To Zoom or not to Zoom?

[BFCIT]

Hi all,

 

In March I was asked to explore the use of Zoom in school. I explored the product, discovered many reported security flaws and put forward an argument to utilise our existing G Suite for Education provision (Google Meet), suggesting Zoom was unsafe.

I have recently received another request to investigate Zoom as an alternative to Google Meet. Some teaching staff are keen to use Zoom for its more classroom focussed features which are still lacking from Google Meet (albeit potentially in development).

 

Please can you let me know whether you have allowed the use of zoom in your organisation? Are you using the fully pledge education version? Approx costs? - we are a school of approximately 1500 students, 130 staff. How you are using it safely and how are students accountable for their actions in meetings? Are there adequate audit controls for safeguarding/accountability. Do students get a zoom login etc with the Zoom for Education platform? Are there any noticeable benefits over Google Meet?

 

Alternatively if you are still in a position where you have banned or discouraged Zoom use, please could you elaborate why this is the case? Are there any recent articles you could share with me to suggest reasons why e.g. ongoing security/privacy concerns with zoom even after their apparent security review.

 

Thanks...

[FishCustard]

Zoom is discouraged generally and banned for classroom use as we already have Teams, and all T&L should be done through it.

[LeMarchand]

Not much usage (yet?), but definitely only Meet or Teams (depends on school). Zoom only not blocked because, for reasons unknown, lots of external people insist on it.

[TechMonkey]

Same as FishCustard. School policy is to use tools we have and integrate with other tools. So we use Teams as it integrates with M365, azure AD, OneNote and we have it so nothing new needed.

[kennysarmy]

We allow staff to join zoom meetings but not instigate them.

 

We use Teams generally.

[paulkerton]

Some teaching staff are keen to use Zoom for its more classroom focussed features which are still lacking from Google Meet (albeit potentially in development).

Which features in particular do they want that are missing from Meet currently, or aren't due in the next few weeks?

Alternatively if you are still in a position where you have banned or discouraged Zoom use, please could you elaborate why this is the case? Are there any recent articles you could share with me to suggest reasons why e.g. ongoing security/privacy concerns with zoom even after their apparent security review.

Basically, don't trust them. Their previous behaviours have shone a negative light, and they've made claims that have been disproven before. Just their nerve at installing backdoors to allow them to trigger a reinstall on Mac OS by running a web server on your device was enough for us to never, ever go near them. The security holes they've had have also been huge ones like password stealing and remotely accesing webcams without user knowledge. It's privacy policy was also very questionable. Fool me once, shame on you...

 

It's also much poorer video quality than Meet.

 

We highly discourage Zoom, and only allow it for use when it is being used hosted by a third party. We don't instigate them. At all.

Chopping and changing seems counter-productive to me, and Zoom is also far more expensive that G Suite Enterprise for Education. The features we need will be with us, if not already then within a couple of weeks. Change for the sake of change isn't good change.

 

We already have systems in place, that are integrated and work well through G Suite. Others have the same with Microsoft. Seems foolish to buy a third system in just to handle video calls to me.

Edited September 30, 2020 by paulkerton
I said "pooer" quality rather than "poorer" which still works, but ya know...

[jthompson]

Policy here is that online T&L is all done with Classroom/Meet. SLT have been nice and clear about that. Staff can join external orgs' Zoom and Teams meetings as necessary (no reason not to allow that), although that's generally using their respective web clients.

 

I can't remember what the deal is with Zoom's COVID freebie, so you might want to check that free stuff isn't about to stop being free all of a sudden.

[RLR]

We only allow Google Meet. Zoom is blocked for students unless they are in sixth form.

[Sheridan]

We have GSuite so try to encourage Meet, but I've been overruled so many times I've installed Zoom on a few teachers PCs - I've learned that arguing to use the tools we have is a waste of breath!

[paulkerton]

Also, I didn't include their closeness to the Chinese Government and the relationship between data/tech and Western Governments isn't great right now... and we don't know how they're routing data and if it's through China.

So we err on the side of caution.

[Sheridan]

Also, I didn't include their closeness to the Chinese Government and the relationship between data/tech and Western Governments isn't great right now... and we don't know how they're routing data and if it's through China.

So we err on the side of caution.

 

I agree, and I don't like Zoom anyway - here it smacks too much of 'I use it at home, therefore its the only thing I can use' - but like I said, bored of being overuled so just gave up!

[LeMarchand]

I agree, and I don't like Zoom anyway - here it smacks too much of 'I use it at home, therefore its the only thing I can use' - but like I said, bored of being overuled so just gave up!

 

Yep, and somehow they learned to use it without being sent off on a day's jolly with lunch provided.

