Running a virtual meeting

Running a virtual meeting

Running virtual meetings is a breeze with Microsoft Office 365's Lync software, which enables multi-party video conferencing in high-definition clarity.

Up to five participants can be connected at the same time. Users can "jump in" via their PCs at the office and even while on the move via their Windows Phone, iOS or Android mobile devices.

You can connect to users outside your corporate network, such as business partners who are also using Lync, but the magic of the software is that you can link up with just about anyone through Skype. This Lync-Skype integration lets you take advantage of the premium video-conferencing features of Lync, while being able to communicate with users outside your organisation.

Lync video comes with adaptive streaming technology, which means that it will stream in HD quality when bandwidth is abundant and automatically switch to standard definition video when the software detects that the user has limited connectivity.

But Lync is more than just a video-conferencing tool. It is also a fantastic solution to link your entire office via a single platform which offers instant messaging, presence information, voice calls, as well as collaboration features.

You can work on spreadsheets together with your colleagues via content-sharing features and even get help from the PowerPoint guru at the office to spice up your presentation by giving him access to your slides.

The coolest feature is polling, which lets meeting participants make quick decisions by putting something to the vote. Secret voting is also possible, so you can vote freely without fear of office reprisals.

Office 365 - the solution for businesses of all sizes and needs.

Need more advice? Contact SGCloud@microsoft.com

This article was published on March 5 in Digital Life, The Straits Times.

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