Zoom 5.0 is here, but is it safe to use?

It looks like Zoom is listening to some of the common concerns around the platform. During the week of 4/27, they’re rolling out Zoom 5.0, which includes some fresh security features, including locking meetings, kicking participants out of a call, and screensharing restriction settings.
 
They’re also now enabling passwords by default for most customers, and companies can define the password complexity required for users on their team. The “waiting room” feature is also now on by default, so that hosts may hold Zoom callers in a virtual queue before being allowed into a meeting. You can get an overview of the new features here.
 
The Verge points out that many of these features are in response to the streak of “Zoombombing” that briefly plagued users in April. There are still certain security standards that we aren’t satisfied with, but they’ve promised additional improvements to come in the future.
 

Why Zoom, anyway?

It’s worth calling out why Zoom became so popular in the first place: it’s very easy to use. But no matter what tool you’re considering for your team, we think it’s extremely important that you consider security first. If you’re not sure it’s the right fit, then consult your IT team and get their perspective on it. We like seeing that Zoom is attempting to fill gaps in their security, but it should be a reminder that the popular tool isn’t always the best one for your team: there are more secure, mature tools out there that can provide the same benefits (such as those mentioned at the end of this post).
 
For now, it seems Zoom has filled in enough gaps in their security that it’s safe for most businesses to use, but we still have concerns about the company as a whole.
 
If you need help finding the right tool for your team, drop us a line. We’d be more than happy to help advise on the best one to fit your need.