Screen sharing and remote work
How to do it right
Recent times have pushed many companies and organizations to move from working in physical offices to working from home and communicating online.
The most common way to do that is with remote work tools, which all of us now use, whether for working remotely with clients, meeting with partners and colleagues, collaborating with other professionals, or plenty of other purposes.
Since most of us now communicate from home, juggling screens, video calls, Zoom, WhatsApp Web and more, we decided to bring some order to it all and make life easier for you with the best remote work tools and how to use them.
Today we will review the different tools, how to use them, and the options and features each one offers.
Let's start with the tool that may well be the word of the year in 2020: Zoom.
There is no need to explain what it is. Even people who do not use it every day know it and know how widely it is used.
What people rarely talk about is everything it can do:
What can you do with Zoom?
The free version of Zoom lets you:
- Hold conference calls.
- Share your screen.
- Record calls and screen shares for later use.
- Host video calls with up to about 100 participants, with no time limit.
- Run webinars and lectures for other participants.
- Join from either a phone or a computer.
- Share documents, not just your screen.
- Use interactive chat.
Zoom is very effective when you want to hold calls, meetings or work sessions remotely. It is considered very stable and convenient for sharing documents and screens during meetings.
For other needs, such as conference calls without screen sharing or other kinds of group calls, there are other tools you can use.
WhatsApp:
Sometimes, when we are on the go or having informal conversations that do not require screen sharing or sitting in front of a screen for too long, WhatsApp video calls are a good choice. They make it easy to talk with up to 4 people at once.
The advantage is that WhatsApp does not require an invitation link to a meeting room like Zoom does, so it feels less cumbersome. The downside is that it has fewer options and features, so it is best for shorter, less formal calls.
Skype:
Long before we knew what Zoom was, Skype was one of the most popular options in the world for video and audio calls over the internet.
Skype is an ideal alternative to Zoom and WhatsApp, with a convenient interface for video calls and screen sharing, higher video and audio quality, and fewer connection problems.
Google Hangouts:
What is Google Hangouts, and how is it different from the other platforms?
True, Google did not reinvent the wheel here, and this platform also enables video calls between people.
So why use it?
Compared with other platforms, Google Hangouts has a more social design, it is even more secure according to Google's standards, and on top of that it connects seamlessly with your Gmail and Google Calendar. If you use a calendar to schedule meetings and important events, this tool can be very convenient to work with.
What about remote control or screen sharing only?
In many cases we do not want to use these platforms, because we do not need a meeting or conference at all. We just need to share our screen, or control a colleague's computer remotely, or let them control ours.
For these cases, we recommend 2 leading options:
- AnyDesk: a lightweight, easy-to-use tool with a free version that lets users share their screen and control computers remotely, for explaining things, working together and more.
- TeamViewer: for those who do not know it, TeamViewer is a similar platform that also offers remote control and screen sharing, with some extra features such as VPN, sharing between mobile devices, file sharing, remote printing and more. It also has a free version, but it is a bit more complex and less easy for the average user.
For more questions, help with remote work or any consultation, feel free to contact us and leave your details.
