My colleague Bradley Chambers is going to be hosting a webinar this Friday, March 20, on getting schools, organizations, and businesses set up for remote work, so stay tuned for that if you’re an IT professional. It has capabilities beyond what FaceTime does, like calls for up to 50 people, but doesn’t have all the same features as Zoom, which can handle calls up to 500 people. Meanwhile, Skype is somewhat a hybrid between FaceTime and Zoom. Instead of having to know a contact’s email or phone number, you also connect to Zoom calls with a link or a meeting ID on the web or with the app. It also works differently to connect with others. Zoom is different from FaceTime and other simpler video call software in that it focuses on enterprise and large-scale solutions (but can also be used for basic needs). Update 5/6: Zoom has followed through on delivering important security and privacy updates at the end of April and today. Update 4/2: For what it’s worth, Zoom has issued an apology for its privacy and security gaffes, patched the two most recent Mac bugs, and laid out a plan for the next 90 days to improve the service. If you decide to still use Zoom, please understand the risks… Update 4/1: Two serious new Zoom flaws have been discovered.

Although fixed since coming to light, we’ve also seen some other privacy issues. Update 3/31: One thing to keep in mind if a high level of security is important, it was discovered that even though Zoom claims to use end-to-end encryption, it’s actually not the case for its service. With each service being a bit different, follow along for how to get your Mac, iPhone, and iPad set up with Zoom, Skype, and more. Along with the change to working from home for many jobs, remote meetings and conferences will be increasingly relied upon over the coming weeks and months.

Zoom app for mac book