There's a sizable gap between communication and collaboration. That's the basic premise behind Switchboard, a tool that aims to make meeting virtually more collaborative than the videoconferencing systems many of us are using.

Even if you don't work remotely, you've likely participated in a virtual meeting in the past three years. This tool's goal is to expand on platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams by taking the emphasis off individuals' faces and one-sided sharing. According to a Fast Company article, Switchboard Founder Amir Ashkenazi developed Switchboard over two years because he desired something more interactive for his virtual guitar lessons. The result is a tool focused on content and collaboration. He wanted to create a flexible environment that feels more real life than virtual.

Switchboard offers something of a desktop that lives in the cloud. The app enables you and anyone else in the meeting to open as many windows and web-based apps as they want. From there, they can work in those apps collectively, as if they are in the same physical space. That means the group isn't limited to one person sharing their screen at a time and everyone else watching. Switchboard is currently in beta, and full access is free to everyone.