Tips for Safe Videoconferencing from Home

Companies have been using videoconferencing applications for a long time, so the adjustment needed to do it from home is not major. Still, many employees have been thrown into the deep end and suddenly need to master the art of videoconferencing safely.

While some parts of society still need to learn how videoconferencing software works, most companies have been using this technology for years. All of them must keep in mind, though, that what might seem like a perfectly safe way to share information with other people in real time presents a number security risks to consider.

The lax atmosphere of the home environment can make people forget that work rules actually apply whether business is conducted at home or at the office.

Videoconferencing can be an accident waiting to happen

Access to meetings is usually granted by using the right credentials, and people need to safeguard those credentials now more than ever. That means that the terminals used to conduct business need security solutions installed, at the very least. You don’t want to have a keylogger in your system that can sniff out user names and passwords. In a devastating scenario, those credentials could be used, in secret, to spy on a meeting, or for other nefarious purposes.

Also, some employees might organize a meeting using an application not designed for such tasks. A number of messaging apps allow group calls, but simply having the functionality doesn’t qualify them for use in a corporate environment.

Keeping all apps up to date is a piece of advice applicable to all, and that includes videoconferencing applications. The developers of such solutions regularly release updates that include security fixes, and companies need to make sure that everyone keeps their terminals and apps up to date.

Finally, people who have little experience with videoconferencing apps might not be aware of what they are currently sharing. Users can share their screens to other participants or share files. Ideally, users should keep their screen clean and use only the apps they need for that particular call. Sharing something by mistake that’s private or not for internal consumption is all too easy.

Videoconferencing is here to stay, at least for a few more months, so make sure to use it safely and wisely.