If you're among the many looking for a new video conferencing tool after adding 'zoombombing' to your vocabulary, you're in luck. While a one-size-fits-all solution doesn't exist, there are many other options with proven security features. Here's a roundup of some of Zoom's competitors and their privacy and security features.

• Zoom Teams Webex Sign In
• Webex Vs Zoom 2020
• Compare Zoom Teams Webex
• Zoom Teams Webex Market Share
• Zoom Teams Webex Download

Webex remains our default client, but some of our user groups have insisted upon using Zoom or MS Teams, either because of their own preferences or our customers. So we have rolled out all three software clients to all users, but only Webex is fully featured at the backend (recording, message archiving, etc). Zoom Pro, at $21 per host, per month, is ideal for smaller teams. Zoom Pro has all the features of the basic plan, plus an admin control feature and custom personal meeting ID. Zoom Business is for both small and medium businesses and runs $28 per month, per host. It supports a minimum of 10 hosts and comes with all the features of the Pro plan. Like Zoom, Microsoft Teams experienced an uptick in the recent crisis, in part due to its integration with the company's flagship Office365 cloud and productivity services.

The Webex video conference platform has been around since 1995 and is a favorite of the privacy-conscious health care, information technology, and financial services industries. This is partially due to the fact that all three industries commonly relied on virtual meetings well before the Covid-19 pandemic, but mostly because Webex has a reputation for maintaining robust cybersecurity. Cisco, its parent company, is an industry leader in network hardware, software, and security products.

Webex offers end-to-end encryption. Using it, however, limits popular video options, including remote computer sharing and personal meeting rooms. Worth noting: Webex and Cisco products have had security issues in the past.

Microsoft Teams

Like Zoom, Microsoft Teams experienced an uptick in the recent crisis, in part due to its integration with the company's flagship Office365 cloud and productivity services. Microsoft says that Teams are encrypted 'in transit and at rest,' but details about support for end-to-end encryption are vague.

Like Webex, one advantage of Teams is that its parent company is a major provider of networking, software, and cybersecurity services. Microsoft has an internal rating system for the security of its products, and has designated Teams to be Tier-D compliant, which means that it can adhere to the strictest government and industry security standards and legal requirements.

Neither Microsoft nor Teams are immune to security vulnerabilities, but as a company, Microsoft's bandwidth to address them when they occur is probably unparalleled. Microsoft also has a more transparent privacy policy and a better track record when it comes to protecting user and customer data than many of its competitors, including Zoom.

Zoom Teams Webex Sign In

Google offers Hangouts and Duo as its two primary video meeting platforms--both offer 'free' and paid versions bundled in with its G Suite line of applications. While Google Hangouts offers similar functionality to Zoom, it has a limit of 25 attendees per video conference. Other considerations include a long history of security and privacy concerns and the fact that Google Hangouts don't offer end-to-end encryption.

Duo is end-to-end encrypted, and can support video meetings with up to 12 attendees.

Like Cisco and Microsoft, Google has more resources dedicated to cybersecurity, but the company has a lengthy track record of mining user data, especially for 'free' services. The company is also notorious for quickly and unceremoniously dropping support for many of its projects, and has done so with several previous video conferencing and meeting apps.

Webex Vs Zoom 2020

It depends on your business needs. Zoom's rapid increase in popularity in an already crowded market is a testament to its many qualities, features, and ease of use.

The company has made some misleading claims about user privacy and data, and the recent discovery of multiple serious security vulnerabilities will test the company's ability to support and sustain its user base.

A good sign is that Zoom announced a 90-day freeze on any new features so it can focus on security and privacy issues. This move could help the platform and the company to continue the meteoric rise in the number of people using the service.

For industries with stringent data privacy and security requirements, platforms like Webex or Microsoft Teams may be a better fit, but every company, platform, and technology has its own set of drawbacks and vulnerabilities. The main takeaway is that every company, regardless of size, needs to have a solid understanding of what its own internal security needs are in order to make an informed decision.

Recent news regarding Zoom vulnerabilities is everywhere and it’s sometimes difficult to know what’s fact and what’s fiction. In a time where we must connect and communicate from a distance, we are reliant upon a variety of web conferencing platforms that are paramount to our daily operations. With the risk of unknown users accessing confidential information or disrupting meetings, it’s important to be well informed. The concerns regarding Zoom security are real. Specifically, the possibility for anonymous users to join your Zoom meetings. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to protect yourself and your staff.

Compare Zoom Teams Webex

Zoom does have security features available, but many of these features are turned off by default. Unless basic conference settings are changed, anyone with the meeting link (URL) can forward it to anyone else, who can then join the call. We recommend that Zoom users log into their Zoom account on the web page and change Zoom Meeting Profile Configuration Settings to enable overall security features. Of the various security options, the minimum that we recommend is the use of the virtual lobby. Enabling this setting means that participants outside your organization’s account must wait in the ‘lobby’ until they are added by the host or someone else within your organization. Once you make changes to your meeting settings, be sure to send out new meeting invites for any recurring meetings so that they will take effect. Additional information about how to protect your Zoom meetings can be found at https://zoom.us/security.

The question has now been raised about the security of other web conferencing platforms. For example, is Microsoft Teams more secure than Zoom? The answer is yes. Microsoft Teams requires that all participants have an authenticated Microsoft account, which reduces the chance that impostors will join your calls. While Teams meetings do not incorporate passwords, the default settings in Teams ensure that those outside your organization have to wait in the ‘lobby’ until they are added by the host. To check your settings for Teams meetings, create a new Teams Meeting by clicking on the Teams plugin in Microsoft Outlook. This process generates the meeting invite message and the link for joining the meeting. Follow the “Meeting options” link just below the Conference ID at the bottom of the message to find your settings. Any desired changes to Teams settings will need to be discussed with IT department administrators.

WebEx is perhaps the most effective platform for preventing impostors from joining meetings because the software checks participants joining into the call against the email addresses sent in the Outlook calendar invite. So, if settings are correct, impostors should not be able to join a call by obtaining the meeting link through a forwarded meeting invite. While this feature is effective for internet calls, it’s still possible for someone that is not the calendar invite to join by phone.

Zoom Teams Webex Market Share

With the necessity of remote communication services, now and into the future, it’s important to turn to technology specialists that you trust to keep you informed when technology is such a focus in the news. While it’s an unnerving thought that meetings could be intruded upon, securing web meetings is possible provided that we take a moment to understand the tools that are being utilized internally and by external partners.

Author

Mark Peterson

Zoom Teams Webex Download

Principal
Global AV Discipline Leader
Corporate Market Leader
New York Office