On February 1st, Zoom video conferencing service will make its debut as WashU’s primary video conferencing tool. This service will be available to all WashU students, faculty, and staff at no cost, simply by using your WUSTL Key sign-on. Beyond being one of the most frequently used video conferencing services available, Zoom was chosen after a pilot that involved individuals and departments across the Danforth, Medical, North and West Campuses.
One of the key factors taken into account when choosing Zoom, was the desire to improve reliability and efficiency amongst video conferencing services at the University. Zoom has a reputation for being incredibly reliable, having a solid user support line, and is highly intuitive. Further, to address the dramatic increase of “on-the-go” meetings, as well as diverse device selection, Zoom is accessible on any device and platform.
Established, efficient IT integration with other applications was also a goal with launching Zoom. The service is capable of integrating with an abundance of extensions and plug-ins, including Microsoft Outlook, so users can merge their calendars together. Zoom is also HIPAA compliant, provides dial-in meeting capabilities, and is able to record sessions for later review.
Additionally, Zoom is also accessible to non-WashU attendees, improving collaboration. WashU IT – Media Services hopes that the introduction of Zoom helps in WashU IT’s continuous goal to move towards modernization, and providing user-friendly solutions. Users can look forward to an intuitive, polished video conferencing experience with Zoom, that allows for greater collaboration, and the increased ability for self-service.
WashU IT Director of Media Services Matt Arthur, commented on Zoom’s self-service abilities. “Zoom has an incredible knowledge base available to users that allows it to be a great DIY tool. For almost any issue you can think of, Zoom has a user guide, FAQ, or online training on how to work through it. These resources give users a chance to quickly patch a problem or learn about more ways they can use Zoom to their advantage. Zoom is another technology tool to help foster excellence in teaching, research, scholarship and service at Washington University.”
Beyond these amazing perks, individuals with a pre-existing Zoom account will be able to sync their current account to their WashU account. Media Services, and the rest of WashU IT, view the upcoming Zoom launch as an exciting beginning to a future of increased collaboration with an abundance of opportunities just around the corner. WashU IT continues to look for new opportunities to improve the user experience and make WashU a better place to learn and work.
Zoom access is available for login with your WUSTKey: https://wustl.zoom.us
Support access is available at: https://support.zoom.us