Microsoft and Google watch out? Zoom is developing an email service to be launched next year, coupled with a calendar app

Video conferencing giant Zoom is reportedly developing a web email and calendar service, slated for next year.

According to a report in the Information, Zoom is seeking to expand out of its video conferencing sector into other markets, after the Coronavirus pandemic led to a surge in its usage during 2020.

But the move could put Zoom further into the crosshairs of Microsoft and Google, both of which offer video conferencing tools, but also are notable players in the Office suite space.

Additional features

According to the Information report, Zoom is seeking to roll out its web email service as early as next year, but there is no date set yet for a calendar app.

Zoom currently has 350 million daily meeting participants, which is a remarkable transformation from 2019, when it had, on average, 10 million.

Indeed, such is the success, that Zoom in August opened its first server facility in south east Asia, with its data centre located in the city state of Singapore.

The Zoom app is also apparently the most downloaded iPhone and iPad ad this year.

Branching out

But with Covid vaccines from Pfizer (Germany/Belgium), Moderna (US), and AstraZeneca (UK, Oxford University) on the way, the firm is reportedly seeking to continue its success if the need for video conferencing wanes.

In October for example it introduced paid events and in-meeting apps.

This included a beta-test version of OnZoom, its marketplace for Zoom-based experiences, and said it would begin offering in-meeting apps, called Zapps, by the end of the year.

Zoom faced a security scare in April when Canadian researchers at Citizen Lab recommended organizations against using Zoom for certain types of meetings, after discovering “significant weaknesses” in the custom encryption scheme the app uses.