Conference Call Security

If you are conducting (or thinking about) corporate conference calls, security is something that has probably crossed your mind. What if you are discussing private, highly sensitive information, company secrets, etc. This next report will provide you with some things to think about before selecting a service company for your needs.

Every business is concerned with security or at least should be. This is especially true when using the Internet. Protecting networks, computers, email, and software applications from the ever-present threat of virus and worm infection is part and parcel of doing business in a connected world.

And of course it goes without saying that physical security such as door locks, access codes and security badges are standard operating procedures at all organizations that take themselves seriously.

The passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has made such security and auditing procedures a requirement for anyone doing business. However, an area where many organizations let their guard down is with conference call security.

Would you let your key competitor sit in on a new product strategy meeting? This can very easily happen if an unscrupulous competitor obtained the access code and call-in number to one of your conference calls. Industrial espionage isn’t just a theme in old Saturday morning cartoons.

Even political campaigns are not safe from such eavesdropping. Just think Watergate. In a competitive world where a great deal of money as well as power is at stake, anything goes!

Fortunately, many conference call services provide at least a basic degree of security. Let’s take a look at these security features starting with audio conference calls. The conference call security features of audio conference calls are for the most part common across video and Web conference calls. Since Web and video conference calls are also exchanging data as well as voice they have additional security requirements, which we’ll look at separately.

Audio conference call security:

*Use the passcode assigned to your conference call at the time the reservation is made. This will prevent callers without the proper passcode from being admitted to the call.

*Protect the passcode and any other account information associated with the call. This means limiting who receives the information. Also get in the habit of shredding any documents that contain this information.

*Be sure to enable entry and exits tones to notify you when a participant joins or leaves the call.

*Require that participants identify themselves when joining the conference call and also take roll before commencing the conference.

*Lock the conference call so no one else can join it once begun.

*Disconnect all lines to the call at the end of the call to make certain there aren’t any side discussions after the conference has ended.

*Get in the habit of changing the call-in numbers and passcodes on a regular basis

Web and video conference call security:

In addition to the same security features as in an audio conference call be sure that your Web and video conferences have the following conference call security features in place:

*End-to-end encryption of the data link. Most use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and 128-bit AES encryption to protect your data stream from snoopers.

*Secure control over desktop sharing when sharing your keyboard and mouse during collaboration.

By using the security features built into most conference call solutions and practicing some basic security precautions you can keep your meetings and vital data safe from competitors and hackers

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http://www.conferencecallogy.com/Conference-Call-Security.html

Is Conference Calling Replacing Face-to-Face Meetings?

Conference calling and web application sharing conference calling are the rage right now and becoming the new technology of choice for many businesses. Businesses who are either focused on going “green” or those who are trying to leverage profit to the bottom-line by saving on travel expenses are flocking to use these services, but can and will conference calling ever actually replace face-to-face meetings?

Our business is conference calling and web conferencing. We’re technology experts at helping you to use and implement teleconferencing and web conferencing in your daily business strategies effectively. You could say that we’re “bullish” on conference calling, but even we realize that face-to-face meetings will never be totally replaced by these exciting new technologies.

Why won’t conference calling replace face-to-face meetings? Sometimes the deal is all about people, the nuances of bargaining, negotiation, and deal brokering, is based on a subtle give and take, psychology, non-verbal cues, sometimes even demeanor, and your own presence and personality. Although conference calling and even web conferencing with video can do many things to move selling, a deal, or the negotiation process forward, the culmination of these efforts will most likely still be done with a final face-to-face meeting.

So why use conference calling at all? Conference calling can definitely replace many of the initial meetings and conversations held to nail down important aspects of a deal, saving a business time and money. Conference calling can still bind a geographically separated team together that is working on a project, and enhance communications between team member and clients. But most importantly, the use of conference calling can save money typically spent on travel expenses for these preliminary meetings making a deal or project much more lucrative in the long run.

So when should you use conference calling? Here are some of the times that you may want to consider using conference calling instead of a business trip to a client or prospect:

1. Team and member meeting introduction. Early contact with a client can certainly be done with conference calling. Having your team member hear from the client themselves what is important on a project can be done on the telephone effectively and can be highly valuable to all members providing support and services on a project. This communication can help everyone to keep and maintain the proper focus when working on the project.

2. Selling presentations using PowerPoint slide shows and even software demos can easily be done with web conferencing; a new twist on phone conferencing that introduces the computer screen, video, and application sharing using the Internet as the exchange medium.

3. Action planning, strategic planning and follow-up meetings can be effectively done with conference calling. A spontaneous or quickly scheduled meeting is perfectly suited to the use of conference calling; helping to connect everyone on a project for a quick status check or an important change of direction.

4. There are endless other scenarios in your own personal business dealings when conference calling would save you time or money, increase employee productivity by not having to leave the office, and not hurt the deal or negotiation.

When should you not use conference calling? There are a few situations where face-to-face communication is crucially important and may even be demanded. These situations can change for each project but below are a few examples that illustrate when personal contact is really better than conference calling.

1. A face-to-face meeting will be best to negotiate or bargain on a deal or project or to close a deal and get the contract signed. In any meeting where there is a high give and take exchange factor, conference calling may not be the best way to handle the situation.

2. When there is a contentious problem that really must be resolved to move the selling process or project forward. When tempers have flared due to a missed deadline, missed benchmark, or change in a deliverable, a face-to-face meeting is best. Clients may actually perceive your face-to-face visit as assigning their project more “value”, in their eyes, and may actually demand this action especially if the project has a high dollar value.

The bottom-line is that conference calling can easily replace planning meetings or “feel good” visits, but conference calling will never replace the personal touch that only a face-to-face meeting can provide in hard situations or where a strong give and take between participants is expected in advance.

http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_8895.shtml

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