With armies of people now working from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations everywhere are scrambling for business software that supports videoconferencing, remote team collaboration, virtual classrooms, and other activities.

The scale and speed of the shift have turned this into an unprecedented challenge for all kinds of companies, but especially smaller ones who haven’t yet invested heavily in remote-working technology. Government agencies and hospitals on the frontline of tackling the COVID-19 crisis are also looking for software that can help teams get to grips with the virus, and to share information with one another and with the wider world. And schools and universities are ramping up their ability to deliver teaching remotely as classrooms and campuses close.

In response, business software and services companies are rolling out a growing number of free products and services, as well as free customer upgrades to more advanced tools…