5 Most Secure Video Conferencing Software for Teams: Complete ...

5 Most Secure Video Conferencing Software for Teams: Complete Guide
We look at the 5 most secure video conferencing software platforms and give you tips on what to look for when choosing the most secure video conferencing tools for your team.
Without a careful look at what security features a platform provides, you could be exposing your systems to a data breach, which could have far-reaching consequences for your business, clients, and partners.
So to choose the most secure video conferencing software, you should know how to recognize a comprehensive security program, understand what features are most important, and know which platforms are the market leaders.
This article discusses all these key points, but first, letâs look at why using insecure web conferencing software is such a risk.
What are the dangers of using insecure video conferencing software?
Using software without a robust program for cyber security has the potential to be hugely damaging to your business.
A data breach in the form of malware or ransomware attacks could see you incur legal fees, fines, and the cost of compensating affected customers or partners.
And even without any tangible harm being caused, a hack or embarrassing incident like Zoombombing can be costly to your brand.
Hereâs a list of some of the ways poor security from your software provider could affect your business:
Loss of business due to interruptions of your virtual event
Operational issues and costs as you resolve a breach
Financial cost from fines, legal fees, and settlements
Damage to your reputation as a brand
The publication of private and sensitive data
What features do the most secure video conferencing software need?
The most secure software will have a browser-based platform, digital whiteboards, question upvotes, polls, multimedia sharing, breakout rooms, event replays, integrations, and data analytics. And you can't discount a platform with great video conferencing backgrounds! Here are some of the key features any webinar host needs for safe and reliable video conferencing platform:
Top secure video conferencing features
Browser-based platform so itâs easy to use with no downloads required
Digital whiteboard for interactive presentations and group work
Question upvotes for Q&As and participant engagement
Polls to get everyone involved in the debate and to gauge opinion
Multimedia sharing including GIFs, videos, audio, slides, and PDFs
Breakout rooms for networking, group work, and engaging activities
Event replays so the whole team can be involved asynchronously
Integrations and plugins for adaptable usage
Data analytics so you can see how responsive attendees are
Secure video conference features to look for
Authentication protocols such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO)
Data erasure so you can delete your personal data at any time
Data backups for data retrieval in the case of a technical failure
TLS 1.2 for end-to-end data encryption
Up-time guarantee as part of the service-level agreement
IDS/IPS to identify malware and protect data
Accessible Qualys SSL Labs report)
What certifications do your secure video conferencing tools need?
Note: certifications are complex in terms of how theyâre awarded across different regions. So look for transparency on when compliance milestones are expected. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ISO 27001, (Information Security Management), and SOC 2 are great security certifications.
What are the 5 best tools for video call security?
Livestorm, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams are all good options for secure video conferencing software. These Zoom alternatives are known for their security features.
1. Livestorm
Livestorm is an extremely secure, high-end video conferencing tool. And since itâs a browser-based platform, itâs incredibly simple to use â all you need is a link to join a call or event â so great for meetings on the fly. If you aren't familiar with what video conferencing is, you can check out this guide.
What are Livestorm's video conferencing security features?
Livestorm offers a private security portal where you can download all your documents and view all the security details of the video engagement platform.
It has multiple data backups for swift data recovery, and offers data erasure upon request.
Livestorm uses MFA and SSO authentication, the latest encryption standards for audio and video, and IDS and IPS for malware prevention and data protection.
You can access Livestormâs Qualys SSL Labs report (it has an A+ rating), and Livestorm is GDPR compliant and is ISO 27001 certified!
Other key features
As the best video engagement platform in the video conferencing market, Livestorm has a fantastic range of engagement features, including:
Live polls
Question upvotes
Breakout rooms
Emoji reactions
Miro virtual whiteboard
Multimedia sharing
Unlimited event recordings and replays
Engagement tracking
As well as its security and engagement features, Livestorm is hugely versatile, suitable for 1:1 meetings, professional training and onboarding, webinars, large-scale virtual events, and hybrid learning, among many other live events use cases.
