How Could Encrypted Messaging Help Your Business During Lockdown

0
2403
Encrypted Messaging

During this COVID 19 lockdown, where everyone is trying to avoid moving out of their home to keep themselves safe from this dangerous virus.

When you consider modern attacks, it’s pretty obvious that all businesses need a strong lineup of cyber-defence tools like the encrypted message, not just a barebones firewall and old-fashioned antivirus. You need to protect your business first, and to do that, you have to build out a strong cybersecurity stack that can actually withstand the onslaught of modern malware.

For any business, it’s crucial to remember that, as needs shift, the conversation around cybersecurity services is only going to grow. That means making sure your own business has an effective cybersecurity strategy is no longer merely nice to have; it’s actually a necessary part of doing business in today’s world.

We are used to apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal providing end-to-end encryption for messages, videos, photos and documents for allotted amounts of time to prevent uninvited and unknown others from reading, looking at or watching our digital interactions.

But should we use the same functionality for our business unified communications (UC) which often uses cloud-hosted apps like instant messaging, email and video, as well as calls? The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs thinks so.

A draft proposal released this week stated: “The principle of confidentiality should apply to current and future means of communication, including calls, internet access, instant messaging applications, email, internet phone calls and personal messaging provided through social media.”

This preservation of digital privacy is a sticky subject with terrorist incidents dominating our headlines of late, but it is widely agreed that citizens should have the same protection in both their online and offline lives.

This may mean that when a business chooses a UC solution, it may also list security and end-to-end encryption as must-haves on their features list.

Table of Contents

What is end-to-end encryption?

The best definition of end to end encryption I can think of is a lock and key. Imagine sending a message through an app to another user; they can only access the message if they have the key, so the key is only shared with the individual or group of your choice. No-one can gain access to the document without the key; anyone who tries to must tackle the encryption code.

It is this encryption that has allowed businesses to trust cloud-hosted telephone systems and modern UC solutions that integrate with corporate or BYOD/CYOD mobile devices. All interactions, including calls, are encrypted to ensure they are only heard, read or viewed by relevant participating parties.