IT Entrepreneur creates guide to using webinar sites safely

Entrepreneur Chris Goodchild has created an online guide for people, businesses and charities who are using online webinar platforms yet are worried about security and privacy.

Chris, who runs South West -based SupportWise IT Services Ltd, has created the guide which sets out the pros and cons of the three most popular platforms in use by families, business owners, charities and some schools during lockdown.

“From the enquiries I’m getting many people are concerned about the risks around using this type of service. They are worried about many factors such as giving away personal information inadvertently or whether or not their conversation or webinar is vulnerable to being hacked,” Chris said. 

In response Chris has created a free guide which can be downloaded from his website which answers many of those questions. He’s already been contacted by at least one business owner this week who was attending a webinar on one platform and within seconds of entering the conversation, pornographic images started to appear. 

Chris said: “There are risks, there’s no doubt about that. However knowledge is power and that’s the key here. Choose your platform wisely to suit your needs and then consider taking some steps to minimise any risks. 

“The worst thing for any business or organisation at the moment is that they avoid communicating in this way because they are too risk adverse. The risks associated by not connecting with your team or your clients are much higher at this time. You risk losing customers by not being available or up to speed with the tech and you risk problems arising with your team if they feel disconnected from you.”

Chris’s Essential Guide to Web Conferencing looks at three platforms which are currently proving popular: 

• Zoom
• Microsoft Teams
• Avaya Spaces 

“For some business owners, charities or schools these platforms may not be suitable and other more secure options may be preferable. One of the biggest problems though is proving to the quality of connectivity at home so staff cannot actually access those webinars,” Chris said. 

Chris’s company SupportWise IT Services can help clients set up and use these web conferencing services effectively, can help find alternative, more secure solutions or can offer advise on how to improve connectivity for staff working from home. 

To find out more Chris offers a free 30 minute discovery call -  visit www.supportwise.co.uk or to download the Essential Guide to Web Conferencing visit https://supportwise.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Working-From-Home-Web-Conferencing-Guide.pdf