The need for secure video conferencing isn’t a new thing, but it’s certainly more in the public consciousness this year than ever before. During the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis, 316 million Americans were forced to work from home. As of early fall 2020, nearly half of the U.S. was still working from home.

At the same time, security analysts expressed their concern that malware and cyberattacks were increasing in direct proportion to the number of people stuck at home. Industries have scrambled to find the most secure video conferencing solutions to protect their customer data and their employee’s privacy from scammers. Here are the top industries that need secure video conferencing solutions today.

#1: Why Healthcare Providers Need the Most Secure Video Conferencing

Healthcare providers have been generally reluctant to exchange their in-person traditional medical encounters in favor of telemedicine. Telemedicine leverages video conferencing to conduct a virtual appointment with a patient instead of requiring them to drive to the doctor’s office.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed all that, as the CDC and other health experts recommended social distancing as a way to slow the spread of the virus. Healthcare providers scrambled to ramp up their telemedicine service lines and CNBC predicted one billion of these virtual visits by the end of 2020.

There was one problem: Healthcare is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the United States. Healthcare providers, vendors, insurance carriers, or any other organizations that collect private patient medical data are required by law to keep that information secure or face severe federal penalties.

The most secure video conferencing solutions in healthcare are HIPAA-compliant. HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. This legislation dictates how patient data is collected, stored, and transmitted between healthcare organizations.

Healthcare providers have embraced video conferencing to conduct medical encounters. But big problems could arise if their video conferencing vendor lacks HIPAA compliance; the penalties for one violation can range from $100 to $50,000 per patient record. Even unintentionally releasing patient information or failing to follow HIPAA rules can cost a healthcare provider more than a government fine, it can have detrimental impact on their reputation and even land them in jail.

#2: Do Lawyers Need Secure Video Conferencing?

Attorneys have often been late adopters of new technology, but, like doctors, the COVID-19 crisis forced them to leverage these tools.

Law firms have used audio conferencing for years; the pandemic encouraged them to add video conferencing tools for everything from networking and business building to client discovery meetings and official court actions.

However, Law.com reports, “Law firms have long been targets for hackers trying to gain access to [their] confidential information.” It’s not the law firm’s data these scammers are trying to capture, either; it is information on the lawyer’s clients that is so attractive.

Like the healthcare field, the law is heavily regulated by ethics and legal rules that require these professionals to maintain client confidentiality. Lawyers have a wide range of legal obligations that dictate the client/counsel relationship. This makes finding the most secure video conferencing solution an imperative.

Sensitive information is exchanged during legal meetings, and clients expect their attorneys to keep their data safe. Ironically, the American Bar Association (ABA) released their findings this year that 70% of large law firms in this country don’t even know when their data has been breached! The reputational damage to these firms, should a publicized breach occur, could cost them millions in the loss of existing and new clients, not to mention the legal implications in the profession.

Even more concerning, Law.com reports that “cybersecurity is now a much bigger problem,” in the era of work-from-home. They suggest the IT managers in law firms have gone from handling the cybersecurity of one office to dozens, as legal teams continue to work from home. The primary tool they use to conduct business is the same as everyone else: video conferencing. Given that law firms are a high-risk target for hackers, selecting the most secure video conferencing solution is critical.

#3: Banks and Secure Video Conferencing

This year, American Banker reported that the industry had grown wary of some notorious Zoom security issues and many were stepping away from the popular platform. Banks, like every other industry, were forced to rely more on video conferencing this year. Security vulnerabilities in video conferencing became an increasing concern, because private client information as well as institutional knowledge is widely shared.

At the same time, banks understand that customers seek the convenience of video banking with a secure and reliable provider. Secure video conferencing can reinforce the relationship with your bank, help these institutions retain customers longer, and increase sales volume as they upsell existing clients or more quickly close new ones.

Like healthcare and the legal profession, banking is a heavily regulated industry overseen by the federal government. This includes the highest level of security encryption for data in transit and at rest. They must have critical user authentication in place to ensure customer account access. These are just a few of the rules in place today that would affect the selection of a video conferencing vendor.

Governments all over the world have instilled a variety of security regulations that affect video conferencing. These risk management rules change frequently, requiring banks to remain on their toes to any changes as they arise.

As a result, banks are under heavy pressure to protect customer data during video conferencing on mobile phones or other digital devices. Imagine an unsuspecting customer transaction where the details of an account are shared on a video chat. Now imagine that the video conference has been Zoom bombed, and you’ll start to understand the worries associated with not having a secure video conferencing solution. What’s the answer for banks, lawyers, and healthcare providers seeking the most secure video conferencing solution?

MegaMeeting Offers Security, Peace of Mind

No matter the industry, MegaMeeting offers the most secure video conferencing solutions available today. Secure video conferencing starts with end-to-end encryption, adds an extra layer of data transport security, adds user-friendly features to increase your control of each meeting, and much more. Talk with our team and keep your customer and business data safe.

MegaMeeting solves the biggest challenges of modern video conferencing. For users, it is an all-in-one platform that delivers both video conferencing and webinars in a single, simplified interface. For attendees, it is 100% browser-based, making it highly accessible; joining a meeting is instantaneous from a single click. For enterprises, it is highly customizable, with white-labeling options for a private branded solution. For developers, it is API-driven and easy to integrate.

Powered by WebRTC, Node.js, React, and GraphQL, it is a cutting-edge platform that is fun and easy to use for users and developers alike.