Effective today, all Google Apps customers will be able to access Hangouts, even if you don't have a Google+ account. This opens up the service to more than 5 million businesses that currently use Google Apps for Business.
Google Hangouts will also enjoy the same Terms of Service as Google Apps for Business products, such as Gmail, Doc, and Drive. This gives Hangouts users the same business-level support, like 24-7 phone service, as other Google Apps for Business users enjoy.
Other updates include allowing up to 15 participants in the same video conference call, and partnerships with Blue Jeans and InterCall that will let their users join Hangout calls any time.
Also, Chromebox for Meetings, the videoconference device that makes it easier to use Hangouts, will be available in UK and Japan in the coming weeks. Starting today, you can link two Chromebox for Meetings screens to a single device, so you could have your presentation slides on one screen and the conference call on the other.
Chromebox for Meetings will also be produced by Dell starting this September, joining Asus and Samsung as its main manufacturer.
"The goal of this launch is to make it easier for employees and businesses to communicate by video. Our customers recognize the value of connecting face-to-face and are driving this demand," a Google spokesperson told Business Insider.