At the heart of every organisation is the protection of its data and people. So, whether your team is often working remotely, has staff across multiple locations, or simply prefers a video conference call to a phone call or email, it is essential to know the most secure virtual meeting platforms on the market.
This blog post will delve into the eight most secure online meeting platforms to help your business make an informed choice on which platform is best suited for your needs. It is important for your business and team that the platform you use is cyber secure, and we’ve dedicated a post to the importance of cybersecurity in business.
The Most Secure Virtual Meeting Platforms
We have assessed the reasons to use, considerations and security factors of the most secure online meeting platforms available.
Reasons to use:
– Collaboration with document sharing in real time
– Meeting invitations sent in Outlook
– Integrated with Microsoft Office apps for streamlined communication
– Customisable features that include blur and change to background
Considerations:
– Most effective in a business using Microsoft already
– Expensive
Security factors:
– 2-Factor Authentication, which means that there is a secondary layer of identification required to gain access to the account, and a Microsoft account is required to use their online video platform. This is a particularly secure feature when employees may use several devices.
– Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). This feature means that, by default, owners have the authority to restrict and enable actions of members within Teams – such as creating channels, and adding others to channels – and participants within online calls, such as the ‘Share Screen’ feature.
Reasons to use:
– Calendar integration, which means that participants can join the call from a link in their inbox
– High-quality audio and video
– On-screen features such as subtitles and Jamboard, an interactive and collaborative whiteboard application
– Meeting recordings to Google Drive
Considerations:
– Most effective in a business using Google Workspace already
– Requires Google Workspace subscription for access to all features
Security:
– Google Meet has extensive security features, including counter-abuse protections to keep your meetings safe
– All participants must be on the calendar invite, or invited by in-meeting participants, otherwise they cannot join the meeting
– Works entirely from your browser
Reasons to use:
– Well-designed interface and easy to use
– Integrates with several calendars, such as Google calendar
– In-meeting personalisation; for example, video panels can be moved or resized
Considerations:
– One of the more expensive options
Security:
– Excellent data security and features as a product of Cisco
– Password management capabilities; having a password requirement for virtual meeting platforms is one of the simplest yet most effective security measures
– Advanced encryption options, such as end-to-end encryption
– Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), like Microsoft Teams, to control the features enabled to participants
Having taken off in 2020, we’ve already taken a look at Zoom’s security. Learn more in our blog post dedicated to answering the question, “is Zoom secure for businesses?”
Reasons to use:
– Numerous features for hosts and participants including background blur, breakout rooms, chat function, and whiteboard function
– Incredibly easy for all staff to use
– Well-designed and simple interface
– Participants can join a Zoom call through a web browser, or install the app on their computer, tablet or mobile phone
Considerations:
– Important to use the paid version and update regularly for protection against security issues
Security:
– Many of the previous security threats, such as zoombombing, have been resolved
– Valuable security features such as waiting room, alerts that a meeting is being recorded and end-to-end encryption
– For such a large platform, it should arguably have better security protections in place
Reasons to use:
– Affordability compared to other competitors, and therefore ideal for smaller businesses
– Live captions available
– End-to-end encryption of the chat function
Considerations:
– Lacks customised business support, with no dedicated help line
Security:
– Skype was acquired by Microsoft in 2011, and now shares the same privacy policy
– Shared features with Microsoft Teams include 2-factor authentication and Role-Based Access Control. However, note that 2-factor authentication is not set up by default, and must be enabled by the user
Reasons to use:
– Unlimited cloud recordings of meetings
– Simple and easy to use interface as the previous difficult-to-manage panel has been removed
Considerations:
– GoToMeeting’s chat function is fairly basic
– Lacks extensive features of Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Zoom
Security:
– A PIN must be entered before applicants can enter the online meeting
– Meeting lock feature, which enters participates into a waiting room to be let in by the host
– Attendees can record meetings; in many other applications, this right is only reserved for the host
Reasons to use:
– Integration with Slack, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, which means that users can schedule and attend calls from these third-party platforms
– Simple end-user experience with clear video and audio quality
Considerations:
– More expensive than competitors
– Lacks the popularity of other sites, so the setting up process may be longer within an organisation
Security:
– Advanced security measures such as administrative host controls, threat detection and mitigation
– No end-to-end encryption option, which most competitors do offer
Reasons to use:
– Simple interface and easy for all participants to navigate
– Ability to record meetings enabled on a per-user basis
– Sync meetings with Google and Outlook calendar
Considerations:
– Video quality not is not as clear as leading competitors
– More useful for small- to medium-sized companies, especially on the free plan. U Meeting offers 30 minutes per meeting with 25 participants on their free plan, compared to 40 minutes per meeting with 100 participants on the Zoom equivalent
Security:
– Meetings can be password protected, if enabled
– Stored chat messages can be encrypted
– For business users, end-to-end encryption can be enabled
The Verdict on the Most Secure Online Meeting Platform
If your organisation already uses a Microsoft or Google set up, we recommend using their respective video conferencing services for their ease of use and excellent security measures. If not, our top secure options for businesses are Webex and Zoom.
We always recommend investigating the paid options for online meeting platforms, as these give you access to the security protections required to keep your business and team cyber safe. For more information, or if you are interested in an independent cyber security review, please contact our expert team.
