Videoconferencing - what should you bear in mind?

Online meetings - the large book walls or pre-made backgrounds of the respective video conferencing service.
Yes, slowly but surely people are getting tired of it. However, the pandemic situation, which has now lasted for over a year, has shown that distributed working is possible in many professions. An elementally important aspect of this is communication. Video conferencing services have become the central means of communication for distributed working and are essential for the daily routine of many companies. However, to hold meetings independently of location, you need the right equipment, the appropriate tools and good security.

Equipment & Tools: the right setup for professional collaboration
To be able to work productively, you naturally need the necessary technical means first. Therefore, basic equipment, such as a laptop with a decent quality camera, is important. In addition, ideally a headset or similar to ensure reasonable voice quality. Things like a mouse, docking station and further screens are not essentially important for making calls, but are very beneficial for professional working.

While high-quality equipment is very important, it's not the sole cure-all. Even the most beautiful car couldn't drive without an engine. Because you don't just need a good chassis; there needs to be something „under the bonnet“ too. This means the best technical equipment is useless if there isn't a suitable conference platform/software available or if you can't connect to conferences.

There are many different video conferencing services. Their range of functions usually goes far beyond simple audio and video transmission. In addition to classic online meetings, chat and telephony functions, as well as data exchange capabilities, are often also provided. For many companies, these tools are not just „nice to have“ but are important functionalities for professional work. Certain applications can also be optimally integrated with other tools already used within the company via interfaces. Other programmes such as Sharepoint or Skype for Business/Microsoft Teams can often be integrated.

However, as the complexity and functionality of the tools increase, risks to information security arise, as with any form of data exchange.

The security of video conferencing: extremely important, but often underestimated
An important but still often underestimated factor in video conferencing is security. To return to the car metaphor, a car not only needs to look good or have a sporty engine, but also requires a safety system that is well-matched to the requirements.

Of course, nobody wants confidential information exchanged in conferences to be overheard or read by unauthorised third parties. However, as mentioned, these modern systems are not only used for communication but also for collaborative document creation and editing, among other things. When using such services, risks arise for the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of the transmitted data.

The fact that the topic is enormously relevant and current is demonstrated by the publication of a minimum standard for secure video conferencing by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI): https://www.bsi.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/BSI/Cyber-Sicherheit/Themen/Kompendium-Videokonferenzsysteme.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2. Companies are to be better protected against risks by doing so. The reason for the publication of the compendium is the significantly increased use of video conferencing solutions in administration and business due to the Corona pandemic. The publication describes the various types of video conferencing systems and presents the specific threat situation. In addition, the compendium formulates comprehensive security requirements that enable the secure use of video conferencing services. It helps users and operators to design the entire lifecycle of internal video conferencing systems securely, from planning and procurement to operation, emergency preparedness, and decommissioning.

Act proactively rather than reactively
Many users have found themselves in a situation, virtually „overnight,“ where their daily work has to be managed via conference systems. The topic of risk assessment, in particular, has often been treated as a secondary concern, as the rapid restoration of operational capability was the top priority for many companies. However, it is urgently necessary to address this issue and ensure a holistic approach to work: economic success through the skilled use of conferencing solutions and the sustainable continuation of the business through secure operations.