No matter how hard I try to concentrate during an audioconference, it's really difficult not to get distracted. That's why I found this article in BusinessEdge.com so interesting: It outlays some of the latest bells and whistles you can use to make your basic teleconference more engaging. Interestingly, it also talks about a downside to audioconferences that I hadn't thought of before: Security issues. Like reusable passcodes, which are pretty handy. But they also can allow someone who's not authorized to set up a meeting on your organization's dime. And this, also from the article:
- The security risk in teleconferencing is more than hypothetical.
Hugo Idler, who runs NetConnect Conferencing Inc.'s North American operations from Toronto, describes a much-publicized situation where an interloper penetrated an audioconference meeting of a pharmaceutical trade association.
Of course, that couldn't happen with his system, and I imagine most providers have some sort of security in place to keep this from happening here and now. Or do they?