Pricing
Livestorm offers all its features within the free plan. The Pro Plan is $88/month per host, billed annually.
Other key features
Google Meet is part of Googleâs ecosystem of apps and tools, Google Workspace, so it integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar, and is a reliable, secure video conferencing platform.
While Google Meet doesnât offer all the in-room engagement features that Livestorm does, it has a webinar chat panel thatâs useful for sharing links, and a digital whiteboard.
Google Meet is geared towards small video meetings and not really equipped for webinars, large training, or big video conferences. Also, it lacks the promotion and organization features that Livestorm offers â so itâs a great option as long as youâre a small team with simple video conferencing requirements.
Pricing
Google Workspaceâs most popular plan is Business Standard, which is $12/month per user. You can find out more about Livestorm vs Google Meet here.
3. Microsoft Teams
What are Microsoft Team's video conferencing security features?
As with Livestorm and Google Meet, Microsoft Teams is a highly secure platform with SSO authentication, data encryption at rest and in transit, and third-party security certificates, including ISO 27001.
Other key features
Teams integrates fully with Microsoft Office tools, Outlook, Word, and Excel, so itâs a great choice for businesses that already use Microsoft within their day-to-day workflows and processes.
Unlike Livestorm, though, Microsoft doesnât offer all the platformâs features and functionality with its browser-based solution or its free plan. That said, Teams is a powerful video conferencing tool thatâs widely used among enterprise-level organizations with well-established in-house technical resources. Check out a complete webinar software comparison for more details.
Analyze your data
Analyze all of your data with Livestorm's powerful reporting features.
Other key features
Webex integrates with all Cisco hardware, and you can dial into a web conference call from a Cisco phone, so itâs ideal for large enterprises that already use Cisco.
As a video conferencing tool, itâs functional but basic, with features like messages, whiteboards, and screen sharing but limited engagement and personalization options. If youâre hosting webinars or more interactive video conferences, youâll want a platform like Livestorm that has a few more tricks up its sleeve.
Pricing
Webex offers a free version thatâs limited to one user and for businesses is $22.50/month per user. Custom Enterprise plans are available for larger teams.
5. Adobe Connect
What are Adobe Connectâs video conferencing security features?
Similar to Livestorm, Adobe Connect is a secure video conferencing platform with SSO, TLS and AES-256 encryption. It has various compliance certifications like FedRAM, GLBA ready, SOC 2-Type 2 and ISO 27001:2013.
Other key features
Adobe Connect lets you personalize meeting layouts or choose from its pre-built templates. It has all the basic features of a video conferencing tool like screen and file sharing, group chat, whiteboards and breakout rooms. However, it doesnât have its own dial-in service like Cisco Webex and therefore requires more third-party integrations.
Adobe Connect includes functionality for mobile devices that allows presenters to add a mini display window within the larger meeting window. Itâs ideal for remote lectures, webinars and collaboration sessions.
Pricing
Adobe Connect offers a free version limited to 3 participants, Meetings plan starting at $50/month per user up to 25 participants and Webinars and Learning plan starting at $130/month per user up to 1500 participants.
What are the security questions to ask your video conferencing service provider?
If youâre conducting independent research into what video conferencing software to use, here are some of the considerations you should be aware of when comparing platforms on security. You'll want to know if the platform has a transparent security program, does it have cyber insurance, is it fully encrypted, and does it reflect essential security principles.
Does the platform have a transparent security program?
The quickest and easiest way to assess video conferencing software security is to look at the platformâs security program.
For a good example, you can easily look into Livestormâs security program via its security portal, which offers a highly accessible overview of certifications, access control, data security, and other key areas of security practice and compliance.
Does it have cyber insurance and is business continuity guaranteed?
As well as protecting your provider against the associated costs of a cyber attack, cyber insurance helps ensure a fast response time to any issues.
This also plays a role in business continuity, which should be covered in your service-level agreement.
For example, within Livestormâs security portal, you can see legal coverage, protections, and guarantee of product up-time in the case of a security event.
