How Secure are Conferencing Services?

How Secure Are Conferencing Services?

Conferencing services can be very useful in business when you need to communicate with multiple offices, clients, or agents in order to discuss large projects or important company news, but some people may have worries about the security of large conference calls especially if they are arranged by an outside conferencing service. Since security is vital to any business, its important that you feel comfortable with the security of the conferencing service that you choose; to assist in this regard, please consider the following information about conferencing services, the security of conference calls placed through them, and suggestions for how you can improve conference security as well as in-house alternatives to conferencing services in case you still worry about the security of your situation.

An Overview of Conferencing Services

Conferencing services exist so as to allow businesses to have scheduled conference calls and long-distance meetings without all of the hassle that was once associated with conference calls originating from within the main office. The call originates from the conferencing service, connecting with all of the participants simultaneously and linking them via an conference bridge. When the various parties of the conference call are finished with their portion of the call, they can simply hang up the phone and they will be disconnected from the conference bridge.

Conferencing Security

With a third party organizing the conference call and maintaining the conference bridge that links the parties of the conference together, some people may worry about the security of their company secret or the information discussed within the conference. This is generally an unfounded worry, however, as much of the process is automated and the calls to the participants are made by an autodialer program contained within the conference bridge itself. Depending upon the company that is acting as the conference service there may be recordings or logs that are kept of the meeting, but these are automated as well and stored as encrypted files to prevent them from being stolen or broadcast. These logs and recordings are usually purged with regularity, and are kept only long enough to deliver a copy to the company who hired the service or to make sure that the recording wont be needed.

Improving Your Conference Security

There are a number of things that you can do if you are still unsure as to the security of your companys conference calls which are placed through a conferencing service. Make sure that vital information is sent via other means, either as password-protected e-mail attachments or private conference calls initiated from within the company offices. You might also be more selective about the conferencing service that you choose to handle your conference calls, taking the time to review several different services and checking for any complaints with the Better Business Bureau or similar organizations. Meet with representatives of different conferencing companies and request information about the type of bridge that they use for their calls and about how much employee interaction there is with the conferencing process and how much of the process is automated.

As an alternative to using conferencing services, you might also consider purchasing a conference bridge for the company and using it to make sure that all of your conferences are in-house. This will allow you to have a direct hand in the security of your companys long-distance meetings and will insure that no one outside of your company has any access to the conference call or its participants. Over time this option may also prove to be less expensive, as you wont have to continue paying the fees of conferencing services in order to have your calls automated from a central location.