Microsoft Scores Stunning Strike Against Zoom With Major New Feature

Kate O’FlahertySenior ContributorCybersecurityI’m a cybersecurity journalist.

Microsoft has just scored a stunning strike against its biggest rival Zoom with a major new Teams feature.

Microsoft’s Teams has been launching features left, right and center as it aims to beat Zoom in the videoconferencing arena. Now, Microsoft has just ramped things another level after confirming a major new Teams feature—the ability to allow 300 meeting participants to attend a video call.

Microsoft product manager Mike Tholfsen confirmed the launch of the new feature, previously outlined in the firm’s roadmap, in a tweet. By adding this feature, Microsoft will allow more businesses as well as groups such as Churches to host large meetings using Teams.

Zoom only allows 100 participants in a free call, and you need an add-on if you want to increase this to up to 500 meeting participants.Most Popular In: Cybersecurity

Could Zoom’s security woes be a boost for Teams?

Zoom is a very feature-rich service that’s very hard to beat in terms of usability. However, its reputation has suffered in recent months as a surge in users led to a number of security issues and vulnerabilities. 

Microsoft has been taking advantage of this by pushing the security credentials of Teams, and quickly launching new features to put itself on a par with, and sometimes beating Zoom. MORE FROM FORBESMicrosoft Just Made A Major COVID-19 Security Move That Will Impact EveryoneBy Kate O’Flaherty

This latest new feature comes alongside a bunch of consumer tools as Microsoft aims to sell Teams to the masses. Other recently launched Teams features include new backgrounds, and the ability to display up to 49 people on a call—which will be available to all users this Fall. 

Meanwhile, a major Zoom-beating feature in Teams is the unlimited time frame for free calls, compared with Zoom’s 45 minute allowance for free users.

Zoom has been making a huge effort to make its service safer, but some users are still looking for an alternative. Some people say Teams isn’t as streamlined as Zoom for large meetings and can be slow or laggy, but Microsoft will of course have tested this new feature.

There are other options, but Teams is worth trying out if you are looking for a secure Zoom alternative for large video meetings or chats. MORE FROM FORBESZoom Alternatives: 5 Options For People Who Care About Security And PrivacyBy Kate O’FlahertyFollow me on Twitter. Kate O’Flaherty

I’m a freelance cybersecurity journalist with over a decade’s experience writing news, reviews and features. I report and analyze breaking cybersecurity and privacy…