Understanding Recording Methods: Meeting Assistant vs. Cloud Recording

Innovation Within supports two recording methods because different teams have different needs — especially when it comes to security, access, and control.

Each exists to support a specific type of organization and interview environment.

Understanding the difference helps you choose the option that best fits your context.

Why There Are Two Recording Methods

Customer interviews often involve sensitive conversations — about strategy, operations, compliance, or research. Some organizations are comfortable with external tools joining meetings, while others strictly prohibit it.

To support both environments, the platform offers:

• Meeting Assistant — for convenience and automation
• Cloud Recording — for organizations with strict security or access requirements

Both methods produce the same outcome inside Innovation Within:

• Transcripts
• Executive Summary
• AI analysis
• Insights
• Links to hypotheses

The difference is how the recording enters the platform.

Meeting Assistant: Automated and Hands-Free

The Meeting Assistant joins supported meetings automatically to record, transcribe, and analyze interviews.

This option is ideal when:

• External meeting bots are allowed
• Speed and automation are priorities
• Interviews happen frequently
• You want minimal setup before each call

With the Meeting Assistant:

• No manual uploads are required
• Recording and transcription happen automatically
• Insights are generated without extra steps

This method works well for startups, innovation teams, and fast-moving discovery cycles where automation saves time.

Cloud Recording: Security-First and Controlled

Cloud Recording exists for organizations that do not allow external bots to join meetings.

Many institutions — including:

• Universities
• Government labs
• Research organizations
• Enterprise teams with strict IT policies

do not permit third-party assistants in live calls due to security, privacy, or compliance requirements.

For these teams, Cloud Recording is essential.

With Cloud Recording:

• The meeting is recorded by the native meeting platform (e.g., Zoom cloud recording)
• No external bot joins the call
• Recordings are securely imported into Innovation Within
• Transcription, analysis, and insights happen after upload

This approach ensures:

• Full compliance with internal security policies
• No external access during live conversations
• Complete control over recording permissions

To use Cloud Recording with Zoom

• You must be the meeting organizer
• Your Zoom account must be on a paid plan
• Cloud recording must be enabled in your Zoom settings.

Which Should You Use?

Choose Meeting Assistant if:

• External bots are allowed
• You want automatic recording and analysis
• Speed and simplicity matter most

Choose Cloud Recording if:

• Your organization restricts external meeting participants
• Security, privacy, or compliance is critical
• You need full control over recording permissions

Some teams even use both, depending on the interview context.

Key Takeaway

Innovation Within supports both Meeting Assistant and Cloud Recording because customer discovery happens in very different environments.

One prioritizes automation.

The other prioritizes security

The right choice isn’t about preference.

It’s about what your organization allows — and what helps you learn best.

You can choose only one recording method at a time, but you can change this setting at any time.