Avoid Pitfalls Of Video Conferencing
Suppose you’ve ever experienced a phenomenon called “Zoom bombing,” where you have a meeting you lose control of or gets crashed by an uninvited participant.
In that case, you may be looking into how to prevent Zoom bombing. Being in business today, save for a few exceptions, you probably have used the app, either as a host or as one of the attendees of a Zoom meeting, also known as a video conference, before.
A revolutionary new way to conduct simulated in-person seminars virtually, Zoom quickly becomes a staple in business technology today. More and more people are working remotely, so using a tool like Zoom is essential.
If this is the case, this article contains tips on using Zoom for your meetings, detailing some of its security (and other) features, which will aid in preventing Zoom bombing (alternatively spelled Zoombombing).
Surprisingly, this “glitch” only happens because users are unfamiliar with the security features and settings. Zoom has updated its system to make it easier for the Zoom meeting host to understand how to take the steps necessary to use these settings.
The Zoom To Infamy
You may be surprised to learn the extremity of the “zoom” in traffic, which took the world by storm in 2020 with the coronavirus pandemic. The number of participants and meeting hosts visiting the Zoom site in 2019 was approximately 10 million a day, as opposed to 200 million per day in March 2020.
Zoombombing has become “a thing” during this progressive atmosphere, where malware threats, ransomware, spyware, phishing attempts, and the exploitation of vulnerabilities in general increase with numbers.
Man The Controls
Curiously, Zoombombing does not happen due to security issues. It typically occurs when users are new to the app and simply unfamiliar with necessary information about specific features or settings.
Learning to operate the locations or to “handle the controls,” as the saying goes, is pivotal for Zoom success.
Here are some basic instructions and tips for how to best host video conferences through Zoom.
Your Personal Meeting ID
When you set up an account with Zoom, you receive a numeric code called a PMI (personal meeting identification). You can give the PMI to others you want to meet regularly, so they don’t have to worry about finding the correct code each time you have meetings, as the meeting ID is always the same.
However, you don’t want to give out this number very often because anyone with your PMI can use it to crash your meetings.
Added Security
You can also opt for a unique meeting ID that creates a new meeting link each time, adding a layer of security inherently with it. Also, you can add a password generated automatically with your meeting ID, but one you can change if you like.
The other thing to note is that although it used to be set to a default that generated your account PMI and no password, the updated version is now set to a default that automatically generates a random meeting ID and an unexpected (but customizable) password.
An Ounce Of Prevention…
If you’re hosting online events, whether alone or with partners, you want things to go off without a hitch – or a glitch! You want your attendees to enjoy the experience, as well as the content and images you present. Preventing problems before they occur is the best way to do this.
When getting ready to make a Zoom call or to set up your next video conference in advance, there will be multiple different options or settings you can check or uncheck.
By customizing these settings, you can assure optimum security and privacy, according to the type of video presentation or business meeting you are scheduling. The host controls everything, and the first thing you should do is enable the waiting room feature upon entry for your participants.
Next, make a participants list of all possible attendees you will be sending invitations and a unique link. This participants list will also be entered into the appropriate fields for these pre-scheduled meetings.
Enabling the waiting room feature gives the ‘host only’ privilege of approving and selecting each person from a queue before admission to the conference is granted. The waiting room is a popular and handy option for many reasons.
There’s also the ‘start attendee on hold’ button to help eliminate any unexpected or sudden disruptions.
Customize Each Meeting
You can also choose from various other settings, like ‘lock meeting’ when all of the participants are accounted for.
Another essential thing for meeting hosts or co-hosts to remember is that while some of these settings can be adjusted during the scheduling beforehand, others must be done after the video presentation or meeting has begun.
You can prevent Zoombombing best by having more control over your meetings and participants. There are many internet trolls and hackers out there just waiting to wreak havoc where they can.
Mute The Controls
A common practice when giving Zoom presentations is to mute all the attendees’ controls but to do this; you must do it in two steps.
You can mute the video for all participants beforehand during the scheduling, but to mute participants for audio, you must wait until the meeting starts.
You can request the participants use the chat feature if they have a question or want to talk. Screen sharing is another way Zoom bombing can happen, limiting this option to the host and co-host if you like.
More Tips
Remember when customizing your Zoom settings to enable the waiting room feature, as this gives the host and co-host ultimate control over who enters the conference.
The waiting room can solve many potential problems from ever developing, and your participants cannot talk with each other while in this virtual waiting room, either. When using Zoom for a public meeting or classroom, remember not to post the meeting ID and password on social media. Screen sharing at these events can be challenging, especially at interactive events.
However, other problems will arise with Zoom and a myriad of other places with all the different technologies we use today. Technical support and solutions are in great demand, and Blue Oak Technology Solutions has your back.
When you want or need an IT department but don’t have the budget to hire more employees, contact us here at Blue Oak. We have all the solutions you need for your small business and a low, monthly managed rate.
