Workplace collaboration and file-sharing apps such as Slack, Google Workspace, and MS 365 have grown in use. Gartner estimates their use has grown by 44% since the pandemic began. With remote working so popular, they're a useful tool to help people collaborate. Without them, communication in your business might grind to a halt.
Unfortunately, cyber criminals are aware of this. Despite protective security features, apps are not immune to threats.
Email is one of the most common methods for cyber criminals to gain access to your business information. And spam emails are sent every day. This is often done through phishing, malicious software (malware) distribution, and social engineering.
In the first half of 2022, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission received reports of 11,395 incidents of business email compromise. In total, these cost businesses $12.3 million.
As well as day to day business messages, collaboration tools and email might contain sensitive customer or employee data. A data breach could have compliance or regulatory implications for your business. And beyond that, a cyber security could also potentially damage your business's reputation with customers.
So, it’s worth considering taking extra steps to help protect your digital collaboration spaces. They can help boost the security of your workplace apps and help safeguard your business.
To help keep your communications and data more secure you can consider
Make sure you understand what security features are built into the email and collaboration solutions you’re using, and how to use them. For example, you might be able to add password protection or encryption to specific files you are sharing.
And many solutions now let you to add two-step or multi-factor authentication. This adds an extra layer of security to protect access to your email and collaboration apps and the data they contain.
You could also encourage the use of encrypted connections (HTTPS) among your employees for accessing email and collaboration apps.
A recent Deloitte cyber report identified that 95% of cyber security events are from human error. Educating employees about best practices can help protect your business against potential data breaches.
So, a key part of protecting your business is building a cyber secure mindset and educating your team. This means making sure they know not to re-use or share passwords and how to spot phishing attempts that could put your business at risk.
You might also take advantage of initiatives such as the Cyber Wardens programme which aims to educate businesses on how to help protect workplaces from online threats.
If you’re using a range of apps and collaboration solutions, then it can also make sense to consider solutions that offer additional protection at a holistic level.
These types of solutions can help secure your cloud email, collaboration, and file-sharing apps to help protect all lines of business communication.
The type of solution you choose depends upon the variety and number of applications you want to protect, and from what. You should also think about how easy it will be to set up and how much visibility it will give you of threats to your business.
Common threats to consider include:
Phishing attempts to trick people into revealing confidential information or transferring funds. Installing an email and collaboration security solution can help detect and block phishing attempts.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre recommends using security software to help protect your business. With attacks becoming more sophisticated, it’s worth investigating solutions that can offer an extra level of protection to secure your data and communications.
If you have many collaboration apps, consider a cyber security solution that caters for them all. This can help create a more holistic level of security for your business operations.
It’s worth considering not only what apps and tools you’re using today, but also those you might want to use in the future.
Consider ease of installation of the solution you choose. You’ll want to ensure your solution is properly set up and can help protect your business immediately. So, if you don’t have an in-house expert, it’s worth making sure you choose a solution that you’re confident will be easy to install. You could also explore professional installation services.
Check out the reporting and insights offered by solutions you are exploring. Do they offer you a dashboard that can give you a holistic view of security functions to help with risk management. This can help you track security events and be more prepared to stay ahead of threats.
If your business does suffer a data breach, maintaining productivity is important. On average, it takes between 200 to 300 days for an organisation to realise it has suffered a data breach. If response time is important, ensure your solution has the latest cyber security technologies.
Email and online collaboration are vital parts of many business operations today. It pays to ensure you’re clear on the security measures you have in place to protect them.
An email and collaboration cyber security solution can help you store and share critical information between people more safely. This in turn helps protect sensitive business, customer and employee data and the risk of data breaches.
We rarely expect to be caught out by a cyber-criminal. But making sure you remain vigilant and maintain good cyber security practices is essential.
Solutions designed to help with more holistic protection across a range of email and collaboration apps can add an extra layer of security to your business communications. This can offer greater peace of mind and support for you and your team as you go about your business day.
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