Enterprise Communications Featured Article

Companies throughout the world rely on enterprise communications to keep business running. Whether it’s inside sales teams keeping in touch with customers or an executive base that travels the country to promote the brand, staying connected is essential.

As mobility has increased significantly for companies of all sizes, the focus as of late has been on the best ways to protect this communication. Employees need access to the network and each other without granting access to those who may be trying to hack into vulnerabilities in the system. How do you keep this from happening?

Enterprise communications can be secure, if you have the right tools and protocols in place. A recent Biz Journals report focused on this topic as it’s one that is easy to overlook. For instance, did you know your phone conversations could be listened to and even intercepted and forwarded to another number? It happened to a Cape Coral company. Spies successfully intercepted and routed their calls, even providing authorization when a bank called to verify the cashing of two large checks – which were being cashed by the spies and not the actual company.

Spies and hackers can also track your location on a mobile device. Most of us enable this capability through apps anyway, making it easy for those who want our information to find out more. Likewise, they can use apps to monitor your emails, text messages, call logs and every voice call. Even if your device is password protected, spying software can still be automatically installed. Pay attention if you’re having trouble powering down, the device stays lit when it is off or if it rings and no one is on the line. Mobile Anti-Virus software can help if your phone is a target.

For many of us, enterprise communications set the tone for how we stay connected either in the office or on the go. We often rely on our IT department to keep the right protections in place for the network, but if we’re using a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program, vulnerabilities intensify and we may need to change some habits. For instance, IT probably has a list of apps that are no longer OK to use simply because they introduce vulnerabilities to the system that aren’t necessary.

As collaboration and real-time communications continue to play a vital role in our day-to-day work lives, a focus on security and proper use is essential. Take the necessary steps to ensure phone lines aren’t tapped or intercepted and follow use rules when it comes to your mobile device. It will not only help to protect the business, it will also prevent unnecessary headaches when you don’t have to wipe a device and start over just to ensure security.