Key Takeaways
- The platform decision should follow your organization's existing ecosystem, not the other way around
- Microsoft 365-heavy organizations get the most value from Teams Rooms through native calendar, file, and chat integration
- Zoom Rooms tend to offer a simpler user interface and wider third-party hardware compatibility
- For complex AV rooms with multiple cameras, handheld mics, and production needs, Zoom Rooms currently handles integrated setups more flexibly
- Hardware is often platform-specific, so switching later means replacing devices, not just software
- Running both platforms in the same building is viable when room types justify it
- The real test is walk-in usability on day one
1. Start with the Ecosystem, Not the Feature List
If your company runs Microsoft 365 for email, calendars, file storage, and chat, Teams Rooms fits naturally. Calendar invites populate on the room display. Files open natively. Presence syncs across devices. That integration reduces friction for daily users.
If your teams use a mix of platforms, or if your external meetings skew heavily toward Zoom, the calculus changes. Zoom Rooms integrates well across a wide range of tools — from Google Workspace and Slack to Microsoft 365 and beyond. Organizations that value platform flexibility often find Zoom's broad compatibility especially practical.
The mistake we see most often is choosing based on a feature comparison chart rather than asking: What does our team open first thing in the morning?
2. Hardware Is Not Platform-Neutral
Some devices ship preloaded with one platform's software. A Zoom-certified room kit and a Teams-certified room kit often use different compute modules, even if the camera and speaker are identical.
This matters because:
- Switching platforms later may require replacing the compute unit, not just updating software
- Certified hardware gets priority support and firmware updates from the platform vendor
- Mixing uncertified devices creates support gaps that show up during firmware updates or feature rollouts
We spec hardware based on the platform decision, not the other way around. Changing your mind after procurement is expensive.
3. Where Zoom Rooms Has an Edge
For rooms with complex AV requirements, Zoom Rooms currently handles multi-source environments more flexibly:
- Town halls and all-hands spaces with multiple cameras, handheld mics, and live production workflows
- Training rooms where screen sharing, annotation, and recording need to run simultaneously
- Rooms serving external clients who overwhelmingly use Zoom as their default meeting tool
We built Jamf's Town Hall as a Zoom Room with full live broadcast and production capabilities. That room needed more than a one-touch join button. It needed a production-grade AV environment tied to a collaboration platform.
4. Where Teams Rooms Has an Edge
For organizations already deep in Microsoft 365, Teams Rooms delivers advantages Zoom can't replicate:
- Native calendar integration with Outlook and Exchange, so room displays show schedules without middleware
- In-meeting file access to SharePoint and OneDrive documents directly from the room interface
- Unified device management through Teams Admin Center for firmware, settings, and diagnostics across all rooms
At SunOpta's new headquarters, Teams Rooms made sense across office, lab, and conference environments because the entire company already lived inside Microsoft 365. Adding another platform would have created friction, not reduced it.
5. What Actually Matters on Day One
Feature lists don't determine success. Walk-in usability does.
The real test: Can someone walk into the room, tap the panel, and start a meeting in under 30 seconds without calling IT? If the answer is yes, the platform is working. If not, adoption fails regardless of which logo is on the screen.
We handle this through:
- Consistent touch panel interfaces across all rooms
- Room scheduling displays outside every door
- Staff training during system handover
If you're outfitting conference rooms and trying to decide between Zoom Rooms and Teams Rooms, we can help you work through the decision based on your ecosystem, room types, and how your teams actually meet.
