Comparing the Top 4 Business Communications Platforms

Today, every organization needs a business communication platform that can help them share ideas more freely and from anywhere. With remote and hybrid work prevalent in businesses everywhere, it’s more important than ever to have software that can help your teams collaborate effectively with all the tools you need in one place. That’s where a communication platform comes in.

Does your business need a fully-supported business communication solution to unite your teams? Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) is a holistic collaboration solution that can help boost how your entire business communicates. Learn more about UCaaS and how Impact can get you started. 

Communication Platform Comparison: Teams vs. Zoom vs. Slack vs. Google Workspace

Organizations that have teams in different locations that need to collaborate, businesses that employ remote workers, and companies that want to enhance the connectivity of their staff should consider investing in a communications platform. A reliable solution can offer the security and flexibility they need. But, with such a large need, there are many competitive options to fill it. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Slack, and Google Workspace are all vying for your business with similar offerings, so how can you know which one to choose? By comparing what they do, what they don’t do, and if they have exactly what you need.

What’s the Best Communication Platform for Meetings, Calls, and Conferencing?

In the digital age, with employees working remotely across the country, consistent access to high-quality video conferencing for meetings and calls is essential. Modern businesses simply must have the ability to perform these types of communications and that means you need a communication platform that delivers exactly what you need.

For meetings, calls, and conferencing, each platform delivers a usable experience that allows your teams to meet face-to-face. Slack is the limiter here, though. With only 15 participants as the max and no way to schedule calls, it’s more of a barebones option. Zoom, Teams, and Workspace provide complete solutions that essentially come with everything you’ll need, especially considering they integrate directly with their respective scheduling tools like Outlook and Google Calendar.

The choice as to which one is best for you depends on the numbers: how many participants will you need? How long are your meetings? Will you require a together mode? And what kinds of captions, transcripts, recordings, and other accessibility features will you need?

Which Platform is Best for Chat and Collaboration?

Chat and collaboration tools are really where each communication platform shines. They all come with unlimited chat benefits, but the variations come with how much cloud storage is offered and the number and size of files you can upload at one time. Google Workplace offers the most file storage for the smallest amount of money (as well as most options and the largest file size limit), but Teams and Slack also offer reasonable options that, depending on your needs, might work better.

Comparing Cybersecurity Features of Communication Software

Cybersecurity is a very important factor to consider when choosing a communications platform. After all, this software will be the primary way in which your teams share company data which, to cybercriminals, is deeply valuable. So, you want to make sure your chosen platform comes with all the security controls and features you need to keep your data locked down tight.

For the most part, each option comes with the necessary features that you’d expect: multi-factor authentication, single sign-on options, and some sort of data encryption. Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams stand out here, though, as the only options that come with more advanced security and reporting features that don’t require additional integrations or plug-ins.

Accessibility Features of the Best Communication Platforms

It’s also important to make sure everyone on your team feels like they can contribute evenly and aren’t at a disadvantage when using your communication platform due to a disability. Accessibility features on each platform are fairly standard across the board with each offering features like meeting transcriptions, voice controls, mid-meeting hand raising, and screen reader support to help those impaired get the most out of their meetings.

One caveat is that Slack does require integrations in order to get transcriptions and voice controls while the other three have those features built-in.

Which Business Communication Software is Best for You?

As you can see in the communication platform comparison infographics above, the best solution for your organization depends on your needs and requirements from the platform. An important thing to consider is that of the above solutions, Microsoft Teams performs better on overall cybersecurity standards. Teams encrypts data whether it’s in motion or at rest. Additionally, users are required to have an Outlook account to use Teams, which can be also set up with MFA (multi-factor authentication). This gives the platform another layer of security.

Organizations worried about compliance should note that Microsoft Teams was engineered to adhere to compliance regulations for different industries. While Zoom and Slack have recently added more security features, Teams' cybersecurity capabilities have always been more robust.

Regardless of the solution you choose, use these communication platform comparison infographics to help you consider all of your options and priorities to find the best solution for your organization.

To get the most out of your communication software, your business needs a unified communications solution that can bring your entire company together. Unified Communications as a Service (UCaas) is a business communications service implemented and supported by experts to help your business collaborate more easily. Learn more about choosing a UCaaS provider and see how Impact can help get you started in this blog.