Web conferencing vs. video conferencing

Conferencing is a critical instrument of the modern digital workforce. It lets companies coordinate diverse and distributed teams and helps everyone stay up to date on current projects and be on the same page about priorities. This key productivity tool comes in different variants: two of the major types are web conferencing and video conferencing. Knowing what these terms mean and the difference between them can be crucial to choosing the right tool for your business needs.

Web conferencing vs. video conferencing: what's the difference?

What is web conferencing? In essence, this technology creates an online event commonly known as a webinar. With web conferencing tools, you can stage virtual presentations that function as the virtual equivalent to an in-person talk or lecture, streamed from a single source or presenter to dozens or even thousands of viewers. This can serve a number of purposes, from a company-wide town hall or quarterly update to a training course.

Business video conferencing, on the other hand, is a video conference call that includes two or more people. All the participants can see each other and interact. This isn't a scenario of one person presenting to an audience; it's a group of employees talking to each other as they would in an in-person meeting room.

By some definitions, web conferencing can be defined broadly to include video conferencing as a specific application of a unified communications infrastructure. However, it's just as common—and arguably more useful—to use the terms in distinct ways as defined above, because they frequently work through different kinds of apps.

What are web conferencing apps best-suited for?

Web conferencing is more of an instructive tool than a collaborative one. When you need to present information efficiently to large groups of people, web conferencing tools are generally the way to go.

Web conferencing apps are not necessarily devoid of interactive tools. Most will integrate with team chat and whiteboard tools, for example, that can allow for limited output from the team. On the other hand, the audience may just as easily be set to listen-only. What tends to be broadly true is that they don't support the kinds of multidirectional conversations that mark a true meeting.

What is business video conferencing best-suited for?

Any meeting that's small enough to include everyone in a conversation is best served by video conferencing. If you're brainstorming, having a weekly or daily touch-base with a small project team or interviewing a client or a job applicant, video conferencing is likely to be the tool for the job.

The drawback to video conferencing is that its reliance on high-definition video and sound quality requires more equipment for all the participants involved. For example, everyone needs to have a functioning webcam and microphone. Video conferencing also uses more bandwidth per person than web conferencing, and it generally tends to be more costly.

Which tool is best for my business needs?

It's important to seek out conferencing tools with a solid record of reliability, scalability and security. A strong feature set should also be a high priority. For example, industry leader 8x8 supports unlimited web conference streaming with YouTube Live, HD video and audio conferencing, mobile browser support and detailed analytics. Contact us today, and 8x8's experts will be happy to help you discover the best conferencing apps and UCaaS solutions for your company's needs.