Cisco Webex Security in The Cloud

If I’ve said it once, I've said it a thousand times: security is vital in both your personal life and in your business endeavors. The conversations you have online can contain sensitive information such as trade secrets, for example. Who knows what kind of damage this could cause if they fell into the wrong hands? Fortunately, Cisco Webex is equipped with top notch, industry-leading security measures that will make sure your secrets are safe

Measure of Security

Perhaps the simplest way to keep your unified communications system secure is with password security. WebEx provides the host with a plethora of different modes of password control to keep unwanted guests out of the system, while making sure welcomed guests have little trouble getting in. Worried that someone might try to secure their account with an asinine password like “1234?” WebEx allows the host to set a list of unacceptable passwords, preventing something like this from happening. Worried someone might abuse password retrieval to gain access to the system when they shouldn’t be able? WebEx administrators can vet requests for a password reset to make sure the people asking are indeed the people that they want in their system.

Just like you would build a wall to protect a city, so you would encrypt web conferencing traffic to keep attackers at bay. WebEx allows you to encrypt any and all important data, even if it’s not currently in use. Everything from streams to chats to meeting notes can be encrypted with low-risk passwords that will keep it ever in your custody.

A Traitor Within The Walls

Protecting your system from digital threats is one thing, but remember your solution also has an anchor in the material world. It’s important not to overlook this, as doing so can leave your server vulnerable to direct attacks from ill-meaning insiders. Fortunately, a Cisco data center can only be accessed by very certain personnel, making it absurdly difficult if not outright impossible for just anyone to gain access to the hardware.

This plays into another one of the most important aspects of Cisco security: role-based access. Users are relegated into very particular roles, with administrators and hosts at the top. These users have the power to restrict the privileges and responsibilities of others attending meetings or accessing data. This is another effective measure to protect your solution against inside attacks.

Security Best Practices

It’s possible that all these things might worry some of your users. They might see all these measures and think, “I don’t know that would actually be enough to stop skilled hackers. Likely, the only one this security is keeping out of the system is me.” Fortunately, the system can easily be configured to better fit your users’ needs and concerns. Regardless of how you choose to configure your passwords and administration, it’s important to make sure you find the best fit for your business. This, of course, requires an expert advisor who understands your business, as well as each of the options Cisco offers. Managed services providers are perfect partners when it comes to getting the most out of your system with the least amount of stress on your staff.

At the end of the day, the best way Cisco and Cisco’s partners can help you keep your system secure is to encourage security best practices. These are things most users would consider no-brainers, but they’re always important to remember:

1. Never share your audio PIN or password with anyone for any reason.
2. Only provide passwords to people who you know need them.
3. Never share sensitive information in a meeting until you know for sure who is in attendance.

Following these basic guidelines is the foundation to securing your system. From there, it’s frequently wise to seek the counsel of a top tier independent group of Cisco gurus to help you maximize the pros and minimize (or eradicate) the cons.