Is Microsoft Teams a More Secure Meeting Platform than Zoom?

The Online World

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, human culture has changed dramatically. When many used to commute to work, those same individuals now have the freedom to work from home. Humans have always been great adapters. So when all humanity was forced to go inside, two emerging companies took advantage of the opportunity: Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.

Both platforms are made to ease the stress for the individual to work from home. But as a platform, it is even more valuable to the company. Now that the pandemic is over, several companies have remained as mostly online companies–opting that it works just as well with less physical workspace.

The question for the company is which platform is best–and which one is most secure.

Why Does Security Matter?

Security is important for any company’s web conferencing platform because it allows for confidential conversations to take place. With Microsoft Teams, the security features are stronger because there is encryption for all data stored in the cloud. This means that the data is protected from unauthorized access and can only be accessed by authorized individuals.

In addition, chats and meetings are also encrypted so that no one can listen in on the conversation. With Zoom, the security features are not as strong as with Microsoft Teams. For example, chats and meetings are not encrypted which could leave them vulnerable to being hacked.

Key Security Features

Some of the key features in Teams that make it more secure than Zoom are:

-The ability to encrypt all data in transit, as well as at rest

-The option to require two-factor authentication for all users

-The ability to set up security policies for devices and apps

-The ability to monitor user activity with the built-in audit logs

These are just a few of the features that make Teams more secure than Zoom. In addition, Microsoft has a team of dedicated security researchers who are constantly looking for new ways to improve the security of their products. If that is a deciding feature, then look no further.

Zoom’s Troubles

Zoom, on the other hand, has had a number of security issues in the past. In April 2020, there was a hijacking scare that forced them to disable a feature that allowed people to enter other people’s video calls uninvited.

Not only did they have a problem with hijackers joining meetings where they were unwanted in the early stages, but Zoom also had so little security that one could download the audio and video from a meeting they weren’t a part of, with just a little effort.

In total, Zoom is a great conferencing platform with many capabilities–but when it comes to security, Teams trumps it all.

Conclusion

Do you need further convincing? Don’t take it from us. Go ahead and try out both Teams and Zoom for yourself! After a few days of use, it’ll be clear which one is the better platform–not just in terms of security, but in terms of features and overall ease of use.