Network security in global contexts

Web Conferencing Security

Analyzing the Variations in Security

of Internet-based Conferencing vs. Face-to-Face Meetings

As many companies face increasingly tighter travel and entertainment budgets, face-to-face meetings are not as viable as they have been in the past. The ability to still accomplish the same results from remote locations, often uniting experts globally, has continued to show significant potential to reduce costs while also increasing productivity and accuracy of communications. The ongoing developments and improvements in Web conferencing have also led to greater levels of trust in Web conferencing relative to previous generations of these technologies. The economics of using Web teleconferencing have become too strong to ignore, with many of these secured systems capable of paying for themselves in two years or less (Suduc, Bizoi, Filip, 2009). Nearly all companies who produce Web conferencing systems are continually investing heavily in the core technologies of authentication, security and single sign-on technologies to ensure the security of their platforms (Xirasagar, Mojtahed, 2010). Security has clearly emerged as a key success factor for the adoption of Web conferencing systems, as the economics of these systems can show positive ROI with just 15% adoption through a global enterprise (Baker, Hanson, Myhill, 2009).

Analysis of Web Conference Security

All secured Internet or web conferencing systems share a common series of attributes include entrance or I/O requirements, data protection and storage, and information access workflows (Baez, 2011). These are the core building blocks of an effective Web teleconferencing system that is capable of scaling across the many roles and requirements of as broader enterprise (Xirasagar, Mojtahed, 2010). The need for greater role-based access across the enterprises who are standardizing on these systems globally is also reflected in how the U.S. Department of Defense, the Office of the President and other highly secured branches of government are using Web conferencing today (Baez, 2011). The security systems and strategies and their options are also available to any company at a reasonable price as well. Companies can get the same level of security that the Office of the President of the United States has with a reasonably priced Web conferencing system today.

All of these factors are making the growth of Web conferencing systems skyrocket today as exemplified by the forecasts completed by Ernst & Young, who designs Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and large-scale secured networks for companies globally (Xirasagar, Mojtahed, 2010). A Virtual Private Network creates a solid connection across the Internet, protected to the protocol level. The U.S. Department of Defense was instrumental in the definition of this technology and also has led in tis adoption globally (Xirasagar, Mojtahed, 2010).

Figure 1:

Comparing Tunneling Configurations in IPSec vs. SSL VPN Configurations

Source: (Opus Consulting, 2007)

Figure 1 illustrates how both VPN and IPSec work in secured Web conferencing configurations. Both of these approaches can drastically reduce the level of risk associated with video conferencing today. Increasingly these technologies are included in the baseline VPN configurations of enterprises who do much of their work and collaboration across the Internet.

The configuring of the TCP/IP command set across these secured connections can also increase the level of video streamlining and combined content distribution as well. Studies indicate that the greater the level of bandwidth planning and optimization on the part of companies the greater the level of ongoing stability and performance of these enterprise-wide applications (Xirasagar, Mojtahed, 2010). It is possible for example to enable exceptionally high levels of video bandwidth so simultaneous, secured video sessions could be going on literally at the same time anywhere in the word, with capable levels of performance and stability (Xirasagar, Mojtahed, 2010).