The widespread use of digital technology not only makes life easier, it also raises new and urgent questions. One of the most frequently asked questions is: How secure is your board meeting? This wording is most often found in the business environment, but everyday life can also put such a question in the forefront.
Certainly for business owners, the question of security of the web platforms and document repositories in use is one of the most important. If it is ignored, you can pay a high price for such a mistake. To keep doubts from poisoning your business activity, let’s try to find out how secure virtual meetings are?
Where to begin?
The question of cybersecurity research is worth starting with an analysis of the software the board uses for meetings. Before purchasing and installing software, you should look as closely as possible at the issues related to security for users and their data.
Secondly, cyber security should be addressed holistically rather than optionally. That is, cyber security should become part of the corporate culture and an important strategic direction of internal policy. The more attention paid to the solution, the fewer mistakes will be made by all employees.
Third, board members should be as responsible for the security of the virtual meeting as the rest of the company. That is, if any technical failure occurs during an online meeting, you should not blame the IT department for the bad work, but rather think about what was done wrong by the user.
How do you ensure security during a meeting?
To keep risks to the use of online meeting tools to a minimum, a few basic rules for digital security should be followed:
- Reduce the impact of possible errors due to the use of unsecured devices. It’s best for board members to use corporate devices for online meetings. These usually have a higher level of protection (including against cyberattacks or leaks of confidential data). If this is not possible, it is best not to use devices to which outsiders have access to reduce the risk of accidental loss of important information.
- Keep your cybersecurity policy up to date. Digital security standards change frequently. And for good reason. This means that developers are constantly working to improve the quality and security of devices that may contain personal data. Your IT department needs to keep up to date with cybersecurity developments, keep your current defences up to date and educate all employees – including board members – about the new rules.
- Use digital technology wisely. Some board members may still bring paper records or documents to meetings, even if they are held online. To secure the sharing of documents, it is better to use more modern methods of storing information. Virtual data rooms, cloud technologies that use the most advanced tools to protect their customers’ data, are available for this purpose.
The issue of cybersecurity should not be taken lightly. It’s not an area of corporate governance that doesn’t require constant attention. It’s not just the rank-and-file employees who should be responsible for keeping corporate information secure, but the full management team as well.