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If you asked someone on the street to name a video meeting platform, they’d probably say Microsoft Teams or Zoom. That’s no surprise. Between them, they are the tools that fuel the working lives of millions.
Behind these familiar interfaces lies a fast-evolving ecosystem of technologies, companies, and philosophies about how people should connect. And at the heart of that evolution is one concept that is a bit too often overlooked by vendors and end users, in my opinion…because it’s the very thing that makes it possible for people to meet across these platforms: interoperability.
I’ve spent over 20 years in this industry, starting at Tandberg and Cisco before becoming Pexip’s first solution architect in Europe. Along the way, I’ve worked closely with Microsoft, Google, Zoom, and HP Poly to help make meetings work seamlessly across platforms and spaces. I’ve seen the landscape shift, from standards-based systems and nearly universal use of Skype for Business on desktops, to limited mobile use and meeting rooms that could only call each other. Today, we operate in a more fragmented but feature-rich environment, where desktops, mobile devices, and modern meeting rooms are all part of everyday collaboration.
There was a time when the idea of connecting different systems felt simple. Everyone used the same protocols, and interoperability was built into the architecture. But things have changed. Google entered the scene with tools designed for the masses. Zoom surged during the pandemic. Teams became a cornerstone of enterprise productivity almost overnight. The platforms stopped speaking the same language, and the users interacting with more than one platform were often caught in the middle.
Pre-COVID, those of us in the industry used to joke that the next year was always going to be “the year of video conferencing.” Then the pandemic hit, and it really happened. But that overnight shift didn’t simplify the landscape – it made it more complex. Now, it’s not just about having access to video meetings. It’s about making all those platforms work together in ways that are seamless and intuitive for the people using them.
This is where interoperability matters. Not as a buzzword, but as a practical solution to a very real problem. If you’re managing meeting rooms, supporting hybrid work, or just trying to make sure people across the company can connect reliably, you need systems that don’t care whether the meeting invitation says Teams, Zoom, Google Meet or Webex. You need to standardize the meeting experience across all rooms and platforms, so that people can simply press the button, join the meeting, and get on with it.
This isn’t about replicating every native feature. It’s about delivering a consistent experience for the users – one that ensures a seamless, reliable, and productive meeting, without requiring organizations to rip and replace their hardware every time a new platform trend comes along.
We have moved away from a world where open standards was the glue holding everything together, towards one where the glue must be reimagined. That’s not a step backwards. It’s just the reality of how rich and diverse today’s collaboration tools have become. And that’s a good thing – because it means we can build these bridges together, with the very platforms people rely on most. Whether it’s Microsoft, Zoom, Google, or others, making interoperability work is a shared responsibility where collaboration benefits everyone.
Interoperability is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s the connective tissue of modern collaboration. And by working closely with the major platforms, we at Pexip are making sure that the tissue stays strong, so that people can connect and create without barriers.
- Connect
