Maintaining Security with Cloud Video Conferencing

Security concerns are one of the biggest reasons an organisation dismisses using Cloud based services – whether that be for storage, video communications or other IT and business applications.

Due to the fact that Cloud Video Conferencing services enable users to connect with anyone on any device across the public internet, it is no surprise that this raises concerns over how data is protected and shared. And there are many real world examples that have received substantial press coverage where security has not been managed effectively, causing data to be lost, equipment to be accessed and holes found in computer systems enabling equipment to be left open to hackers.

However a challenge of this size has led to a huge focus from manufacturers of video conferencing technology ensuring that organisations can address potential security threats inside their organisation, whilst making major advances in public service security within data centres, on servers and within software. This has resulted in far more advanced security measures being put in place within data centres, on servers and within software, that is continuously updated and upgraded whenever a flaw or potential breach is noticed.

So is Cloud more secure than on-premise?

If technology is deployed on-premise, the IT team has complete control over the data. Yes, this may sound more secure than having data on the public internet, however the most costly security breaches are actually recognised as being “in-house jobs”, often by employees on the organisations network – security breaches due to unauthorised access to a data centre are incredibly rare.

Plus, with cloud services managed by those 100% focused on the service at hand, protection and roll-outs of responses to security breaches can be carried out much faster and much more effectively than an organisation could manage – and afford – on it’s own. Cloud services have teams dedicated to ensuring up-to-date virus protection and security patches, meaning that there is far more resource allocated to preventing unauthorised access.

With a leading Cloud provider, end-users benefit from fewer service disruptions and quicker recovery, reducing downtime by an average of 72% and saving approximately $32,600 (£23,000)

– IDC Research, Analysis and Advisory Firm

So what are some Key Aspects of Cloud Video Conferencing Security?

By taking one Cloud Video Conferencing service as a example, we can explain the measures and techniques in place to demonstrate how security is taken into consideration for Cloud based Video Conferencing. The Lifesize Cloud collaboration solution has many systems in place to help keep your network, data and accounts secure.

Virtual Meeting Security

Virtual Meeting Rooms can be set up by account holders, and each can have individual pass codes associated, such as a PIN, which can be changed as regularly as the VMR owner likes. Plus, participants can be dropped from a call if the meeting administrator would like to, simply by ending their call.

Chat Security

All chat conversations are fully encrypted, and hosted on Amazon Web Services, which is designed for high security across all geographies and verticals. In fact, the CIA use Amazon Web Services for a $600 million cloud contract, demonstrating that it even satisfies the highest possible security needs of one of the world’s most security conscious organisations. Find out more information about Amazon Web Services (AWS) security here.

Account Security

Lifesize only store account information such as the account managers email address, name, telephone number and company details, users display name and email address, and chosen service passwords. Before accounts are activated, authentication emails are sent, and all accounts are secured with a password, which are not shown in any licensing database.

Authentication and Encryption

The connection between Lifesize Cloud applications, Lifesize Icon Video Conferencing Endpoints and the Lifesize Cloud service is authenticated via https provisioning. Registrations are also secured via Transport Layer Security (TLS). TLS encryption is used for signalling, and 128-bit AES encryption is used for media as standard.

Firewall/NAT Traversal

Organisations keep their devices within their own firewall, keeping them secure. The Lifesize Cloud then manages the traversal between the public cloud service and your apps and meeting room systems behind the firewall through authenticated servers.

Service Availability & Data Centres

The Lifesize Cloud is operated in secure IBM Softlater data centres within North America, Europe and Asia, ensuring redundancy and failover is available. The Lifesize Cloud is deployed in tens of SoftLayer locations around the world, and is built using a modular architecture to add resiliency. Each Cloud node comprises multiple instances of the call-control applications that are clustered together, with several instances of the multiparty application associated with each call-control application within each data centre. With 24/7 on-site security, regular audits and physical intrusion hardening techniques in place, Lifesize have ensured business class security for their service by selecting one of the world’s leading data centre providers. Find out more about IBM Softlayer security here.

It really is the case that Cloud Video Conferencing can be, and is, secure, as long as a solution is chosen that makes security a priority. Although for some, keeping a solution on premise may seem like a great idea as you know the ins and outs of your security policies and networks, organisations solely responsible for keeping information secure have far more resource, often far more experience, and far more dedication to protecting your data than is often possible within one organisation.

If you are interested in talking more about security of the Cloud, or would like to compare a number of secure Cloud based solutions, including the Lifesize Cloud, or ISO 27001 UK Hosted VC365 service, then do get in contact today. And if you want to try a service out for yourself, you can start a 14 day free of charge trial with Lifesize Cloud, VC365 and more. We can even provide you with trial endpoints to test with it – just let us know if this could help you and see whether this solution is right for your business.