How to Ensure Data Security when Using Collaboration Software

Collaboration software is a core component of the digital workspace we exist in today, providing the foundation for team-based work and allowing distant teams to synchronize their workflows. However, despite their productivity enhancements and communication advantages, popular workplace applications have been noted for their lack of security which can come with very large implications. According to IMC Grupo, The FBI reported a 300% increase in cybercrime since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. While collaboration software can be the foundation of your digital workplace, they can also weaken security that can open your organization to a variety of cybercrime. Here are two tips that will ensure data-security within the toolkits your organizations use: According to Cybint Solutions, 95% of cybersecurity breaches are due to human error. Even if an IT department implemented strong foundations for secure workplace technology, cyber-criminals and hackers look towards the weakest links within an organization. They commonly target the older age group of team members who work in non-tech functions. Providing training to employees when using communication tools can help minimize the risks of cyber-breaches. Some common practices are: Be mindful with the method of sharing video meeting links, and how users can join a meeting. Most platforms offer an option to password protect your meeting or create a “Virtual Lobby” to prevent external individuals or anonymous participants from entering. Before a meeting starts and information is shared, the meeting host should review the list of participants that have connected to the call to ensure their identity in some way or form. Ask any rogue or anonymous participants to identify themselves, and if they do not respond, they should be removed from the meeting in order to ensure privacy within the meeting. Hosts should always disable the ability for others to share their screens without explicit requirements. This prevents someone from hijacking the meeting with content that was not intended for viewing by the other meeting participants. All participants should be asked if they consent to being in recorded, at any point of time during the meeting. No one except the meeting organizer should be able to start the recording of the meeting. The video recording of the meeting should not be available to all participants, without explicit approval from the host. When employees work with a set of collaboration tools that are not centralized, workers tend to fill the gaps with a concept known as ‘Shadow IT’. It refers to unsanctioned applications or software that may cause sensitive or private information to be shared on unsecure systems, minimizing the data security efforts of the IT department. According to Julie Forsythe, 55% of employees have used an unapproved application within their workplace; out of which 55% stated they did it since it was not monitored, and 62% said they were easier to use. Due to this, managers must perform audits on all tools being used by employees, and evaluate the effectiveness of these unsanctioned tools. If employees were driven to these unsanctioned tools, it is likely that there was a gap within the current solutions. Whether it is the use of a centralized tool, or multiple software to address the gaps; ensuring employees stay within sanctioned tools is a must for good data security. When it comes to risks related to cyber-crime, the most difficult problems arise from within your employee base, whether it is resistance to change or lack of general IT knowledge. The most cost-effective and risk-free solution, rests within a centralized solution that minimizes the learning curve for its users and a deep collaboration tool like TRIYO provides that. TRIYO offers a unified collaboration solution that allows users to work within their existing toolkit with minimal behavioral change. In terms of ensuring data security, users can easily share documents and create document permissions relating to tasks and projects, allowing only a specific number of individuals to access information, without compromising sensitive information. We can help orchestrate your digital growth, while your team works the same way they did before. To learn more about what our product can do for your organization, check out our extensive list of features here, or fill out the contact us form below.