Q. What is Zoom?
Zoom is an easy-to use video communications service. Zoom helps everyone collaborate online wherever you are. Zoom helps you:
- Hold meetings online
- Invite up to 300 people
- Share screens
- Chat with audio and video
- Record meetings
- Include “Non-Zoomers” in your meetings
Q. How much does USC Zoom cost?
USC Zoom accounts are free for USC student, faculty and staff
Q. How do I get a USC Zoom account?
Go to https://usc.zoom.us and click Sign In to get your USC Zoom account.
Q. What if I already have a Zoom account with my school?
If you have a school Zoom account, don’t create a new Zoom account. Use the Zoom account you already have. To find out more, visit to our page on existing accounts.
Q. Are USC Zoom accounts better than free commercial Zoom accounts on zoom.us?
Yes. USC Zoom accounts allow more meeting participants (up to 300) and longer meetings (up to 24 hours long.) You can record your Zoom meetings and save them on your laptop or in the cloud. You can create a custom personal meeting ID.
Q. Are USC Zoom accounts HIPAA compliant?
Yes, if you use a USC Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant Zoom account. You can get a HIPAA-compliant USC Zoom account by going to usc-hipaa.zoom.us.
Q. Can I use a USC department/org account to get a Zoom account?
Yes, you can get a Zoom account with a USC department/organization account. To get started, please send an email to consult@usc.edu with the following information:
- Explain that you want to use Zoom with your USC org account
- Provide the email address of your USC org account
- Provide the username of the org account
- This is the username you use to log into Office 365 with the org account
- You will receive an email telling you when your account is authorized for Zoom. Once you receive this email, go to usc.zoom.us to activate your Zoom account
Q. What is the difference between a regular USC Zoom account and a USC Zoom webinar account?
Personal USC Zoom accounts allow you to have up to 300 participants. USC Zoom Webinar accounts allow you to have up to 500 meeting participants. If you need a Zoom Webinar account, please send a request to consult@usc.edu.
Q. What training is available for Zoom?
We will offer live Zoom webinars at various times throughout the year. Please check https://usc.zoom.us for the current schedule. We will also record these training sessions and provide links for later viewing.
In addition, the Zoom website provides extensive user guides and 1-minute videos showing how to use different Zoom features. You can find these user guides and videos at support.zoom.us.
Q. Why did you pick Zoom as the USC-wide video communications service?
Zoom is very easy to use, very reliable and fast and is already used by many USC schools and departments. Zoom is also the easiest platform to use on all computing devices including mobile phones, tablets, laptops and desktop devices.
Q. Will Zoom replace BlueJeans or other cloud videoconferencing services already in use at USC?
To streamline and improve videoconferencing activities, ITS hopes to move all USC students, faculty and staff onto a single, easy-to-use video communications platform. ITS is working with each school and unit to do an orderly transition to Zoom at a time that works best for their students, faculty and staff.