Whether you’re using it to work from home, or just catching up with friends and family, new guidance from the NCSC will help you to use video conferencing securely.

Initially predicted by science fiction writers back in the 19th century*, live video conferencing services have proliferated in the last few years.

Once solely the preserve of organisations with particular needs (and large budgets), video conferencing is now a standard feature on phones, tablets and computers. It’s widely used by organisations to bring remote employees, partners and clients together, and equally by individuals at home who want to see and chat to friends and family all over the world.

With so many of us at home due to the COVID-19 lockdown, video conferencing technology has an important role to play. It can help us to maintain crucial working and personal relationships during this period of social distancing.

As a result, the NCSC has published two pieces of guidance to help you use video conferencing services securely.

• The first piece is for individuals using video conferencing to keep in touch with friends and family. Even if you’re familiar with video conferencing, we recommend you take a moment to review how you’re using it.
• The second piece is for IT and security professionals who want to chose, configure and deploy video conferencing services within their organisations.

The above guidance can be applied to the popular video conferencing services available for home or work use. If you need video conferencing for more sensitive meetings (such as government use or handling OFFICIAL data), you should follow the NCSC’s Cloud Security Principles.

For more information about the security features of a specific service, or how to configure a specific feature, please refer to the service provider’s official support site.

Take care, and keep washing your hands (for 20 seconds or more) !