Security first: Exploring the top 7 video conferencing apps for privacy-conscious companies

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Secure video conferencing is as important as secure messaging and emails sending today. Many businesses hire remote and distributed teams and thus must deal with workplace security challenges such as data protection during chat communication, video and audio conferencing. At the same time, this unveils privacy challenges as:

  • Unauthorized recording
  • Private information and corporate data leakage
  • Unauthorized access

Secure video conferencing requires encryption, strong authentication methods and compliance with data protection regulations. However, HIPAA compliance is required only for companies that have access to PHI, such as healthcare or insurance companies. For the rest of the businesses the main priority is secure communication and video conferencing.

Best practices for secure video conferencing

  • Control access – prevent unauthorized access to meetings.
  • Update software – keep the software up to date with the latest security patches.
  • Use software with SSL encryption – make sure the software you use encrypts your data.
  • Use strong authentication methods – allow access only to verified users, through multi-factor authentication or to specific group chat room.
  • Connect securely – change default password for your Wi-Fi network and router.

Top 7 applications for secure video conferencing

The following list of secure tools for video conferencing contains the applications created with data protection in mind. We recommend them for security-conscious companies and will highlight their features for secure video conferencing.

Kumospace

Kumospace offers the following key security features:

  • Secure meeting links and password sharing
  • Single Sign-on
  • End-to-end encryption

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams offers the following key security features:

  • Two-factor authentication
  • Single sign-on through Active Directory
  • Encryption of data in transit and at rest
  • Security framework based on Zero Trust and Least Privilege principles
  • HIPAA compliance

Virola

Virola offers the following key security features:

  • Self-hosted platform
  • SSL encryption for video meetings and UDP with AES-256 encryption for audio meetings
  • Authorization through Active Directory
  • A wide range of permission settings to make sure that only the right members will join the meeting

Google Meet

Google Meet offers the following security features:

  • Meeting pin code
  • Only users on the calendar invite can enter without an explicit request to join meetings
  • Participants not on the calendar invite must request to join a meeting by “knocking”, which must be accepted by the meeting organizer
  • Meet adheres to Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) security standards for Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) and Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP)
  • All data in Meet is encrypted in transit by default between the client and Google for video meetings on a web browser, on the Meet Android and Apple iOS apps, and in meeting rooms with Google meeting room hardware.
  • HIPAA compliance

Zoho Meeting

Zoho Meeting offers the following security features:

  • Two-factor authentication
  • Recording privileges
  • Ring notifications for entry and exit
  • Consent for sharing audio and video

ClickMeeting

ClickMeeting offers the following security features:

  • Password and token-protected access to the conference link
  • Multi-factor authentications
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Identity proofing
  • GDPR compliance

Livestorm

Livestorm offers the following security features:

  • Data Transmission and Encryption
  • Secure connection
  • Multi-factor authentication
  • GDPR compliance

Over to you

Video conferencing apps have become an essential tool for many organizations today. They are used for internal communication, important business meetings, training, online presentations and webinars. However, it is important to make sure video conferences are secure to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information. The most popular security threats of video conferencing are:

  • Zoombombing
  • Illicit access to stored data such as video and audio recordings
  • Loss of personal information

Staying safe from various security breaches is important for any modern organization. With the growth of the number of remote and distributed teams the demand for reliable and secure video conferencing tools is increasing. Thus, you need to choose the right secure video conferencing app for your team.

For example, HIPAA compliant tools are good for healthcare industry while tools with flexible permission settings such as Virola will work great for teams where it is necessary to organize different groups of employees for regular meetings in a secure environment.