Skip to main content

Remote Meeting Applications

There are multiple remote meeting applications that you have access to.  There are advantages to each of them.  Below is a comparison chart, followed by more detailed information on each.  

 

 
 
Microsoft Teams
Zoom
Cisco Webex
Provided/Managed by
SOM
UMB
UMB
Licensing
All SOM users automatically have a license.
Those with active UMIDs will have a license upon first login.
Max meeting participants?
1000
300
Meeting recordings available for
Indefinitely
1 year
Transcription available?
Yes
Yes
Webinar licensing?
Included: Teams Live Event
Annual license must be purchased
Max participants in a webinar?
10,000
Between 500 and 10,000 depending on license purchased
Outlook plug-in available?
Yes; Already integrated with Outlook
Yes, with login caveats
Desktop app available?
Yes; Already installed on all SOM workstations
Yes
HIPAA Compliant?
Yes
Yes
Advantages?
Best for internal meetings, since it's fully integrated and most people on campus are familiar with it. Guests can also join via a web browser without an account.
Good for external meetings since many people are familiar with Zoom.
Webex has been sunset.

 

Teams

 

What is Teams?


Teams is Microsoft 365's collaborate platform.  It brings file sharing, messaging and video conferencing together into one app.  It is fully integrated with Microsoft 365.  All data and communications in Teams is covered by a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement, so it is suitable for PHI and PII data storage and sharing.  Although Teams can perform many functions, the scope of this article will focus just on its remote meeting capabilities.

[back to top]

How do I login to Teams?


Teams can be accessed at https://teams.microsoft.com.   

Teams will likely know who you are the first time you login.  Just select your name and enter your password.  You should be automatically logged in afterwards.

[back to top]

How do I create a meeting in Teams?


In Teams, go to Calendar > New meeting

The following fields are mandatory: Title, attendees, time and date.  

If this is a hybrid meeting and there will be people joining from a conference room, you can add the location.  Click in the location box and wait for the directory to display.  Find your building and room.  This will reserve the conference room, which may or may not need to be approved based on the room and its uses.  This is entirely optional.

If the target audience of the meeting is the same as the members of a Team or one of its Private Channels, you could consider posting the meeting to that channel.  The meeting will display for all members, and any of them will be free to join the meeting, whether or not they were implicitly invited.  This is entirely optional. 

When you're done, click Send.

You also have the Scheduling Assistant to assist you.  Click on that and see the blocks of time that your attendees are busy, to better gauge when the best time for your meeting would be.

[back to top]

How do I join an existing meeting?


Whether you are the host or participant, join a Teams meeting in the same way.  From Teams, find the meeting in your calendar.  If the meeting is starting soon, a Join button will display here.

If there is not a Join button, click the meeting once.  A Join button will appear beside it.

 Before joining, you'll be able to toggle your audio and video on or off.

[back to top]

How do I install and use the desktop app?


The Teams desktop app is virtually identical to the web browser app. All of the functionality already shown is the same.  The Teams desktop app is recommended if you are experiencing performance issues with the web browser app.

If you're using a SOM-managed workstation, Teams should already be installed. 

If you're using a personal computer, you can get Teams as part of the full Microsoft 365 Suite.  SOM users with a Microsoft 365 license can install Office on up to five computers.  Go to https://portal.office.com and click Install Office

You can also install Teams separately.  While using the web version of Teams (https://teams.microsoft.com), click on the ellipses and go to Download the desktop app.

This will place a file called Teams_windows_x64 in your Downloads folder.  Double click this file to install Teams.  You will not need administrator privileges on your computer to install this.

[back to top]

How do I install and use the Outlook plug-in?


The Teams plug-in for Outlook is installed automatically when Teams is installed.  You can find Teams icons in the main calendar ribbon, and on the meeting ribbon.

To create a Teams meeting from Outlook, begin creating a meeting as you normally would.  Click on Teams Meeting in the ribbon.

This will populate the body of the meeting with all of the necessary Teams information.

You can click Meeting Options to chance a few things, such as enabling a lobby for users to go into, recording the meeting, or restricting who can present.

To join a meeting from Outlook, open the meeting on your calendar.  Click the link in the details.

[back to top]

How do I share my screen?


When in a meeting, click on the Share button in the upper right hand corner.  You'll have the option to share your entire screen (including your taskbar and desktop background) or just a window (i.e. Excel or Edge).  Sharing your screen will display any pop-up notifications such as Outlook during the screen sharing process.

If you have multiple screens (monitors) attached to your computer, you'll have to select which one you want to share.

You'll know you are successfully sharing when you see a red box outlining either your entire screen, or a windows, depending on which you've chosen.  Here is a red box around Excel.

You can let others control your screen by clicking Give Control on the windowshade (the black bar at the top of the screen) and then selecting their name.  You can revoke control at any time.

Click Stop presenting on the windowshade when you are finished.

[back to top]

How do I access the chat?


Each meeting will have a chat log, though it is not displayed by default.  This can be helpful if you want to ask a question without interrupting the speaker, or share a link or a document to everyone.  Click the Chat button in the top menu to display it.  Click it again, or click the X, to close the chat.  A meeting's chat log will be available in your chat history even once the meeting is over.  

[back to top]

Zoom

×