It would have been impossible for Zoom to have anticipated the immense rise in use of their video platform at the beginning of the year. They experienced a December period last year where 10M users made use of their platform, and even that is inflated by some seasonal use in the run up to Christmas and the New Year.
That has now increased to over 200M users of their platform on a daily basis. The company must be excited and scared beyond their wildest dreams and nightmares at present. Their product is now used by everyone from schools, to yoga teachers, to governments. Zoom has also been referred to in the press as malware that can be used for nefarious purposes – so what’s the deal with Zoom?
The current levels of use of Zoom was never the original intention, and has had to adapt and evolve rapidly for an increasing enterprise and private use. Zoom have been very quick to respond to any issues about Zoom’s security flaws, and in a refreshingly transparent way. There are always some teething problems with any new IT product, and Zoom is no exception.
Cyber Security experts vary in their opinions, and some make good copy out of scaremongering. But is that really the right option? Zoom is helping to keep everyone connected at a critical time.
A great deal of criticism has been levelled at Zoom’s use of proprietary encryption methods. There’s no peer review as such and they have not faced the level of scrutiny as some Cyber experts suggest. The most notable security flaw has to do with product features to make online meetings run smoothly, but this can reduce security and privacy.
Zoom’s current security protocols are good, but you will need to consider your security and privacy needs. I currently use Zoom to keep in touch with my Cricket Club buddies and play poker every Tuesday online.
Zoom is perfect for that! Personal use with nothing to risk. But if you are discussing sensitive company data, or perhaps payment terms, or even sharing sensitive documentation – you may want to pause and take stock.
If you are looking into improving your business’ IT security support make sure to reach out to us here in order to get a free consultation and find out how Astec IT can help your company’s IT infrastructure.