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Five Tips to Secure Your Virtual Meetings

Virtual meetings have now become the norm, hence businesses are under threat of losing data, potential cybercrime and other security risks

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The Coronavirus pandemic has confined millions to their homes, and forced companies to shut down offices, and plunged us into a perpetual work from home situation. In such a scenario, the demand for video conferencing platforms has been on the rise, to keep businesses running as usual.

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Since all work and meetings are now being conducted online, businesses are under threat of losing data, potential cybercrime and other security risks. Thus, it becomes even more crucial for us to learn how to protect our data and secure our video conferences effectively.

Let’s take a look at how to secure you virtual meetings

Clear your cookies before and after each call – Recently, when Zoom was accused of illegally sharing users’ data, the main allegation was that when users logged in using their Facebook credentials, Zoom shared all device data of users with the social networking giant without any knowledge or prior permissions of the user. Even though Zoom has taken efforts to rectify the same, it is important that we, as users, know how to protect our data.

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The best way to ensure this is to clear all your browser cookies before and after each video call, so that third parties’ access to your data is limited. Additionally please be assured about the video & audio settings before joining the meeting room.

Keep in mind what you share – As most video conferencing tools are still not end-to-end encrypted, it is essential for users to be mindful of what they share in such meetings. If the information you want to share is private or sensitive, try using a different method of communication like phones or other messaging platforms that are more secure.

Be conscious of your surroundings – Even though most of us are working from home right now, it is always a good precaution to be careful of your whereabouts while on a video meeting, especially if you’re outside and are using a public network to access the internet. Moreover, in this digital age where there is hardly any privacy left with apps now collecting data even from the background noise while you speak, it is important for you to keep in mind what you make visible to the world if you do not want it to become public information at some point of time.

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Get to know your video conferencing tools – Before you choose which video conferencing app will be best for your use, do thorough research about its privacy and security features. This goes beyond simply reading the privacy guidelines (although even that seems like a lot of work) but actually trying to gather more information about its data-sharing policies.

Train your team – Instead of assuming that your colleagues will have taken all necessary steps to secure their data, ensure that they know exactly what to do and how. Compile a training video and share it with your employees so that your meetings are not being secretly heard by someone else.

Securing your data completely may not be entirely possible but we can definitely take steps to limit what others get access to.

By Ram Malay, CEO, Webkonf Meetings

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