Since the start of remote learning, teaching and working, Zoom has become an indispensable tool for almost everyone at Case Western Reserve University, with the number of users more than tripling in a few short weeks.
To address the increased cost and security risks that come along with more users, University Technology ([U]Tech) made several important changes to the campus Zoom service Saturday, May 30.
Updated Zoom client required to join meetings
On April 27, Zoom released a new, more secure version (5.0.0) of the Zoom application for all major devices including Macs, PCs, Android phones and Apple iPads and iPhones.
All users will need to have the updated version of Zoom by May 30 to continue to join Zoom meetings.
Check to see if you have the updated version:
- On a Mac or PC: Click the profile icon in the upper right of the Zoom software and select “Check for Updates.”
- On Android: Check the Play Store for updates.
- On iOS: Check the Apple App Store.
180-day retention period for Zoom Cloud recordings
On May 30, a 180-day retention period will be applied to Zoom Cloud recordings to control storage costs. After 180 days, recordings will be sent to Zoom’s recording trash for 30 days and then deleted permanently.
Important things to note about this change are listed below:
- [U]Tech has created a Zoom Recording Guide which provides multiple options for the long-term retention of Zoom recordings.
- Any recording made before Dec. 2, 2019, (180 days prior to May 30) will immediately go to the recording trash in Zoom and be retained for 30 days.
- During those 30 days, Zoom users can go to their recording trash and recover any files they would like to keep. (Log into cwru.zoom.us, click “Recordings,” “Trash,” “Recover,” for the file in question, then “My Recordings,” “More” for that file, and “Disable auto-delete.”)
- As an extra precaution, and to allow more time for file recovery, [U]Tech has backed up any video recordings made before March 1, 2020. If you need a video recovered from earlier than March 1, contact the [U]Tech Service Desk. These videos will be retained until March 1, 2021.
- Recordings saved to local hard drives are unaffected by this change.
Toll free and call me/call out off by default
The “toll free” and “call me/call out” features on all Zoom accounts have been turned off, unless an exception has already been granted. Typically, there is no additional charge for using the Zoom toll phone numbers when users have phone plans with unlimited talking minutes, but the toll free number always incurs additional charges for the university.
If you feel that “toll free” or “call me/call out” are important features for your meetings, please contact the [U]Tech Service Desk at 216.368.4357 or help@case.edu to request an exception.
Meeting passwords
In accordance with the security recommendations of Zoom, [U]Tech will require meetings created on or after May 30 to have a password. Meetings created before May 30 will not be impacted. See the [U]Tech Zoom Security Guide for more information on passwords for Zoom meetings. Viewing Zoom recordings will continue to require single sign-on by default.
Zoom licensing
To control licensing costs, the university will only provide full Zoom licenses (previously known as “Pro” licenses) to active faculty, staff and students after May 30. Other members of the campus community, such as alumni and affiliates, will have access to the “Basic” version of Zoom. No data, such as meetings or recordings, are deleted when someone moves to the “Basic” version of Zoom. If your account is assigned a Basic license in error, contact the [U]Tech Service Desk.
Get help
For assistance with any technology product or service at Case Western Reserve University, contact the [U]Tech Service Desk at help@case.edu or 216.368.HELP (4357) or visit help.case.edu.