A favorite of prosumers, Zoom’s success has been due to its ease of use and viral-like nature. A user is invited to a meeting, clicks on a link, and is almost instantly in the meeting. Next time they have to host a meeting, they sign up and do the same. That is how it proliferates across organizations, getting in through lines of business and bypassing corporate IT altogether.
Perhaps understandably, however, there has been resistance from corporate IT within enterprises to integrate it. This is due in part to a preference for centrally-procured solutions with their own collaboration apps. Other issues center around security concerns.
While these security concerns were valid in the first part of 2020, there have been significant improvements. As Orange Cyberdefense notes, Zoom “has been aggressively taking necessary measures to address these issues and patch vulnerabilities as soon as possible.” This includes end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication.
Why Zoom is an enterprise tool
There is another reason why enterprises need to bring Zoom into corporate IT. Lines of business have been utilizing their own technology budgets to invest in increasing numbers of paid licenses. However, while those functions may have the spending capability to acquire apps and services, they do not contribute to network infrastructure. As part of the management of these networks, IT needs to know how it will be used so that it can manage bandwidth while ensuring that user experience and access are not impacted.
Therefore, if apps such as Zoom are left outside, there is limited visibility and an inaccurate understanding of both licensing usage (hidden spend) and potential network demands. Plus, if there is a ban on using such an easy-to-use service, all that does is increase the risk of it continuing as shadow IT, increasing potential security implications.
But enterprise adoption should not be determined solely on how pervasive a solution is. With Zoom, there are several other reasons why it is suitable for use across the entire organization. Leading manufacturers, such as Poly, DTEN and AudioCodes, have a range of certified hardware, both for in-office (through Zoom Rooms) and at home. Zoom is more than meetings, with Zoom Phone providing cloud telephony services for PBX replacement. In fact, the company’s position as an all-around unified collaboration-as-a-service (UCaaS) provider was recently noted when it was named as a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for UCaaS.
On top of that, Zoom’s administration portal makes it easy for businesses to manage and provision users, monitor usage and analyze performance metrics through reporting, with the ability to drill down and quickly identify problems.
Furthermore, Zoom integration with established applications like Microsoft Teams means that, when properly migrated and deployed, it offers an opportunity to further standardize workflows and user collaboration journeys, increasing productivity and the effectiveness of meeting experiences.
Integrating Zoom into your architecture
There is an opportunity for enterprise IT teams to capitalize on the work Zoom has already done for them.
Improving user adoption of new solutions is a significant factor in successful deployments. One survey indicates that 80% of users say they’ve deleted an app because they didn’t know how to use it. Corporate IT should be looking for opportunities where the hard work of onboarding employees has already been done for them to a greater or lesser extent.
By using Zoom, that is exactly what has happened. IT can take the familiarity users have with Zoom Meetings and focus instead on integrating it effectively with existing applications, making full use of additional functionality. Plus, the Zoom App Marketplace and SDK for developers allow businesses to build integrations into their preferred apps and workflows.
This includes combining Zoom with leading cloud apps, whether document sharing with Box, CRM with Salesforce, calendar and scheduling, transcription, or other collaboration tools. Or, for external audiences, it could be running webinars via Zoom, which integrate with Facebook Live and YouTube to increase reach and engagement. Plus, with Zoom Apps, users can improve productivity and meeting efficiency by accessing apps within the Zoom platform.
The right support for success
To do all of this successfully requires a structured approach. Being easy to use for the majority of employees does not always translate into simple migration and company-wide deployment. That’s why using a Zoom partner makes sense. Besides managing migration and application integration, a partner can also provide service-desk support, training and success management to ensure you derive the most significant value out of Zoom. On top of that, it could aid in the deployment of hardware – the likes of AudioCodes, Poly and DTEN with their Zoom-ready products. For example, Orange provides all of this as a complete solution on a global basis.
In addition, working alongside a managed service partner (MSP), like Orange, would open up the Bring Your Own Carrier option that Zoom offers. This allows you to leverage SIP voice and DID management for local voice services (navigate regulatory complexity and ensure local country compliance). It can also mean a single contract for all your meeting needs.
Using an MSP can deliver simplification in what has quickly become a complex collaboration space. Enterprises could go beyond virtual meetings to incorporate phone, messaging and conferencing with the ability to choose voice or audio with the click of a button and be able to use the same solution whether talking to one or 100 people.
Bringing Zoom to the enterprise
With so much upheaval, enterprises should be seeking ways to simplify as much as possible. When it comes to collaboration, Zoom is here. The path of least resistance could also be the fastest route to success if corporate IT can integrate the service with organizational workflows and applications. In doing so, they can cut out shadow IT, have better control over costs, simplify their user collaboration systems and consolidate contracts, all while delivering a tool that employees know and trust.
Remote working needs intuitive, simple solutions. Discover Business Together with Zoom. Our partnership with Zoom works end to end, from service transition and integration to user training, success management, local billing, consolidated contracts and 24/7 service-desk support.
Emmanuelle is in a charge of the global marketing of Zoom solutions at Orange Business. In her current role, she is responsible for product development and go-to-market activities around the Orange offers with Zoom. Emmanuelle joined Orange Business in 1996 and has held multiple sales and marketing roles related to collaboration and contact centers.