While COVID-19 slows down business around the globe, one company is seeing an increase in demand. Zoom, the online video conferencing platform, is becoming more integral than ever as companies facilitate connecting remote workers. 

CEO Eric Yuan is taking this surge as an opportunity to give back and is removing the time limit on free memberships for users from any K-12 schools affected in Japan, Italy and the United States. Students or teachers can fill out an online form and, once they are verified by Zoom, they are granted unlimited temporary meeting minutes. 

As K-12 schools close around the world to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, online video resources such as Zoom are becoming more vital than ever to connect students to their teachers and learning resources. 

Yuan is not stopping with free services for schools. He is adjusting the platform to better meet rising demand including features focused on a work-from-home lifestyle such as better face lighting and a lecture tool for professors. Zoom’s servers, which are distributed across 17 data centers globally, have so far been able to handle the increased demand, including from its own staff who are now working remotely. 

Our staff at The Optimist Daily uses Zoom in our own remote daily meetings. Offering these services free of charge to students and teachers is a great solution for making the transition to online education as smooth as possible.