. Zoom's mobile setup is also easy. Deployment takes five to ten minutes to complete.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The tool's pricing is reasonable. I think we get discounts as an organization.
What other advice do I have?
Due to its whiteboard features, I recommend Zoom for remote working. I rate it a nine out of ten.
Has background noise cancellation and recording features
What is our primary use case?
We use Zoom a lot for meetings. We schedule regular meetings in advance, sometimes even a month in advance. Sometimes, we have last-minute meetings, too. For those, we use personal meeting links. Our work setup is a mix of in-office and online, so even in the office, we still use Zoom because some team members work remotely.
What is most valuable?
The tool has made remote work possible for us. It's not just about the technology but also about staying connected with colleagues. When everyone works from home, using Zoom for meetings becomes very common. One great thing about the product is its ability to cancel out background noise. This helps a lot, especially when construction or other noise surrounds your home.
The Zoom recording feature is really useful. Sometimes, when you need to interview sensitive users, they might not feel comfortable if you record a video. We might have used a phone or another recorder in the past. However, it records only the audio of the meeting, not the video or screen sharing. This makes customers feel safer because they know only the audio is being recorded, which can be more effective for sensitive interviews.
I can share documents directly in the chat during meetings, which is helpful, especially when collaborating with my project team. Before, I had to download the chat manually, but now I can see all the chat directly in the Zoom application. Plus, I can automatically save the meeting chat to my computer.
What needs improvement?
We use screen sharing, but sometimes it can be awkward because you might accidentally share the wrong screen, including personal ones. It's a common function in Zoom meetings but can lead to some uncomfortable moments.
Even though we use screen sharing a lot, it can still be awkward because we don't always know what the other person's screen looks like. Technical issues often arise during screen sharing, especially in hybrid meetings where some people are in physical meeting rooms, and others are online. In those cases, it isn't easy to know which screen is being shared, especially if multiple screens are connected.
One area where the tool could improve is providing better clarity during screen sharing. It would be helpful to have a feature where participants can see what others see on their screen, especially when sharing presentations like PowerPoint slides. Sometimes it's hard to know which screen is being shared. Additionally, indicating when screen sharing has stopped would be beneficial. Another aspect that could be enhanced is noise cancellation. While Zoom does have this functionality, it's not widely known among participants.
Maybe the solution could promote noise cancellation features more effectively, especially for users in open office environments where background noise can be problematic. Users could access noise cancellation with just one click, which works well in my experience. However, having a dedicated button on the dashboard might be helpful for quick access rather than navigating through the audio settings. The noise cancellation feature also has different levels, like low, medium, and high, depending on the background noise level. But if you set it too high in a quiet environment, it can also cancel out your voice.
One thing I'd like to see in a new version of Zoom is better control over Otter.ai. If someone is invited to a meeting but doesn't attend, Otter.ai will join the meeting and record it without the host's consent. There's no way to block or prevent this from happening, even though Zoom works with Otter.ai for transcription purposes. It would be helpful to introduce settings allowing hosts to block or manage Otter.ai from joining meetings without permission. This would prevent situations where meetings are recorded without consent.
While attaching a link to a calendar invite for personal meeting rooms is straightforward, it's not as smooth for dedicated meetings created within Zoom. Sometimes there are issues with logging in or stability when connecting Zoom with Outlook calendars. As a workaround, I often create a quick Zoom meeting in Zoom itself, copy the link, and then add it to my calendar invite. It would be great if Zoom had smoother integration with calendars like Outlook or Google Calendar to streamline this process. Similar to the integration between Google Calendar and Google Meet, having everything in one environment would be much more convenient for scheduling meetings.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product since 2019.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution's stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is scalable since I haven't faced any issues with big meetings. My meetings usually consist of 10-20 users.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't contacted the tool's technical support yet.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Compared to other products like Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, Zoom is pretty great overall. My experience with Microsoft Teams hasn't been very smooth, as I often encounter issues with turning on my camera, hearing clearly, or using the chat functions. While this might be due to my computer, it's still frustrating. As for Google Meet, although it's not necessarily bad, I prefer Zoom because I'm more familiar with its layout and settings. I've gotten used to Zoom, so Google Meet feels a bit harder to use in comparison.
What other advice do I have?
It's hard to give Zoom a specific reliability rating because it can vary depending on factors like internet issues or technical glitches. Sometimes, updates occur, which can cause delays when joining meetings.
I use the tool's desktop version. I rate it an eight out of ten.
A highly stable solution that can be used for video conferences and webinars
What is our primary use case?
We use Zoom for video call sessions.
How has it helped my organization?
Zoom drastically reduced the amount of travel because most customer meetings can be done via Zoom meetings. It makes training and webinars quite interactive with the help of breakout rooms, which is quite nice.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Zoom are the audio and video quality and the ease of use when setting up meetings. Interacting during the meeting by highlighting things, using whiteboards, and chatting makes it an interactive and good experience. The webinar functionality and the interaction options during meetings are useful features of Zoom.
What needs improvement?
I often use a highlighting feature in Slack Huddles, which makes it easier to point someone in someone else's screen share. Zoom should include a highlighting feature like in Slack Huddles. The solution is not very useful for chat and lacks highlighting functionality.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Zoom for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Zoom is a highly stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Zoom is a scalable solution. We have a couple of hundred Zoom users locally, and we have worldwide around 1,000 users.
What other advice do I have?
We use the cloud version of Zoom. Users should really focus on the video conferences and webinar functionality. Zoom is not designed for chats, channels, or discussions.
Overall, I rate Zoom a nine out of ten.
Provides valuable feature for communication and has an easy setup process
What is most valuable?
Zoom's most valuable feature is communication.
What needs improvement?
There could be more integration options for Zoom.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Zoom for five to six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Zoom's stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is highly scalable. I rate its scalability an eight out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. I rate its process a nine out of ten.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is an inexpensive product. I rate its pricing a two out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
It is a good product. I rate it a nine out of ten.