What makes for meaningful collaboration?

Research and advisory company, Gartner, predicts that by 2025 “The changing nature of work and people’s digitally intermediated perceptions of connected spaces mean IT leaders must reconceptualise the 2025 workplace as a smart, adaptable environment that conforms to workers' contexts and evolved job requirements’.

The benefits of heightened collaboration within a company are endless, especially when it comes to enhancing the customer experience. Collaborative features such as instant messaging, video conferencing, screen sharing, Voice over IP, and shared cloud document management allows a business to communicate more effectively between locations, departments (virtual or otherwise), and people.

But effective collaboration can also flag major security concerns, especially as many data breaches within organisations are caused internally. And with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) set to come into effect in May 2018, it’s imperative for businesses to ensure that their collaborative systems are robust. The more we collaborate, the more we share and so data security is a business-critical priority.

As employees and organisations are seeking ways to collaborate more and more, how can you fully harness the power of collaboration in the cloud while being fully protected?

Here are some top tips for using collaboration tools to ensure optimum data security:

1.Invest in the right software

When implementing new technology, security remains a key priority. New collaborative

tools feature secure and safe document handling with security layers to keep your business

safe, and the ability of managing access permissions for safe sharing and handling documents from remote or out-of-office locations. This allows an organisation to take advantage of new collaborative technology without the risks of sensitive data or important information being wrongly shared.

The laptop your best sales exec misplaced on the tube after a busy day of client meetings? A remote wipe and user access reset will avoid you worrying about who has access to that data now. It won’t be cheap but it will be worth it. Select collaboration tools carefully, ones that promise optimal security and that are user friendly.

2. Protect your information

To protect company information, data can be encrypted so that only authorised parties can access it. In addition to this, data can be assigned usage rights, and be given

embed classifications that follows the data no matter where it goes. This ensures

that shared corporate information never reaches the wrong hands and is constantly

protected. Data security starts with 256-bit file encryption. File encryption is required for all files that are stored on the vendor servers and in transit and acts as a protective shell around a file so that a hacker cannot view the contents if they intercept it at any point.

3. Define access

In order to give a business complete control, a company can define specific access

controls using an access management system ranging from the main datacentre to the cloud. Through this, access can be given at different levels of the company, or certain permissions can be given for important documents. For example, some team members may be able to edit, but not share documents, or some may be able to do both. This feature is great for complete control over what happens to important data.

4. Direct management, on the fly

A business can secure their applications and data in one simple click. With collaborative

security controls, security features can be added to documents no matter where

they are, and are covered instantly. This means if something needs to be changed quickly, a business is fully capable of doing so.

5. Gain visibility

A business can use data protection to track shared data, and see who accesses important information, and where it is sent to. This means that access can be given or taken away easily, with complete visibility for the business.

6. Understand the benefits of using an MCSP

Working with the right MCSP (Managed Cloud Service Provider) will help optimise use of collaborative communications and increase business efficiency, allowing you to focus on your customers. The right MCSP will provide dedicated servers in a highly secure data centre, ensure that you stay on top of legislation with fully protected and robust technologies and help manage client and team activity in a secure, shared and collaborative space.

7. Educate your team

Understanding data security and ensuring software maintains the highest level of data is imperative. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that all active users in the organisation are regularly trained on how to keep data safe while enjoying the full benefits of collaboration and that they understand that safe and secure practices must be adhered to, such as password changes and social media processes.

Through continual learning, development and education, organisations can find the right balance between meaningful collaboration in the workforce through the use of technologies and the necessary business requirements of maintaining IT security, data, privacy, and business sensitive information.