The demand for video conferencing and collaboration tools has never been greater.
Everywhere we look, global gatherings are shutting down. First it was the Mobile World Conference, forced to fold as concerns around the COVID-19 spread. Next came Facebook F8 and Adobe Summit, followed by Google’s annual developer conference, Microsoft’s MVP summit, and IBM Think.
It’s not just large conferences that are suffering in the wake of coronavirus, however. Smaller, more concentrated meetings are being forced to move away from physical spaces and into the safer, more flexible environment of the cloud.
Social soirees of all sizes and shapes are quickly moving online. Even bigger brands like Facebook, Google, and Salesforce have started asking their employees to work from home. CEO of Zoom, Eric Yuan, even suggested that the new call for video will lead to a “fundamental, permanent shift in how people work.”
Accessing Video Communication & Collaboration for Free
The good news for companies who don’t have the budget set aside for a shift to video right now is that there’s an easier way to evolve. Conferencing companies are being forced to respond to the increasing demand for cloud communications.
As Slack, Microsoft, Zoom, and others all see considerable increases in usage, these organisations don’t want to be seen as taking advantage of a virus that’s causing death and panic across the globe. Instead, these companies are using the wide-spread panic as an opportunity to connect with their customers on a deeper level, while attracting new ones.
By offering free versions of some of their premium tools, the market leaders in video conferencing and collaboration can begin to expand the small percentage of the global workforce that works remotely. After all, 44% of companies still don’t allow team members to work from home.
If you’re ready to make the shift into the cloud, but your budget isn’t, here’s where you can get the technology that you need for free.
Google Hangouts
Google has had a free version of Hangouts available for a while now, but it hasn’t offered many of the enterprise-level tools that modern businesses demand. Fortunately, the company announced that it is rolling out free access to advanced features for Hangouts Meet for all G Suite and Education customers until the first of July.
This means that you can now host meetings with up to 10,000 viewers, or 250 visitors in a single domain, for free. Plus, there’s the option to record and save meetings to Google Drive too. The Google team said that this new rollout was its attempt to “do our part” to keep teams connected.
Microsoft Teams
People were thrilled back in 2018 when Microsoft announced a free version of Teams for smaller companies. Now, to support the growing demand for video conferencing and remote working, the Microsoft brand is offering a free six month trial for the premium tier of Teams too.
The globally available trial represents Microsoft’s concern for the “wellbeing of [its] employees,” as well as it’s desire to support customers dealing with the impact that infection can have on their workforces. Originally, the premium trial was available to hospitals, businesses, and schools struggling in China, where the outbreak began. However, as the infection has spread, Microsoft is making it’s technology available globally.
The free trial will include meeting scheduling and all of the Teams collaboration features, except for PSTN conferencing (see below for an offer relating to this).
Zoom
Although Zoom has had a free version of its software available for some time now, the solution came with a 40-minute time limit on all video conversations. At the end of February, Zoom lifted these time limits for users in China. According to Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom, the company wants to help the people that are most profoundly impacted by the COVID-19 virus.
Zoom has seen a massive increase in usage since the spread of the virus started, bringing in more active users than ever before. Users outside of China can still sign up to the free version of Zoom to host up to 100 participants, access free 1-to-1 meetings, and create group meetings lasting up to 40 minutes.
Avaya Spaces
Avaya was one of the conferencing and communication companies on the frontline of the Coronavirus outbreak. The company donated audio and video equipment to workers in China, dispatching support for speedy deployments.
Today, the global company is taking steps to support more companies on a global level, by offering the Avaya Spaces solution for cloud meeting and collaboration for free. Avaya Spaces is available to all educational institutions and non-profit organizations across the globe. The free solution will support video conferencing for up to 200 participants, with access to video, voice, chat, content sharing, and online meetings.
Enreach / Centile
Centile, part of Enreach, is the European leader in the development of mobile-first Cloud PBX and UC solutions. They are just about to launch ISTRA Collab Business, the video conferencing and collaboration solution integrated into the ISTRA Cloud PBX platform. In the meantime, in order to help as many companies as possible work remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak, Enreach, Centile’s holding company, is now offering Enreach Meetings for free until September 1st 2020. Enreach Meetings is a video conferencing solution based on the same technology and interface as ISTRA Collab Business.
Key features:
- Group video calls and dial-in access up to 10 participants (or devices)
- Pre-entry waiting room for guests
- In-meeting group and private chat
- Screen & document sharing
- Video broadcasting
- Specific rights for host
- Directly accessible from your (mobile) browser
Cisco Webex
Cisco recently reported that the traffic in it’s Webex solution within China has increased by 22 times since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. At the same time, the solution has seen up to five times as many users across South Korea, Singapore, and Japan.
To respond to the growing demand, Cisco has expanded the capabilities on its free offer in all countries where the technology is available. The updated free version now includes support for up to 100 participants, as well as unlimited usage with no time restrictions. There’s also toll dial-in available, in addition to existing VoIP capabilities. Additionally, Cisco is working closely with partners to offer free 90-day licenses to businesses that aren’t already Webex customers in the current environment.
StarLeaf
StarLeaf, one of the world’s leading providers of meeting room and video conferencing solutions, recently announced new measures to support customers with their business continuity efforts. New StarLeaf plans have been created that involve various new product and service offerings, such as a free version of the conferencing software, available on a global basis. Additionally, customers can also access more licensing flexibility.
