We’re living in a world where information is everywhere. Every time you log onto your social media channels, fill out a quiz, connect with someone over the telephone, or even ask your virtual assistant to order something for you, you’re adding to the information overflow.
Of course, there are positives and negatives to this ocean of data. For the modern business, data is the key to stronger connections with your target audience. The more you know about the people you’re selling to, the more you can adjust your strategies to suit their specific needs. Of course, on the other side of the coin, is the issue of privacy. People want to know how, and when you’re using their information, and they want the right to take that data back if they feel you’re not accessing it properly.
Facebook is currently experiencing some serious heat because the company failed to keep user data safe. We’ve all read the story about Facebook allowing “Global Science Research” to get their hands on fairly detailed information of over 87 million users. The problem wasn’t with the data gathering practices themselves, but with the fact that people didn’t know their personal information was being gathered and shared.
Privacy and The Communication Sphere
So, what does Facebook’s poor privacy strategy have to do with your business communication network? The simple answer is that communication is changing. Information is being gathered in various places, from emails with your customers to conversations recorded on your desk phone. The more the communication highway evolves, the more companies are having to rethink their data protection strategies.
For instance, if you’re sharing documents and messaging people on an online app, you’re transferring data, so you need to know where that information is being stored, who you’re sharing it with, and what’s going to happen with that data when you’re done with it. Today, all organisations have vast collections of confidential information to manage, and much of it is subject to the data protection regulations of the industry – including the looming GDPR.
Thanks to a higher availability of freemium services and BYO approaches to collaboration services, CIOs have been left with piles of disconnected data to contend with, in a world where one misplaced file could leave you in a heap of trouble.
The Risks of Poorly-Organised Information
Whether it’s in the contact centre, or throughout any other consumer touchpoint, consumer data faces a range of risks – both accidental and intentional. For instance, of a call centre employee records more of a customer payment card than they’re allowed to by PCI law, then the entire business could be penalized. Additionally, the GDPR places highly specific limitations on how and when organisations should store data, as well as how long this information should be stored for, and how it must be protected.
Not only do companies need to make sure that they’re storing information carefully, but they also have to be prepared to share any of the information that they gather with their customers too – or with other organisations, if requested by the customer.
The risks in the average communication strategy aren’t limited exclusively to the people inside of the organisation either. It’s possible that fraudsters and hackers will see the contact centre as a weak link for business security and attempt to get their hands on crucial data that way too. That means that communication professionals and CIOs need to make the data they gather accessible when necessary, but not so accessible that it could fall into the wrong hands.
Taking Control with Unified Communications
The good news is that the rising trend of unified communication strategies could be the key to a more secure network – particularly as many of these UC solutions are now interoperable with tools and services specifically intended to boost compliance.
The very process of unifying communications makes compliance in the privacy world easier to come by. With a unified platform for recording, managing, and storing messages, experts within an enterprise will be able to have a complete oversight over every channel their customers use to connect with the contact centre – whether they’re getting in touch through voice or instant message.
A unified network can be designed to record all communications effectively, and fraud-protection solutions can even be implemented to reduce the risk that today’s businesses fall victim to malicious activity. Your UC service can even help to ensure that the sensitive information you gather, such as credit card details, only end up in the right location, in the right format.
Defending the Weak Points in Your Organisation
There’s more to protecting your organisation from privacy problems than simply making sure you have the right UC strategy in place, but it’s a good start. In addition, you’ll also need to think about informing the people that gather data from your customers on how they can keep those details safe and secure. All companies should have best practices in place that correlate with the guidelines of the GDPR, and other essential regulations.
Controlling communications can go a long way towards protecting brands from privacy issues, but workers aren’t the only weak point that needs to be considered. Keep in mind that the connection between any network and the internet on a wider basis can be a hugely tempting target for attackers, so it’s important that SIP and IP connections are secure too.
In the communication space, access to the IP connection shouldn’t be something that everyone has. Organisations should ask from day one how much security their SIP trunk comes with and whether they need to layer additional privacy measures on top.
Perfecting the Privacy Standard
Ultimately, achieving a secure and private communication strategy is a difficult process for any business – particularly as the amount of information we collect continues to grow. The key to success, and avoiding scandals, is making sure that you know exactly what you’re working with from day one. In the face of GDPR, PCI, and various other data protection regulations that are yet to come, companies that learn how to support themselves and their customers with the right experience on UC could be the ones that get ahead of the game.
