Introduction
No matter where you work, we’ll bet that you video conference on at LEAST a semi-regular basis, if not more often.
How often do you go to your company’s conference room—if they have one—or even a coffee shop to meet with partners and clients? Do you attend many seminars in person?
The answer is probably yes, or some of the time…but it’s more much likely for meetings, events and conferences to happen via webcam these days. The entire world is connected online, and we naturally want to take advantage of expert advice all over the globe. We aren’t as limited by space and time anymore, not now that we can turn on a camera and press record!
The Importance of Secure Video Conferencing
What makes video conferencing so popular? It enables remote collaboration, reduces travel costs, and enhances communication. For your organization, cybersecurity is likely their foremost concern when selecting a video conferencing solution. Sensitive information is exchanged during virtual meetings, and breaches can have severe consequences!
Whether you’re in charge of developing e-conference solutions at work, or setting up video calls at home, you should consider some of the following key security features in your chosen software.
- End-to-end encryption: This ensures that only participants can access meeting content. If you record the meeting, which many e-conferencing platforms enable, then that video should be impossible for outsiders to see.
- Data privacy: Understand how the platform handles user data and complies with relevant regulations. Your job’s location, industry and clientele all determine what laws apply to your sensitive data.
- Access controls: Implement robust authentication and authorization mechanisms. For instance, they should require a password to enter the conference, to ensure only authorized invitees can join.
- Regular security updates: Ensure the platform is updated with the latest security patches. They should enable you to turn on automatic updates, so that you are always protected against the latest zero-day threats.
Enhancing Productivity with Video Conferencing
Beyond security, video conferencing solutions should also boost productivity. Essential features for enhanced productivity include:
- High-quality audio and video: Clear communication is essential for effective meetings.
- Screen sharing: Collaborate on documents and presentations seamlessly.
- Whiteboarding capabilities: Brainstorm and visualize ideas together.
- Meeting recording: Capture and share meeting content for reference.
- Integration with other tools: Seamlessly connect with calendar, email, and other business applications.
- Virtual backgrounds: Create a professional environment for remote participants, allowing them to remove focus from messy or loud workspaces.
Are you struggling with how to use your video conferencing platform, whether it’s during meetings or anything causing trouble behind the scenes? The right platform will have reliable customer support to troubleshoot issues and ensure a smooth experience.
Best Practices for Secure and Productive Video Conferencing
Begin by safeguarding your account with strong, unique passwords. Regularly update these to another combination of letters, numbers and symbols that are hard to guess.
You should also regularly update your video conferencing software to protect against emerging threats. Ideally, you should turn on automatic updates so you never have to worry about missing new security tools. The platform should also come equipped with strong encryption and data privacy measures.
Always exercise caution when dealing with suspicious emails or links to prevent phishing attacks. Is that a real meeting that you’re expecting to be invited to, or did it come out of thin air? On the flip side, verified participants should also be able to easily navigate the program and administrators should be able to exercise stringent control.
Finally, limit screen sharing to essential content only to protect confidentiality when you’re on a video call. You don’t want to accidentally click over to a tab filled with a record of every employee’s name, address and Social Security Number. Enhance privacy by utilizing virtual backgrounds during meetings as well, so you don’t accidentally give the audience a peek at confidential files on your desk.
Conclusion
To ensure the security and productivity of your video conferences, it’s essential to adopt robust practices. While every business operates under a budget, it’s still important to compare pricing plans and features to find the best value for your best security.
By carefully selecting a video conferencing solution and following best practices, businesses can ensure secure and productive virtual meetings.
