With the standard office environment shifting to hybrid and remote work, proper collaboration tools that are both secure and effective are in high demand. A set plan that employees can easily implement for daily collaboration is essential for seamless daily operations. This plan helps align your team across multiple departments, processes, and technologies.
A foolproof framework can protect your business’s data while enabling productivity from anywhere. Read on to learn how to create your own secure plan.
Identify Your Collaboration & Communication Needs
Some teams need a slew of tools and software to meet their requirements, and others need to add a few simple steps for efficiency. Every organization is different, and you need to determine your company’s specific needs–you cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach. The bonus is that tailoring your plan accordingly will also be the most cost-efficient.
Consider what features each team in your company needs and ensure that you have the proper IT resources to support your plan.
Employ Secure Email Services
No matter where you work, you will need to communicate with someone. So, whether that be someone within your network or an outside vendor, using a secure email service provider will keep your email account and the content of your emails secure.
Typically secure email services include the implementation of end-to-end encryption. End-to-end encryption means that the email is completely encrypted from the sender’s inbox to the recipient’s. Even the email provider has no access. The only person who can read the encrypted emails is the recipient, who has means of authentication, like an encryption key.
Utilize Secure Collaboration Tools
Collaboration tools can make a remote or hybrid team’s communication easier. For example, imagine working with a team scattered all over the world and across time zones. With the right collaboration tools, team members in different locations can connect and understand what the whole team is doing.
Consider your Company’s Risks and Challenges
As mentioned above, your collaboration plan must include anything specific to your work environment. That also means assessing any potential risk factors and challenges associated with your implemented plan. Take the time to update your systems as required, including remote access, encryption, bandwidth, etc. Don’t forget to think about the cost of these new systems. For instance, your team may require additional training.
Information and Data Security is a Top Priority
Once you have created your collaboration plan and assessed any risk factors to your company’s legacy systems, you must now identify if your information and data security requirements have changed.
Is your organization now using cloud services that will deploy bug-proof software updates, or is that something you have to hire an outside IT professional to solve? Answering basic questions such as these will ensure that your company is ready to tackle any changes in the future–which could come fast.
Make sure to identify any areas where a new communication solution could compromise your network so that you’re always one step ahead of cyber threats.