Video conferencing: how to be prepared

By now, many businesses have become more familiar with working remotely or relying on video conferencing software for various meetings. Some common video conferencing software include Zoom, GoToMeeting, BlueJeans, Microsoft Teams, Google Meets, and Cisco Webex among others. The demand for these platforms has continued to surge over the past few months. With schools going back in session in the next couple weeks, it is important to remember the best practices of remote learning and working.

Children & students attending virtual classrooms

· Before using a video conferencing platform, make sure that the application is up-to-date, and you are using the latest version of the software.

· Do not allow your child to use their webcam during a video conference unless the school has given it the OK to do so.

· Unless your child needs to be able to verbally communicate with their teacher, make sure that their microphone is turned off as their voice could be recorded.

Colleagues creating or attending businesses meetings

Every video conferencing platform should have security settings that can be adjusted.

· Before using a video conferencing platform, make sure that the application is up-to-date, and you are using the latest version of the software.

· When creating a meeting, ensure to enable the waiting room feature. This prevents participants from joining the meeting until the host is ready. The host has the ability to customize the waiting room settings to have better control over who can join the meeting.

· Once everyone has entered the meeting, there is a lock feature that prevents unexpected guests from joining.

· The host also has the ability to allow participants to share their screen, chat among each other or unmute themselves. Depending on the nature of the meeting, you may need to enable or disable some of these features.

· If a participant is being inappropriate or unprofessional, the host has the capability of removing that individual from the meeting. If this were to happen, the host would want to lock the meeting afterward to prevent that person from joining the meeting again.

Knowing how to navigate through the security tools of various video conferencing platforms will help secure you or your child’s online environment. If you have further questions regarding security, contact your school or organization to see what policies are in place.