Is data fully encrypted?
Data encryption is a basic requirement and should be built-in to any software service. In the case of video conferencing software, Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption should be used for voice and video data.
Does it reflect essential cloud security principles?
For greater depth on what areas of security to consider when reviewing security features and specifications, here are some of the key principles in cloud security transparency, as recommended by the Cloud Security Alliance:
Application and interface security
Data security and privacy lifecycle management
Identity and access management
Threat and vulnerability management
Interoperability and portability
6 Tips for secure video conferencing
Setting up two-factor authentication and encryption and installing software patches and updates as soon as they become available are some of the best practices for ensuring secure video conferencing. Here's our checklist to enable secure video conferencing:
1. Write a video conferencing policy
A video conferencing policy includes guidelines on usage, protocols for acceptable behavior, access control, data security, and if the platform you use is ISO compliant. You should aim to create a collaborative space that protects team membersâ privacy. If youâre using Livestorm, you can mention that itâs ISO 27001 certified and has a secure management system.
2. Enable two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication requires two types of credentials for access. It combines a password, PIN or biometric information, and a token or code sent to the userâs device via SMS or in-app notifications. This ensures that only authorized individuals can access the meeting and keeps your meetings.
3. Use AES encryption
AES encryption is an industry standard for securely sending data over the internet. It scrambles data before itâs transmitted, making it unreadable by anyone without the decryption key, which is the password or secret key to access that file. AES encryption in video conferencing ensures no one can listen in or disrupt your confidential sessions.
4. Ask permission to record
Consent is key when recording video conferences â even if itâs for internal use. Consider informing all participants that the session is being recorded and asking them to agree to the terms before you start. This ensures participants don't feel uncomfortable or violated and protects your company from potential legal issues.
5. Protect privacy with virtual backgrounds
Virtual backgrounds allow you to cover up sensitive information like home addresses, your current location, or personal details if they appear in the background. Try a video conferencing solution like Livestorm that has a virtual background library with different images to suit your needs (or lets you upload your own).
6. Keep software up to date
Older software versions can be vulnerable to security threats because they may not have the latest patches and updates applied. Regularly updating your video conferencing software can protect you from potential malware, viruses, and other cyber threats. Most systems update automatically, but you should always double-check to ensure you have the latest version.
How to choose secure video conferencing software for your business?
With so many concerns when choosing the best video conferencing software solution for your team â how user-friendly it is, its versatility, its built-in features, and integrations â itâs easy to overlook one of the most important: security.
This is especially true if youâre not a technical expert, which can make identifying any security issues a challenge. If this is the case, you can make your task easier by focusing on what you can identify.
Firstly, is there a transparent overview of how the web conferencing platform manages security? Next, can you see the platform's certifications and which ones they have in progress?
Also, does the platform offer all the security features discussed earlier in this article, such as SSO authentication, multiple data backups, self-service data erasure, and end-to-end data encryption?
With these key considerations in mind, along with the top three secure platforms â Livestorm, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams â as a point of comparison, you can ensure a safe and reliable video conferencing solution for your business.
Whatâs the most secure video conferencing app?
Livestorm â best for small and large-scale webinars, internal meetings, live events, and product demos
Google Teams â best for small teams with simple needs
Microsoft Teams â best for business using Microsoft tools, like Outlook
What best practices for secure video conferencing?
The safest way to ensure secure video conferencing is to use a platform with a robust and transparent security program. Once youâre using secure software for your virtual meetings and events, donât share your meeting links with anyone unnecessarily. You can also set up a waiting room so you have additional control over access to your video conferencing software.
What is a safer alternative to Zoom?
A safer alternative to Zoom is another video conferencing tool like Livestorm, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. These platforms offer robust security features such as SSO authentication and data encryption and have ISO certifications.
Is Google Meet or Zoom more secure?
Google Meet and Zoom are secure video conferencing platforms with robust security features. But Google Meet is more secure as it uses secured RPC (remote procedure call) during live meetings and generates an encryption key for each person and meeting individually.
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