Zoom Introduces New Tools For Remote Connection At Zoomtopia

Zoom Video Communications is introducing new platform tools during its virtual, two-day annual conference called Zoomtopia, which this year runs Oct. 14-15.

“One thing we’ve learned in this challenging time is that remote work does work,” CEO Eric S. Yuan said as part of his keynote address, according to a press release. “The future will bring a hybrid of the best of in-person and virtual communications. The announcements we make today at Zoomtopia demonstrate that Zoom is built for this moment and beyond. We have the platform to support what the world needs — today, tomorrow and well into the future.”

New developments coming to the Zoom platform include OnZoom, an online event platform; end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for heightened security; a customizable software development kit (SDK); Zapps, which allows for app development; and more, the release stated.

Additional enhancements include immersive scenes for shared backgrounds and layouts; support for DTEN ME;  whiteboarding enhancements; collaboration across rooms and devices; upgraded waiting rooms; and more, according to the release.

Zoomtopia is a free event with over 90 educational sessions, more than 250 speakers, business leaders and celebrity appearances. Participants will have a chance to connect, collaborate and learn, the release stated.

Zoom is also offering to match up to $250,000 in donations made Oct. 14-15 to benefit school districts in need of online connections for students. The company recently donated over $1.5 million to help connect students who don’t have online access from home, according to the release. The first Zoom Cares grants went to Annenberg Institute for School Reform, Education Leaders of Color, Education Superhighway, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), Profound Gentleman, and Teach For All.

Zoom includes participants from over 125,000 schools using Zoom for free during the pandemic. The platform sees over 300 million daily meeting participants, the release stated.

In August, Zoom announced it will integrate with smart devices, specifically Portal from Facebook, Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub Max.

“It’s more apparent than ever that people are looking for easy-to-use displays for their video communications needs, both professionally and personally,” Oded Gal, Zoom’s chief product officer, said at the time.