By Niall Sullivan, Digital Marketing Executive, Kahootz.
Enterprise collaboration software has, in recent times, become an increasingly common way for businesses of all types and sizes to strengthen productivity and communication amongst teams. These tools have several advantages, such as flexible working, secure document sharing and the tracking and managing of projects.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of using a collaboration tool, though, is the added level of security they offer. Kahootz, a UK cloud collaboration software vendor, discusses the safety features included in such tools and how they can be utilised within the workplace in order to strengthen security.
Access controls and audit trails
When working on large projects involving many people, there are often concerns over access to sensitive information. By using collaboration software, managers can address these issues by making use of the in-built access controls, which allow them to restrict and grant access to employees based on roles and responsibilities.
If unauthorised access is attempted, the tool can alert the relevant individuals, as well as having the ability to deny access if attempted breaches are carried out. What this means for business data is that confidential documents and information are always kept safe and may only be viewed by specific employees.
Additionally, collaboration tools offer full audit trials which show every user’s interaction with the workspace, allowing managers to see which employees have edited, viewed or uploaded documents, thus providing total transparency.
Network security
Collaborative software must have an extremely secure network, incorporating https/SSL connections so that employees can work securely from any location, at any time. Likewise, data encryption should be of utmost importance at every stage, in order to keep all company data safe.
All good software vendors will place great significance on network security and have structures in place to relentlessly monitor networks and prevent threats.
Password controls
Most of us should be aware of the dangers of having insecure, weak passwords that are relatively straightforward to hack, as well as the dire consequences they may have for an organisation holding lots of sensitive information.
To help combat such issues, the majority of cloud collaboration tools require strict password controls, including the need for long-tail, combination passwords and two-factor authentication set-up. It is also commonplace for robust platforms to automatically log-out users when they have been inactive for some time.
These features add an extra layer of security, ensuring only authorised users can enter the platform, whilst making it much more difficult to hack, thus protecting important documents held within the workspace.
Training
There is simply no point investing in an enterprise collaboration tool unless staff are fully proficient and able to make use of all the security features available within it.
It’s an unfortunate fact that the majority of data breaches within companies are caused by negligent or poorly trained employees, which is why it is vital to educate staff on data security risks and how to prevent them.
Quality software vendors understand your concerns and should be happy to assist the business on how to properly use the platform and keep company data safe. As such, when deciding which vendor to choose, always look for those which offer training or implementation workshops for users.
Accreditations
If you have decided to incorporate a collaboration tool within the workplace, then it is crucial to select a legitimate vendor. Accreditations to look for include the ISO 27001, which is independently audited and demonstrates that the tool provider takes information security extremely seriously and that sensitive data will not be compromised.
Similarly, the platform vendor should have completed its yearly IT Health Check (ITHC), using a recognised CHECK testing partner. Security experts carry out this test, which concludes whether the platform can remain secure when a hacking attempt takes place. If the provider you choose has passed the test, your business has peace of mind that in the event of an attack, the tool remains secure, as well as passing user authentication and session management controls.
Author bio: Niall Sullivan is the Digital Marketing Executive at Kahootz, a UK-based secure cloud collaboration tool for teams of all sizes.
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