GeekBox IT Blog

The right collaboration tools can be game-changing for business, but only if they are appropriately configured and integrated with intention into your infrastructure. Today, we are bringing you four common mistakes that businesses make with their collaboration tool security that could hold you back from getting the most from our solutions.

Make Sure Data and File Sharing is Secure

While you’d like to think that collaboration platforms are secure inherently, this is simply not true. You’ll want to investigate to discover more about the tools you use and how well they secure files sent and stored within them—particularly if the solution utilizes the public cloud for communications. For example, your email solution would fall under this umbrella, so ensure that it meets the requisite security standards you expect from it.

Research Potential Solutions and Providers

During the implementation step, you will find yourself working with various providers and solutions to build a communications infrastructure that works best for your business. It’s easy to overlook the fact that some of these solutions might not play nicely with others. You’ll also want to ensure that you have a good working relationship with the vendors in question and that they are willing to work with you to make any needed changes or adjustments throughout the implementation process. You can get the most from your providers’ expertise if you understand the needs of your own business first, then build your agreement around that.

Manage and Maintain Your Collaboration Tools Centrally

When you use collaboration tools and applications to get work done, you’ll need to take extra precautions to ensure that your team is not using external solutions that skirt around your business’s protocols, like using a preferred third-party app rather than a business-hosted one. This type of practice, known as shadow IT, is dangerous, as it decentralizes your data in a way that could become a security risk. Ensure your team has access to the tools they need by hosting solutions centrally and listening to them to determine if what you have implemented truly works best for them.

Employee Security Matters as Well

It also matters how your employees are accessing important data required to do their jobs, particularly if the employee is out of the office and off the safety of your internal network. You’ll want to ensure that your team has a secure connection to any and all data hosted by your business, something which can be accomplished through the use of a secure Internet connection and a virtual private network to keep your connection encrypted.

Security doesn’t have to come at the cost of productivity, and GeekBox IT can help you get the most out of your collaboration tools. To learn more, call us today at (336) 790-1000.