How crucial is user data security while hosting virtual and hybrid events ?
There have been a few and far between cases where live events were hacked. At one of these
instances, we saw the video of a random foreign national interrupting a press conference and
muttering in some incomprehensible language. Such is the risk when it comes to digital platforms a
trend which is called Zoom bombing. As we continue to use virtual platforms for events, the need for
data security holds immense importance.
Virtual events offer a plethora of benefits for clients, which is in turn contributing to their popularity.
Virtual and hybrid events offer a wider reach, interactivity and visibility with a premium immersive
experience. However, cyber threats have become a pertinent issue as the remote working regime
keeps expanding, and corporates don’t have proper security firewalls in place yet. It is therefore
crucial that cybersecurity and data privacy measures should be a key asks for clients when they
evaluate virtual platform, and perhaps such measures will be a critical market differentiator in the
virtual events space.
Data privacy and transparency should be the prime priority for compliance. Securing a virtual
platform and event is a daunting task, and there are many ways to fool proof this process. Clients
are becoming cognizant of this with techniques like locking attendees and registrations,
implementing password managers, using a secured VPN and so on. The idea is to hold secure
events but also protect user data such as names, emails, contact details etc. The clients today
need to be aware of these aspects and should regulate who they grant access to, in terms of
registrations so that any phishing or malware attacks could be avoided.
For instance, having a clear understanding of rules and regulations around data protection is key
factor to design platforms which provide maximum user data protection. To honor codes of
transparency and fairness, clear disclosures of your data privacy policies help attendees to have
trust in the process. The key for a successful virtual event is for eventprofs to focus on
transparency than personalisation. A recent industry report indicated that more than 70 percent of
attendees will be more comfortable to share data while signing up for online events with
organisations that are transparent in telling how the data may be being used. It is key that sponsors
and companies would like to analyse the user profiles who have attended their events, so providing
a secure platform that strikes a balance between these requirements will be essential.
Cybersecurity and data privacy is not a new concern, but with everything operating virtually, the
risk of exposure has multiplied manifold. Eventprofs and clients using virtual platforms need to
check all aspects to host events effortlessly and safeguard user data. For eventprofs, offering the
most fool proof solutions will be favoured by clients for their value-added services.
