Is ZOOM Secure for Market Research and Online Focus Groups?
Online focus groups and dial groups are our new normal.
And we get this question a lot. If you are like the other 99% of companies, you are using the commercial version of Zoom. The short answer for you is “Yes, Zoom is secure for market research.”
(At Dialsmith, we are members of ZoomGov, which is high-security web conferencing designed for the US government. This is what we use for our projects. More on that here: http://www.dialsmith.com/blog/secure-online-litigation-research/)
The longer answer- with all the details- is below.
Our tech team has done copious amounts of research and testing. Here’s how we have learned to ‘lock it down’.
Zoom meetings and events have robust security features, if you know how to use them. Here are the ones we use without fail:
How-To: Set up security for online focus groups using Zoom:
- Research sessions are password protected with project-specific links.
- We set up a secure and confidential ‘back room’ for client observations.
- Clients can observer the session, their webcam and audio are turned off for anonymity.
- Moderator restricts the use of screen share, chat and other features so that participants cannot interact ‘on the side’.
Here are the other optional features we often find ourselves using, or that clients request:
How-To: Prevent uninvited guests in your Zoom meeting:
- Use Authentication: The host/moderator can require attendees to log-in (more on this here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360037117472-Authentication-Profiles-for-Meetings-and-Webinars?zcid=1231
- Assign a Bouncer: You can set up a ‘waiting room’ (it’s like a green room for the web). From there, the host/moderator must grant access to each attendee.
- Lock the Door: This means, once your event has started, no other attendees can join.
How-To: Control what content attendees see and hear in your Zoom Meeting:
- The host/ moderator can mute all (or individual) participants
- The host/ moderator can prevent attendees from screen-sharing More on this here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115005759423?zcid=1231
- The host/moderator can also remove unwanted or disruptive participants (more on that here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115005759423-Managing-participants-in-a-meeting?zcid=1231)