[Sonic007]

Unfortunately SLT love Zoom here and have even bought a business account.

[paulkerton]

Unfortunately SLT love Zoom here and have even bought a business account.

What a waste of £13 a month, when they could've brought a G Suite Enterprise or Microsoft 365 A5 license for less.

[howartp]

Unfortunately SLT love Zoom here and have even bought a business account.

 

We've got 3 Pro licenses, not business though.

 

It was 9 during lockdown, monthly renewal, but i've consolidated to 3 annual now.

[Sheridan]

What bugs me is we have GSuite and also O365, yet they think Zoom or flipping facetime on their phone is a solution

 

That a lesson I've learned from working in IT for many years - provide people with the best and most secure solution, but what they want to use is what they use at home - and you're wrong whatever you say

[Sonic007]

What bugs me is we have GSuite and also O365, yet they think Zoom or flipping facetime on their phone is a solution

 

That a lesson I've learned from working in IT for many years - provide people with the best and most secure solution, but what they want to use is what they use at home - and you're wrong whatever you say

 

 

In the same boat as you my friend.

 

 

I provided a long discussion about the privacy/issues surrounding Zoom and all the facts needed and that we have Gsuite that everyone is used to.

 

Head: "I love Zoom. We are all going to use Zoom".

[Rob_D]

SLT basically steamrollered Zoom in against the recommendations of the ICTNS team (and this was during the height of the security issues). Best part was when we said, "fine, but it shouldn't be used with students" then a parent briefing comes out saying how well our Zoom classes are going. That was when I gave up and just prefaced everything with "ICTNS don't have the skills to support this and can't raise cases with zoom support" (we're on the free accounts).

 

Final position was: We signed up for the free schools thing and staff have been told they need sign up with their school email and select edu account (no idea how long this is going to last, I just hope I find out before someone get's kicked mid meeting).

The students have to have signed parental permission to be included in zoom lessons and students should NOT be creating zoom accounts as this is against the Zoom T&Cs (they join the meeting without accounts). They should set their name as their first name only. Staff should make sure they have password protection and waiting room enabled on all meetings and should not share the meeting codes outside of official school controlled email/VLE communications. Two staff members should be in each Zoom class (for safeguarding) and verbal consent should be gained from all participants if the session is going to be recorded.

 

It's pretty much all we can do.

[jthompson]

At least Zoom is not to much of a pig to accommodate. The common belief that videocall=Skype has mercifully disappeared now.

[PaulZoom]

Hi

 

I am responsible for UK schools for Zoom. Let me know if I can assist.

 

Kind regards

[howartp]

Hi

 

I am responsible for UK schools for Zoom. Let me know if I can assist.

 

Kind regards

You're brave...!

 

Our ticket #6052119 was open from approximately March till September waiting to be assigned to a very busy person. That's surely a record, even allowing for COVID.

 

Peter

[Driftingforlife]

We have teams but Exec bought into it for a few people despite all the evidence we provided against it. We refuse to support it at all. I am regularly deleting any zoom exes I come across.

 

Whats more stupid is the fact the my local council (my mum is on it) despite paying for office 365 went and bought zoom. I refused to install it on my mums laptop, I ended up putting it on a old isolated laptop for meetings.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Driftingforlife

[PaulZoom]

Thanks for all you post. feedback taken. was hoping for specific questions around usage, security, license, etc. I have reached to the moderator Chris to see what I can do further to help. Thanks again

[PaulZoom]

Hi all,

 

In March I was asked to explore the use of Zoom in school. I explored the product, discovered many reported security flaws and put forward an argument to utilise our existing G Suite for Education provision (Google Meet), suggesting Zoom was unsafe.

I have recently received another request to investigate Zoom as an alternative to Google Meet. Some teaching staff are keen to use Zoom for its more classroom focussed features which are still lacking from Google Meet (albeit potentially in development).

 

Please can you let me know whether you have allowed the use of zoom in your organisation? Are you using the fully pledge education version? Approx costs? - we are a school of approximately 1500 students, 130 staff. How you are using it safely and how are students accountable for their actions in meetings? Are there adequate audit controls for safeguarding/accountability. Do students get a zoom login etc with the Zoom for Education platform? Are there any noticeable benefits over Google Meet?

Alternatively if you are still in a position where you have banned or discouraged Zoom use, please could you elaborate why this is the case? Are there any recent articles you could share with me to suggest reasons why e.g. ongoing security/privacy concerns with zoom even after their apparent security review.

 

Thanks...

 

Hi, let me know if you have any specific questions for me or you require any information. Thanks

[kennysarmy]

@PaulZoom

 

Can I ask what the licence restrictions might be of using Zoom in a school environment?

 

Should staff be using it with their personal logons?