Free Windows Software to help you Work from Home with your Team

If you have to work from home for a long time, it is a good idea to prepare your team to use a set of tools for accessible communication. If you have a stable Internet connection, these Windows software will work fine. In this article, we share a set of Windows software to work from home with your team.

Free Windows software for working from home

I have classified Windows software into three main groups. The first one will help you with video and audio calls; the second relates to task management, while the last relates to remote assistance, which can be useful if one of your teammates or clients needs help.

1. Group video calling software
   • Zoom
   • Skype
   • WhatsApp
   • Google Duo
2. Task management and team chat
   • FAQ for choosing an application
   • List of popular apps
3. Remote Support

1]Group video and audio call software

a) Zoom

Zoom in on a group videoconferencing software which allows around forty people to join videoconferences without paying anything. If you are leading a small team for projects or planning to plan virtual lessons for children, this can be one of the workable tools.

Advantages

• Works well in low bandwidth if you are willing to compromise on quality.

• Can record audio meetings for future reference.

• Share office documents, whiteboards and more

• Easy to schedule meetings with a waiting room
• Hand-lift function useful for meetings
• It can include people via phone calls
• Host can save session and share with those who missed the meeting or want to review it

The inconvenients

• As the number of people in a video or audio meeting increases, quality can take a hit for free
• No option to mute parts of a call recording
• While this makes sense, there is no way to record Zoom meetings and calls unless the administrator has enabled this feature.

Be aware however that it is currently faced with many privacy and security concerns.

b) Skype

Microsoft Skype’s video calling platform supports calls, chat, and file transfers. The service is not integrated with all Microsoft products, including Microsoft teams. If you’re only looking for a simple video calling app that uses a Microsoft product, you can choose this one.

Advantages

• Blurred background to keep your privacy
• Make international and local calls to certain countries
• Share screen during calls
• Live call recording and captioning

The inconvenients

• People have often complained about its connectivity

By the way, Skype Meet allows you to host free video conference calls; No download or registration required!

c) WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the popular messaging app around the world, and in addition to regular video calls, they support group video calls. Although it is not for meetings, if you want to quickly call 2-3 people, it works at its best.

Advantages

• Make low-bandwidth audio and video calls
• Supports file transfer but with limited file type support
• High availability

The inconvenients

• No option to create a calendar or meeting invitations
• Only suitable for video calls on the go for quick conversations

2]Task management and team chat

It is not easy to choose one in this section. Many applications offer these features. Microsoft Teams, Slack, Asana, Timecamp and more. What depends here is on your needs. For example, if I compare Microsoft Team and Slack, the former is better if you already use Microsoft 365 and need something robust for large companies. On the contrary, Slack is the best for those looking for a minimal configuration and integration with third-party applications. So, instead of listing tons of apps with pros and cons, rate them best on these issues

• How much will you have to pay per user?
• Does it keep all messages forever? Do you need it after a year or two?
• Are audio and video calls supported? Can users join by phone?
• Do you need integration with third-party applications? If yes how much?
• Is there a file storage limit?
• Does it have task management features, multi-user support and notifications on all devices?
• Do you need it on the phone? Is it compatible with all devices?

Finally, be sure to sit down with the team, take their feedback and requirements, find all the use cases, and then choose the service. That said, here is the list of some simplified task management and team chat apps:

1. Microsft teams
2. Proofhub
3. Chanty
4. Troop Messenger
5. Soft
6. Asana
7. Facebook Workplace
8. Flow
9. To-Doist

3]Remote Support

This remote assistance software does not need to be presented. While TeamViewer is very popular, AnyDesk has accelerated in recent years. I have used both, and they work great for any type of remote assistance.

a) Teamviewer

If you’re looking for something substantial, and for business, TeamViewer should be your choice, not only does it offer complete connection security, but also lets you add devices to your list for regular assistance

Advantages:

• Two-factor authentication, whitelist / blacklist
• Remote file transfer and printing
• Secure unattended access

The inconvenients:

• This can be tedious for some computers, and careful configuration is important
• There is a learning curve for new users

b) AnyDesk

If you are looking for portable, light and remote assistance that works quickly, AnyDesk should be your choice at all times.

Advantages:

• Light, easy-to-remember access codes
• Portable option allows you to use it without installing it on your computer
• Cat support

The inconvenients:

• Mainly lacking in security, as two-factor authentication has yet to be implemented
• No support for whitelist / blacklist

We hope you find this list useful if you plan to work from home and your team needs to stay in constant touch with you. It’s always a good idea to use good security software as well as VPN software to stay safe,

I’m sure there are many other tools compared to what we put on the list. Make sure to share your tool and why you use it in the comments section.