You Are the Weakest Link: Identifying Your Communication Vulnerabilities

Enterprise tools that enable employees to communicate and collaborate are vital to keeping them connected and productive. Today, more companies than ever are using these tools to support distributed teams at a scale.

While your organization is likely leveraging collaboration solutions to help power real-time communication, file sharing, project management and more, the approach your organization is taking to support business communication and the tools being used could be weak links in protecting enterprise data security and ensuring compliance.

Data security and compliance risks are all too real for organizations today with cyberattacks continuing to increase in frequency and severity. Consider that cyberattacks have risen by 38% in 2022 compared to 2021, with an average of 1,168 weekly attacks per organization being recorded, according to research from Check Point.

In an environment of relentless cyberattacks that negatively impact business viability, productivity, reputation and regulatory compliance, enterprises must focus on making communication technology the strongest link in the tech stack, not the weakest.

Take a moment to think about your organization’s approach to business communication and the technology supporting it. Is this approach and technology opening the door to cybersecurity threats and compliance violations?

Your organization might be weakening enterprise communication security and compliance by:

Using too many communication and collaboration tools

The rapid pivot to remote work during the pandemic fueled enterprise adoption of a range of solutions designed to help facilitate communication and collaboration among distributed teams. Today, many organizations are using a hodgepodge of tools to support different aspects of keeping teams connected and productive. According to a 2021 survey by NetScout, 72% of organizations surveyed supported between three and nine collaboration tools, while one in five companies reported using more than 10 collaboration tools.

Application sprawl like this weakens both productivity and security.

Get rid of multiple collaboration apps and strengthen communication productivity and security with NetSfere. NetSfere is an all-in-one secure mobile messaging platform that connects teams at scale, enabling employees to communicate over their preferred text, voice and video channels.

Using noncompliant tools

Not all communication and collaboration technology supports compliance with industry regulations and data privacy requirements. That’s a major weakness considering the ever-evolving regulatory landscape and Gartner’s prediction that by this year, 65% of the world’s population will have its personal data covered under modern privacy regulations.

Failure to adhere to regulatory and compliance requirements can lead to severe consequences. Consider the massive fines totaling $1.1 billion handed out last year by the SEC to banks and brokerages for the use of unsanctioned communication apps.

NetSfere’s around the clock compliance guaranteed features give enterprises the protection they need to ensure communication meets all industry regulations and data security and privacy requirements.

Using tools with weak and/or bolted on security

With weak or bolted on security, many popular communication apps and collaboration tools present security gaps that cyber criminals can exploit to infiltrate enterprise networks and systems. When that happens, sensitive data can be stolen, sold, ransomed or leaked, compromising the integrity of business information and operations.

Using unsecure solutions that don’t prioritize security increases the likelihood of data breach incidents like these that negatively impact the bottom line. Data breaches today are costing organizations in the U.S. an eye-popping average of $9.44 million.

With built-in end-to-end encryption (E2EE) – the gold standard in security, NetSfere provides maximum protection which locks cybercriminals out of business communication. Messages and data are secure at rest and in transit, keeping all communication secure and confidential.

Using tools that lack administrative control

It is important to be aware that not all communication and collaboration solutions provide the administrative controls needed to mandate and manage enterprise policies that are critical to ensuring security and compliance with regulatory requirements. Lack of central control means that enterprises could inadvertently expose sensitive data and proprietary information, putting it in the wrong hands (e.g., competitors or bad actors).

Organizations can take control of their business communication with NetSfere. NetSfere provides a full suite of features that enable IT administrators to manage, control, and secure all business communication and sensitive, confidential data on all devices, including those owned by employees.

Contact us today to learn more about how NetSfere can make mobile messaging the strongest link in your organization’s chain of security and compliance.