Take Your Video Call Out of This World

You probably aren't surprised to know as I write this, I’m wearing pajamas. You probably are, too. These days, nobody’s going to judge our choices when we're just trying to get comfortable. From DIY crafts to baking your tenth loaf of banana bread, we have our time outside of work covered. But what about keeping our spirits up during office time? Most IT pros are able to work from home with advances in technology (so, back to the whole pajamas all-day everyday thing), but actual grown-up in-office fun and surroundings still can be dearly missed. Virtual meetings have become our go-to solution for ensuring we stay connected with coworkers and entire teams, but with a major and sudden shift from the office to your home, finding the right space for a meeting can be difficult. Not all of us have the luxury of a dedicated office space, complete with a door (heck, or even a desk). Trying to find the quietest spot in the house for a call can drive us into bedrooms, laundry rooms, or even bathrooms (the echo usually gives you away, though). Unfortunately, the backgrounds in such rooms aren’t typical for all meetings and can be distracting to say the least. The last thing we were expecting before quarantine was the need to invite our coworkers into our homes. But, fear not! SolarWinds has a solution for the pile of laundry (or that tower of TP) behind you. In a time where dress shirts are paired with sweatpants as appropriate work attire, online conferencing has provided us with a platform for seamless communication. Video conferencing software has become a natural replacement for meeting rooms and happy hours, but our natural backgrounds can take away from the fun. To enhance your connection, most web conferencing software allow you to upload a far-from-home environment in a few clicks. These programs give you the option to choose a background or upload a customized background of your own. SolarWinds has designed several new backgrounds for IT pros, some of which are out of this world (literally). With these new downloadable backgrounds, you can create a fun work environment, without exposing your newfound love for rock-balancing. These backgrounds can be downloaded for free and are perfect for any occasion. The following guide will walk you through upload instructions and basic guidelines. Our backgrounds follow most size and resolution recommendations, so you shouldn’t have issues uploading. The Custom Background Images for Teams Meetings and Zoom Rooms Customized Background guides include step-by-step processes to upload your new background for Microsoft Teams and Zoom, respectively. Download our fun backgrounds from the images below.