Secure Web Conferencing

In this age where the Internet is arguably the most influential information medium, it is becoming more and more apparent that web conferencing is now a mainstream for business collaboration. But as with any new technology, new usage scenarios and architectures almost always lead to new risks in secure aspects of the application. Because of its real time sharing capabilities, web conferencing, despite its being a powerful tool, is actually vulnerable to new levels of risks that must be addressed to ensure that the enterprise is protected and secured.

It has been noted, from previous occurrences, that the best way to successfully introduce a new application or new platform into the market is to first evaluate all aspects of the initial implementation, with particular focus on secure settings and security requirements. This article aims to discuss with you some of the specific risks encountered with web conferencing solutions and the best ways to overcome such risks to its secure aspects and controls.

Secure Web Conferencing: The Risks

The general risks of secure web conferencing are not exactly new. Instead, they are more like existing risks that are updated in order to match the new architectures and deployments of the solution. This means that with each new update and increase in secure levels of a particular application, risks also experience an upgrade so they may continue to counteract the new solution presented.

Security professionals are quick to recognize this trend. They are able to recognize that new applications have particular risks to certain aspects of their secure levels. As a relatively new application, web conferencing introduces vulnerabilities specific to its architecture and usage patterns.

Identity Theft

This is the main issue with secure applications these days. In business transactions, electronic information that is sensitive abound. In secure web conferencing, it is unavoidable that sensitive information and personal data are exchanged through the web server that might be comprised. Some of these pieces of information may include projected financials, human resources records, trade secrets, and product specs and all these can be subject to risks in secure levels.

In order to minimize leaks, companies must first determine and be aware of what type of information should remain confidential and what is allowable. After that, they must then set policies about how and with whom users may share information. This goes without saying that companies must also provide secure tools that enable people to share and protect confidential information during web conferencing.