When you arrive at an in-person event, you’ll likely see security guards sprinkled throughout the exterior and interior of the conference center. There may be a registration desk to check-in at before you are admitted to the venue with someone verifying your ID. You might even have to pass through metal detectors as you enter the event center. 

We’re all familiar with these security measures, but what does proper security protocol look like at a virtual event?

Security measures are less noticeable at virtual events, but they’re still incredibly important. 

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Why Does Virtual Event Security Matter? 

Your attendees trust you with their data, and you should be able to trust your virtual event platform provider with all of your private event and company data. That’s why it’s paramount that you pick a virtual event platform with comprehensive security measures in place.

Virtual event security is particularly important for internal events where you may be sharing private company information such as details on unreleased products, financial performance, or proprietary information on your products or services. Having appropriate security measures in place, such as access controls, prevent unauthorized users from accessing sensitive data or event content that they are not invited to. 

How to Pick A Secure Virtual Event Platform 

When choosing a virtual event platform to host your events on, it’s important to take a closer look at their compliance certifications and security measures. 

Some certifications to look out for include:

  • GDPR: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a privacy and security law created by the European Union (EU). 
  • ISO: The International Organization for Standardization is an independent organization that sets international standards for a variety of business activities. Virtual event platforms should meet the ISO IT Standards on information asset security 
  • PCI-DSS: The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) is a compliance standard for companies handling payment cardholder data. Compliance and annual certification is typically mandated by credit card companies and in credit card network agreements. 
  • AICPA SOC 2: SOC 2 is a set of compliance standards specifically designed for service providers storing customer data in the cloud. The standards are designed by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) and require companies to establish and follow strict information security policies and procedures. 

Some of these require regular re-evaluation, so don’t be afraid to inquire whether each certification is up to date. 

Platform Security Considerations 

The topic of virtual event platform security can be complicated. Many event organizers care about virtual event security, but do not know what questions to ask or how to approach the topic well. To help, here is a list of platform security considerations that you should inquire about when comparing virtual event platforms: 

Physical Security 

Inquire about how the platform is hosted. Social27 Virtual Event Platform is run on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, whose robust controls maintain the availability and security of their systems.  

Network Security 

Ensure that your chosen platform takes appropriate precautions to ensure that potential threats are appropriately mitigated before they turn into a breach. A network security breach can result in sensitive data being accessed by unauthorized persons, which is something that you definitely want to avoid. 

Our dedicated, in-house security team and third-party penetration testers work together to ensure potential threats are mitigated with urgency. Plus, threat detection, vulnerability scanning, and DDoS mitigation protects against potential threats and breaches before they occur. 

Controlled Access 

Platforms should have procedures and access control tools in place to ensure that nobody is able to access any data they shouldn’t be viewing.

Social27 utilizes two-factor and identity-based authentication to verify users entering the system. We also use a Least Privilege model to ensure users only have access to the data they need to access and nothing more.

Encryption 

Learn how your data is stored, transmitted, and encrypted to confirm that your data and your attendees’ data will be secure.

Data is encrypted in transit and at rest to ensure all communication with Social27 is secure. At-rest data is protected using Customer keys or AWS keys stored in a secure location with identity-based access control and audit policies.

Quality Assurance

Work with a team that is dedicated to quality assurance. Ask about what kind of continuous testing they do to identify vulnerabilities and what training they provide to keep their team up to date on the latest trends and best practices. 

Social27’s Quality Assurance team reviews and tests our code on a per-pod basis. Additionally, our security team has all the tools and resources needed to remediate any vulnerabilities found. We also provide regular syncs, security resources, and training to our teams. 

Secure Your Event with Social27 Virtual Event Platform 

Social27 Virtual Event Platform provides a safe and secure venue for your virtual events. We take your security and data privacy seriously by implementing strict security measures, employing trained professionals and engaging third-party testers, and meeting all of the top compliance certifications. For more information on our security standards visit our Security FAQs.

Set up a demo today to learn more about what Social27 has to offer.