Monday, May 4

WFH Updates: Best Zoom Alternatives that Maintain Your Data Privacy

Best ZOOM Alternatives

The entire world is under lockdown to prevent the further spread of the deadly Coronavirus. Employees from small and big organizations are mostly working from home during the pandemic and managing the company affairs through video conferencing apps and platforms.

Consequently, the WFH has led to a boost in the downloads of video conferencing applications across the globe. These apps are used by employers and employees to communicate and coordinate their work.


Work from home has made the Zoom app very popular among the employees and professionals. And as a result, the demand for the Zoom app has increased multifold. Millions of people working from home have started relying on Zoom to connect with their co-workers, customers, and partners.

However, from the past few weeks, we have seen that Zoom has become a target for wrongdoers and potential hackers. According to the security researchers, there are some underlying vulnerabilities in the Zoom app. In a recent report, two security researchers have claimed that they have found a security loophole in the Zoom app. It is of great concern as it can give attackers access to Windows passwords.

The Zoom founders have apologized and are assuring the users that they are fixing all the issues related to security breaches. But even after taking many measures, Zoom is under fire and has lost the trust of many professionals. People are now looking for some better options that won't sacrifice data and privacy.

There are other alternative video conferencing apps with a good reputation and which are have been around for longer.

Six Video Conferencing Apps that You Can Try Out:

MICROSOFT TEAMS

Microsoft Teams is a video calling and communication platform that offers workplace chat, video meetings, file storage (including collaboration on files), and application integration. The services can also be integrated with non-Microsoft products. Your privacy and data security cannot be compromised with Microsoft Teams as it comes with features such as 256-bit AES encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA) and a general more secure VoIP environment

Download Here

MICROSOFT SKYPE MEET NOW


Microsoft recently launched this service. The free to use App, Skype Meet Now is easy to use and does not even require registration or sign up. Therefore it is hassle-free, and you can quickly join the meetings. In addition to that, Skype Meet Now allows you to invite not only your Skype contacts but also your friends or family who are not on Skype.

Download Here

GOOGLE HANGOUTS MEET

Although Google Hangout Meet does not offer end to end encryption, it is still safe in terms of data protection and privacy.
Google Hangouts Meet is a software developed by Google. It is a paid video conferencing software, but you do have the option to take a 14-day free trial. It supports far more participants than video chat service provided in the consumer Hangouts.
Download Here

SIGNAL                

Signal is a yet another videoconferencing platform which is developed by the Signal Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC. It comes with the best encryption standards, and hence the communication and data are secured. Apart from video calling, you can also use Signal to send one-to-one and group messages without any fear of security breach
So many safety features make Signal one of the safest video conferencing platforms, and you can trust Signal for all kinds of communication.
Download Here

 GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting is a web-hosted service created and marketed by LogMeIn. You can instantly join, host, or manage a video, audio, or web meeting from a conference room, your desk, or a remote location via your Mac, PC, or mobile device.
Download Here

CISCO WEBEX

Cisco's WebEx offers online video conferencing and meetings service to the professionals. Their main features include integrated voice, video and content sharing, recording (10GB)
The application is easy to use, and with just one-click, you can connect with up to 1000 participants as video or audio call

Download Here


The remote work is the need of the hour for modern organizations in this COVID-19 crisis. Work from Home has some unique challenges for information security because, in this environment, the companies are unable to provide the same safeguards as in the office.

The professionals are communicating with each other with various video conferencing platforms, and there is a fear of data safety. The Zoom is facing multiple security and privacy issues.

The employees and employers need to be extra careful while using the platforms and need to avoid sharing confidential information via these platforms. Always choose a platform which has end to end encryption of your data.

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