GoToMeeting Review: A Well-Deserved Industry Leader

When it comes to cloud-based communications tools, GoToMeeting is right up there. The platform has won several awards as a leading internet telephony and web conferencing solution. And, due to COVID-19, GoToMeeting’s market popularity has sharply increased (over 600% on Android and 370% on iOS). In April, GoToMeeting introduced major updates, including useful Teams integrations, to help users better manage their remote workflows.

So, how does GoToMeeting stack up against the likes of Zoom, Google Meet, and Cisco Webex Meetings? What are the features that continue to make GoToMeeting a go-to solution for so many in this highly competitive market? Let’s review the platform’s capabilities in detail.

Inside GoToMeeting

If you were to define GoToMeeting in a sentence, you would call it a virtual meeting platform that works for communication requirements of every scale. It is part of the GoTo series of products by LogMeIn, which also includes solutions for holding webinars and training employees. Here is a quick review of GoToMeeting’s features bouquet:

• One-click meeting – You can join or host a video call/conference from any device and platform. The join in experience is extremely easy for participants — there is even a commuter mode for meeting solutions on the go
• Security and governance policies – You can optionally activate advanced security features like SAML SSO login, making the conferencing experience more secure. This is a critical feature given the sheer scale of WFH today and the emergence of new security risks
• Automated provisioning – For those using Microsoft’s Active Directory, provisioning the platform is incredibly easy. Simply sync your AD database to GoToMeeting to populate its records, and you are ready to get started
• Analytics and insights for admin – GoToMeeting features a robust admin centre to help track utilisation, monitor user behaviour, and troubleshoot any issues. The platform gives you a detailed report on performance metrics for every user
• Mobile support – GoToMeeting brings a rich mobile experience, complete with cloud-based call recording from your smartphone — an extremely useful feature for impromptu calls. We liked that you can use your smartphone’s voice assistant to start or join a call
• Microsoft integration – GoToMeeting’s Teams integration is the latest in a series of tie-ups — there is a GoToMeeting Outlook calendar plugin that lets you schedule and manage your meetings directly from the calendar module on your Microsoft Outlook app.
• Conference room support – The platform’s InroomLink lets you connect a physical conference room system (Lifesize, Cisco or Polycom) to GoToMeeting via H.323 and SIP protocol. This feature could come in handy in hybrid workplaces where employees have returned to office only partially
• Meetings at scale – You can add up to 250 participants in a single session, and you can have up to 25 Hd webcams active simultaneously. Needless to say, you can share your screen with participants in real-time — we were delighted to see that GoToMeeting supports drawing over content as well!
• Touchless join-in – As an add-on, GoToMeeting lets you schedule ahead of time. Participants need only answer their phone to join the meeting — no links or pins required

Why GoToMeeting Makes a Difference

GoToMeeting is eager to constantly develop their already-excellent product. In the latest update, it introduced noise suppression to help cancel out ambient sound as employees work from home. The platform works well even in poor network conditions,  significantly improving the meeting experience for those living in areas with legacy infrastructure.

GoToMeeting has toll free dial-in options in nearly 60 countries, making it a good option for large company with a globally distributed team. Its no surprise, therefore, that the platform’s roster of customers includes Marketo, Penguin Random House, and Make a Wish Foundation among others!

What We Think

Let’s face it: complete or partial WFH is likely to be the industry standard for the foreseeable future. In this scenario, a platform like GoToMeeting could make or break your ability to collaborate. GoToMeeting’s drawing tools, virtual whiteboard, and ability to hand-over desktop control to another user are those small but vital details that transform digital collaboration. All of this is available at a competitive price of $12 per host per month (starting).

In response to COVID-19, LogMeIn has made several of its products, including GoToMeeting, free to educational institutions, municipalities, non-profits, and healthcare providers for three months. For others, there is a limited free-forever version of GoToMeeting as well that gives you a small taste of its functionalities (only three participants and up to 40-minute meetings) before you’re ready to invest.

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