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Companies and organizations using Zoom for business should consider switching to a paid license at this opportunity.
The specifications of the free version of Zoom Meeting will change significantly in July 2022. 40 minute time limit
Zoom has become indispensable not only for business but also for everyday communication.With so many other web conferencing tools out there, why has Zoom gained so much market share?
After all, isn’t it the high communication quality and good security ?
During a web conference, the number of people inevitably increases, and the communication environment tends to degrade the audio and video quality. However, Zoom has a very stable communication quality, so the meeting can proceed without stress.
It is also attractive that you can use many functions even in the free version and it is easy to use.
Since smartphone apps and PC desktop apps are properly prepared, it can be said that each person can use it in a way that suits them.
However, after July 2022, if you are using the free version of Zoom, you have to be careful. That’s the big change I mentioned earlier.
The free version has been changed to have a time limit of 40 minutes regardless of the number of people.
Until now, in the case of the free version of Zoom, if there were “3 or more” participants in the web conference, the meeting would end in 40 minutes.
In other words, two people could use Zoom for almost unlimited time even with a free license. (within 24 hours)
However, on July 15, 2022, the license for the free version will change this specification.
In the case of the free version, even if the number of participants in the meeting is “2”, the time limit will be applied in 40 minutes and it will end.
If you have been using Zoom for internal meetings or contacting remote workers, you may need to switch to a paid license with no time limit, or change how you use it.
Feature differences between free and paid licenses
By the way, I think that there are many people who are thinking about switching to a paid license at this time because Zoom Meeting is a frequently used web conferencing tool. d
First, let’s take a look at the feature differences between the free and paid licenses.
| function | Free license | Paid version license |
|---|---|---|
| 40 minute time limit | Yes | none |
| Hold meetings for up to 100 people | ○ | ○ |
| screen sharing function | ○ | ○ |
| Chat function | ○ | ○ |
| Whiteboard function | ○ | ○ |
| Local recording/recording function | ○ | ○ |
| Recording/recording function to the cloud | × | ○ |
| Co-hosting feature | × | ○ |
| API utilization | × | ○ |
| Reporting function etc. | × | ○ |
| Use of Zoom webinars and Zoom Rooms | × | ○ |
As you can see, Zoom can do quite a lot with the free version license, but the big ones are whether there is a time limit, whether recording is possible in the cloud, and whether it is possible to set up a joint host.
Recording/recording function to the cloud
When holding an important meeting on Zoom or using it for internal training, many people use it to record the content of the meeting and review it later or archive it.
In such a case, if you have a free version license of Zoom, you can only save recording data on your computer. (Recording and recording on smartphones is not possible from the beginning, regardless of whether the license is a free version or a paid version.)
However, if you switch to the paid version license, you will be able to save recorded data on the cloud.
Differences between local and cloud storage
The difference between local storage and cloud storage is as follows.
| Local storage (free/paid version license) | Cloud storage (paid version license) |
|---|---|
| It uses a lot of HD space on the PC (personal computer). | It saves in the cloud on the web, so it does not take up space on your PC. |
| Data management is troublesome | Easy data management |
| Data sharing is troublesome | Data sharing is possible by URL |
| need to encode | no encoding required |
If you can save recording data in the cloud, you don’t have to worry about PC capacity. It also makes data management easier.
If you save it on your computer, it takes time and effort to change the folder location and name.
It also makes data sharing much easier. In the case of the free version license, since it is saved on the computer once, it is necessary to upload the audio data and video data to a server or an environment where it can be played.
However, if you save in the cloud, you can share the URL, so it’s easy.
It also eliminates the need for data conversion work called encoding. When saving audio and video data to a computer, it is necessary to first convert it to a format suitable for saving.
The larger the recorded data, the longer this encoding time will take, and if the computer specs are low, it may stop in the middle.
Co-hosting feature
Co-hosting is also a feature not found in the free Zoom license.
A co-host means that you can give participants the same privileges as the host who holds the meeting or conference.
Participants appointed as co-hosts will be able to manage other people’s entry and exit, turn on/off microphones, start/stop recording, etc.
In addition, when using the breakout room function that divides participants into small groups and assigns separate rooms to each group during a large meeting, you can move rooms, set up rooms, and disband. is also possible.
By the way, there is no limit on the number of co-hosts.
About Zoom Webinars and Zoom Rooms
Zoom actually has several plans and license types other than the meeting you are using.
Typical examples are Zoom webinars and Zoom Rooms. When using these, it is not possible to use the free version license, so after signing a contract for a paid license, you will be able to use it for the first time after signing a contract with each service.
What is a Zoom webinar?
Webinar is a word that combines web and seminar, and is literally a service optimized for web seminars and online salons. If you expand the add-on, you can participate from 500 people to a maximum of 50,000 people.
Meetings are supposed to be few-to-few communicating, while webinars are supposed to be one-to-many or very few-to-many.
Specifically, it may be easier to understand if you imagine a style in which many participants listen to what the speaker, who is holding the seminar, speaks.
Participants are basically not allowed to speak when using the webinar, and are only allowed to speak during question corners and Q&A times that do not interfere with the progress.
What is Zoom Rooms?
Zoom Rooms is a stationary type web conferencing system. Meeting rooms and other spaces are already equipped with microphones, speakers, and monitors, so meeting participants can enter the room empty-handed and start the meeting.
Since the camera and microphone are integrated into one, there is no audio problem, and everyone can fit on one screen, so you can hold a web conference with a sense of unity.
With a normal Zoom Meeting license, each person must have a PC, smartphone, or tablet to log in, but with Zoom Rooms, it is possible with one license for each room.
When should I switch to the paid version?
As you can see, there is a considerable difference between Zoom’s free version license and paid version license depending on how it is used.
For personal use, the free version license may not be a big problem, but for business use, the paid version license is very convenient, and if you want to proceed smoothly, the free version license may be a bit unreliable. not.
The biggest problem is still the 40 minute limit. With the free version license, the meeting will be interrupted in the middle of important business negotiations and meetings, and you will have to ask the client to enter the room again.