Adding Security to Meetings
In response to recent incidents involving inappropriate access and disruptive behavior, UNM IT recently announced a few changes to the security settings for UNM Zoom meetings. These changes are necessary to protect student, faculty, and staff privacy and better secure UNM Zoom meetings. In response to feedback from our users, the implementation plan has been separated into two phases:
Phase 1 - After 5/22/2021, ‘Require authentication to join’ is the default setting for all new meetings scheduled through your UNM Zoom account. You may choose one or more of the security options to protect your meeting or choose to remove all security options on a per meeting basis until the second phase is implemented. This is your opportunity to get comfortable with the default security settings. You should avoid changing or removing the security setting if possible.
Phase 2 – On November 1, 2021, both new and existing meetings scheduled through your UNM Zoom account will require at least one security option be selected, and this requirement cannot be disabled.
Previously scheduled meetings with no security option will automatically default to a waiting room as part of this update.
NOTE: These changes apply to meetings scheduled through UNM Zoom accounts only, not to meetings scheduled through HSC Zoom accounts.
What does this mean for you?
Starting immediately, when scheduling new meetings:
- For meetings with students in courses delivered through UNM Canvas, schedule meetings using the Canvas-Zoom integration in combination with authentication.
- For internal meetings with attendees who all have a UNM or HSC account - particularly meetings that include students, accept the default setting ‘Require authentication to join’.
- For meetings that include attendees who do not have a UNM or HSC account, either:
- Accept the default setting of ‘Require authentication to join’ and add the external attendees with Authentication exceptions for specific users,
- or
- Change the security setting from ‘Require authentication to join’ to use either a waiting room or passcode for all attendees.
- Accept the default setting of ‘Require authentication to join’ and add the external attendees with Authentication exceptions for specific users,
Before November 1, 2021:
Review settings of all previously scheduled and recurring meetings, including the ‘My Personal Meeting ID’ meeting that comes with your account. If you do nothing with these meetings, and no security option is selected, they will automatically have a waiting room added on November 1, 2021.- For meetings that already have a security option, no further action is needed.
- For meetings that were not originally scheduled with a security option, make sure that you have chosen a security option for all meetings occurring after November 1, 2021, and communicated that change to your meeting participants.
- For meetings with students in courses delivered through UNM Canvas, schedule meetings using the Canvas-Zoom integration in combination with authentication.
- For internal meetings with only attendees who have a UNM or HSC account—particularly meetings that include students, accept the default setting of ‘Require authentication to join’.
- For meetings that will include attendees who do not have a UNM or HSC account, either:
- Accept the default of ‘Require authentication to join’ and add the external attendees with Authentication exceptions for specific users,
- or
- Change the security setting from ‘Require authentication to join’ to use either a waiting room or passcode for all attendees. Please note that choosing the passcode option will require a resend of the invitation. You can also choose to use the ‘Add one-click join’ option to simplify the passcode option.
- Accept the default of ‘Require authentication to join’ and add the external attendees with Authentication exceptions for specific users,
It is a recommended best practice to always have the participant window open when you host a meeting. This will create a general awareness of who is in the meeting and will also make it easy to notice and admit people from the waiting room, if that option is in use.
Please see UNM Web Meetings for information on changes for scheduling, sharing of Cloud recordings, and the UNM Zoom retention policy, and best practices for meeting hosts.
For assistance with UNM IT services, please contact UNM IT Customer Support Services at 277-5757. Hours of operation are Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Due to the healthcare nature of the Health Sciences Center, there are variations to services and support for HSC students, faculty, and staff. If you have questions regarding HSC technology services, please contact the HSC Service Desk at 272-1694 or HSC-CIO-notices@salud.unm.edu.
