Online security continues to be an ever-evolving problem in the world. Security breaches, ransomware attacks, and phishing scams have become all too familiar to businesses today, and many of the tools used to mitigate the pandemic are unfortunately making it worse. Fortunately, Zoom is checking off at least one security box you won’t have to worry about, as the company has officially made end-to-end encryption the standard for all its users. If you’ve used Zoom in the past, don’t worry, you weren’t entirely vulnerable to hackers during your calls. Data on Zoom calls was previously encrypted between users and the company’s servers, but not between meeting participants. Now, however, you’ll be completely secure from anyone outside of your organization, no matter which Zoom pricing plan you have. Zoom announced these plans in May, rolling out the beta in July and now releasing it for everyone now at the end of October. For one, E2EE will force users to do without some of Zoom’s popular features, including polling, cloud recording, live transcription, and, meeting reactions. Users also won’t be able to join via telephone or Skype integration, as those are not considered secure enough. E2EE meetings also have a limit of 200 participants, which fortunately won’t be a problem for Basic (the free plan) and Pro plan users, whose limit is already 100 participants. However, if you are a Business or Enterprise user, which have limits of 300 and 500 participants respectively, you could run into some problems if you want to stay secure. Another small difference you’ll notice when you’re in an E2EE meeting is that you’ll see a tiny green shield with a padlock in it. This is how you know your meeting is completely secure, from end to end. Unfortunately, with digital events and remote meetings becoming part of everyday life, the increased usage exacerbated Zoom’s lax security, allowing for quite a few hacks and “Zoom bombs” in the early days of the pandemic. In the following months though, Zoom has made a stern commitment to security, with E2EE being just the first phase in a four-phase plan to seriously revamp security in the online communication space. Suffice it to say, Zoom has gone from security disaster to success story in a matter of months, and there are few reasons to avoid the video conferencing platform at this point. Check out our in-depth Zoom pricing guide for more information We’ve done the research and know the ropes when it comes to these kinds of platforms, so feel free to utilize the fruits of our labor to find the right video conferencing platform for you, including Zoom alternatives like RingCentral and Webex.
