When to use Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Skype for Business
Product Overview:
Microsoft Teams is your online chat-based hub for teamwork integrated with your Office 365 email account. It is an app that helps you and your team have real-time conversations using chat or video chat, securely share and collaborate on files, and plan meetings or projects with others at the University of Iowa.
Zoom is a web conferencing solution offered by the University of Iowa. Zoom can be used to meet with other people at Iowa, or people external to the university. Zoom integrates with ICON, allows users to meet in online meetings, share audio and video information, schedule webinars, use questionnaires in meetings, and much more.
Skype for Business is the telephony solution offered to the University of Iowa campus enabling faculty and staff to make and receive traditional telephone calls through the Skype for Business client. Skype for Business is a legacy video conferencing solution, with Microsoft Teams or Zoom being the recommended products providing a modern video conferencing experience.
Security:
For information regarding data compliance for Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom, please refer to the Data Classification Guide to IT Services support article provided by the Information Security & Policy Office.
Meeting Scenarios:
| Meeting Scenario | Recommended Product |
| Academic (Online Classes and Teaching) | Zoom |
| Office Hours | Zoom |
| Large Departmental Meetings (10+ participants) | Zoom or Microsoft Teams |
| Small Departmental Meetings (1-10 participants) | Microsoft Teams, or Zoom |
| One to One Conversations | Microsoft Teams |
Product Comparison:
| Features | Microsoft Teams | Zoom |
| Availability | ||
| Available To | Students, Faculty, Staff | Students, Faculty, Staff |
| Compatibility | ||
| Desktop App | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Mobile App | iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
| Browser Support | Yes | Yes; the Zoom Client for Meetings is required. |
| Supported Browsers | Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome | Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer 11, Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox |
| Capacity | ||
| Maximum Meeting Attendees | 1000 | 300 |
| Audio and Video | ||
| HD Video Capable | Yes | Yes |
| Join Meeting with Audio Only | Yes | Yes |
| Join Meeting by Phone (Domestic) | No | Yes |
| Join Meeting by Toll-Free Number | No | No |
| Meeting Captioning | Yes; Live Captioning | Yes; Live Captioning, Manual Captioning and 3rd Party Utilities |
| Telephony | ||
| Make and Receive Telephone Calls | No | No |
| Chat | ||
| Chat Within Meetings | Yes | Yes |
| Chat Outside of Meetings | Yes | Yes |
| Content Sharing | ||
| Screen Sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Application Sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Annotate Shared Content | No | Yes |
| Whiteboard | Yes | Yes |
| Meeting Capabilities | ||
| Breakout Rooms | Yes | Yes |
| Polling | Yes; using Microsoft Forms | Yes |
| Cloud Recording | Yes | Yes |
| Local Recording | No | Yes |
| Join Before Host | Yes | Yes; off by default, can be turned on per meeting. |
| Integration | ||
| Join Meetings from H.323 or SIP Devices | No | Yes |
| Outlook Calendar Integration | Yes | Yes; with the Zoom for Outlook plugin |
| Google Calendar Integration | No | Yes |
| ICON | No | Yes |