More companies are now using team chat applications, such as Atlassian HipChat, Cisco Spark, Microsoft Teams, RingCentral... <\/p>\n
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Glip and Slack. As a result, IT leaders are moving from debating the merits of adopting such applications to practical concerns around security and information protection of corporate data stored within the apps. <\/p>\n
Vendors in the team messaging space are increasingly differentiating themselves on the basis of security. For example, Cisco, ClearChat and Symphony tout their end-to-end messaging encryption models as superior to other vendors that only provide messaging encryption at rest or in motion. <\/p>\n
The issue of messaging encryption has also spilled into the consumer world, with the European Union recently issuing draft legislation mandating end-to-end encryption for all messaging services. <\/p>\n
As team chat applications gain traction in the enterprise, IT leaders should familiarize themselves with the various flavors of messaging encryption: <\/p>\n
For IT leaders evaluating various team messaging applications, let risk be your guide. <\/p>\n
Consumer messaging services, such as Kik, and many popular business-focused apps, such as Slack, do not yet offer end-to-end encryption, meaning messages are only encrypted at rest and in motion. Therefore, messaging providers could be compelled by court order to decrypt and turn over message data. <\/p>\n
In a worst-case scenario, messaging systems could be hacked, resulting in the release of messaging data out into the wild. <\/p>\n
Providers offering end-to-end messaging encryption -- with user-held keys -- offer an added layer of security by enabling customers to control access to message stores. With end-to-end encryption, even if a government agency were to show up at the provider's door with a warrant, the provider could only turn over encrypted message data to the agency. The only way of decrypting messages -- short of hacking encryption algorithms -- is by obtaining the keys from the customer of the messaging provider. <\/p>\n
Most organizations can accept the risk of not using end-to-end encryption. But for companies in regulated industries or organizations looking for an extra level of protection, evaluate end-to-end encrypted services with a self-owned key management capability. <\/p>\n
Take these steps to secure your messaging applications. <\/p>\n
Team chat apps see huge growth and fierce competition. <\/p>\n
Are business chat apps becoming the next UC platforms? <\/p>\n
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