The free StarLeaf version is available across all devices worldwide. Users just need an email address to get started. Users can then meet with anyone through video. There are also trials available through StarLeaf’s partner network. StarLeaf customers that aren’t sure how long they’ll need to enable remote working will be able to access flexible conferencing license options, which allow them to expand their technology when and as needed. StarLeaf is also launching a new remote-working environment to provide customers with resources to help create remote work solutions.
RingCentral Meetings
RingCentral already offers a no-commitment free trial to users interested in its Meetings software for collaboration. As one of the leading providers in the VoIP and collaboration industry, RingCentral offers tools like HD video and screen sharing within their Meetings stack, as well as recording and text-based chat. You can use the private chat or group-chat in-meeting, depending on your needs.
There’s a restriction of 40 minutes on group conversations within the free version of RingCentral Meetings, but there’s no limit imposed on one-to-one meetings.
Dialpad UberConference
Dialpad is another company offering businesses the tools that they need to work from anywhere, wherever a high-speed connection is available. Internally, the business has been implementing a flexible policy for team members that want to work from home since 2011.
To help other companies in the current landscape follow suit, Dialpad has started to offer the DialpadTalk and UberConference PRO technology in their communication stacks to any business throughout North America and Japan, for free. This free access will continue for the next couple of months as the concerns around the virus continue to grow, helping companies to adapt more quickly to the changing workforce demands.
Updated 19th March:
For all existing (approx. 1.6M) UberConference Free users and new signups, Dialpad are:
- Removing the 45-min limit (up to 5-hours, max)
- Increasing the maximum participants from 10 to 50
Additionally, Dialpad Talk paid users can upgrade to UberConference Business, as opposed to the UberConference Free version included with their accounts. They can therefore enjoy all the benefits of UberConference Business (no cap, up to 100 users, no PIN, Voice Intelligence, etc) at no additional cost. Eligible users will be notified by email and an in-app announcement.
Updated 2nd April:
Dialpad the only cloud-native business communications platform powered by Voice Intelligence, has announced that the company is making paid versions of all of its products - Dialpad Talk, Dialpad Sell, Dialpad Support and UberConference - available for free, for two months, to help those impacted by the coronavirus work from home edict'
Dialpad CEO, Craig Walker, said: “Even in the face of economic uncertainty, it was an easy decision for us to make to help others by offering free access over the next couple of months,”
Visit Dialpad for more information.
8x8
8x8, one of the leading solutions for cloud communications, recently announced an expanded range of global capabilities for the standalone and free version of 8x8 Video Meetings. The company has now increased the capabilities and global reach of capabilities within 8x8 video meetings, providing employees and companies with location-independent access to unlimited meetings through any mobile device or internet-connected desktop.
Since the start of February, demand for 8x8 Video Meetings increased significantly, with users from more than 125 countries now using the tools. New registered users for the standalone 8x8 offering almost tripled too. CEO, Vik Verma, hopes the expanded free solutions will help people to collaborate and communicate more effortlessly in the cloud environment.
Zoho Remotely
Zoho, one of the leading companies in the collaboration space, recently launched a full virtual collaboration platform named Remotely. The solution aims to help companies to continue operating as normal during the rise of the coronavirus epidemic. The platform will be available to use for free until the 1st of July 2020, at which point, Zoho will review the situation and deliver a potential extension.
Raju Vegesna, the CEO of Zoho, said that the Remotely offering is a humanitarian gesture that will help businesses to mitigate the impact the spreading virus. Included in the technology are collaboration, productivity, and project management applications, alongside tools for the automation of migrating data into the Zoho cloud platform.
Remotely also addresses cybersecurity concerns for businesses, by enabling IT teams to apply security controls to the data that team members can access. However, IT organizations, in many cases, would still need to ensure that the connections they deploy are secure.
Lifesize
To help organisations of all types adapt to the very real work challenges presented by Coronavirus, Lifesize is offering free cloud video conferencing services for six months to companies around the world, with no limits on the number of hosts they can add, number of meetings they can hold or the length of those meetings. In addition, current Lifesize customers can add as many full-featured users as they want to their accounts, free of additional charge beyond what they are already paying.
This move is to technologically equip companies to handle the spike in remote work or entire teams working from home, allowing all employees to remain productive and collaborative, and to “keep the world working.” This offer is available to all organisations of all sizes, globally, for six months.
DTEN
Communication leaders, DTEN, recently launched the Stay Connected program to help educational institutions, healthcare providers, and companies mitigate the challenges caused by COVID-19. The Stay Connected scheme provides organisations with a month of free access to the award-winning video conferencing solution designed by DTEN for Zoom Communications. Additionally, to enhance the free offering, DTEN is also offering a 30-day subscription to Zoom Rooms for free.
According to DTEN, the global health emergency that we’re facing today has expanded the world’s understanding of just how valuable video conferencing and collaboration technology can be. Because of this, the DTEN brand wants to make sure that its technology is available to support anyone and everyone that might be affected by the coronavirus. Stay Connected also allows first-time users to request the DTEN D7 55 inch display to be shipped to their facility. This model integrates video conferencing, content sharing, interactive whiteboarding, and more, and it can be used with no cost for up to 30 days.
LogMeIn GoToMeeting
There are many collaboration and communication tools on the market today that typically come with a free trial lasting a week or two. LogMeIn usually comes with its own fourteen-day free trial. However, that’s about to change. According to the company, it will be providing critical front-line service providers and healthcare providers with free access. The solution, available for educational intuitions, non-profit groups, and municipalities will provide access to various LogMeIn products for three months, through the availability of Emergency Remote Working kits.
