How to Secure Your Unified Communication Channels

Data breaches and other cyber threats can severely impact the operations and revenue of a company. In fact, a recent report highlights how the average data breach can cost a company at least $3.86 million. For this reason, organizations should strive to strengthen their technologies and security on all fronts.

One key technology that many organizations are starting to adopt is unified communication channels, which incorporate dedicated community chats, voice and video calls, teleconferencing tools, and file-sharing software. These allow organizations to host internal and external communications with ease and enable seamless collaboration. In addition, unified communication channels also help organizations facilitate a higher level of interaction among their globally dispersed workforce.

A bulk of an organization’s data is coursed through its unified communication channels. If left unchecked, this may make an organization vulnerable to malicious cyberattacks. In this article, we talk about how your organization can keep its unified communication channels secure.

Hire a Cybersecurity Expert

To uphold the security of your unified communication channel, you should first assess the specific needs of your organization and your workers. This means creating an in-depth plan with a cybersecurity expert who has a good understanding of digital forensics, cyber law, database design, and programming. Aside from helping your organization anticipate evolving cyber threats, cybersecurity experts can also aid in strengthening the application and infrastructure security of your unified communication channels.

However, it can be challenging to find and hire the right cybersecurity professional. Thankfully, many universities are now offering online courses that have opened up the field through remote learning. These online cyber security degrees allow a wider pool of students to build a foundation in ethical hacking, network and security, and virtualization in safe and protected virtual training grounds. Graduates of these degrees can provide organizations with a foolproof cybersecurity plan that focuses on improving the security of their communication channels.

Ensure Your Programs are Up-to-Date

Updating the programs included in your unified communication channel is crucial if you want to fend off cyber threats. Aside from providing you with the latest features, software updates also make sure that the programs you’re using match the evolving nature of cyberattacks. In addition, you should also keep your infrastructure’s security up-to-date by enhancing your information security management systems. This entails adding security procedures, as well as continuously reviewing and analyzing any risk that enters your system. These ensure that your unified communication channels are prepared to handle any sophisticated cyber threat it encounters.

Double Down on Encryption

While having a unified communication channel allows you to conveniently streamline your organization’s data transmission processes, it can also put your data at risk. For this reason, it’s important to check if the data that passes through your network is encrypted ⁠— both in transit and at rest. If your employees use their own devices to work, you can guarantee adequate encryption by having them use a VPN. Moreover, it’s also crucial that you choose a unified communication or PBX vendor that’s not only focused on facilitating seamless communication, but also guarantees the safety and confidentiality of your precious company data.

Unifying your communication channels holds a lot of benefits for your business. However, it is important that you take the necessary steps to keep it secure in order to avoid compromising your business and suffering from costly data breaches. If you want to heighten the security of your unified communication channels, be sure to keep in mind the tips we’ve listed above.