The 3rd Generation of Secure Digital Communications is all about balance

Missed our webinar discussing how smart technology is stopping outbound data breaches? No problem. Here are our key takeaways to get you caught up…

Did you know that over 80% of data leaks are caused by human error, such as sending information to the wrong person or using Bcc and Cc functions incorrectly? But there’s good news – smart technology can stop outbound data breaches and prevent companies from suffering reputational and financial repercussions, all while balancing security with ease of use.

We invited a panel of security experts and Zivver thought leaders to explain how smart technologies are shaping the 3^rd Generation of Secure Digital Communications.

Hear from our panel, including:

• Rick Goud, Chief Innovation Officer & Co-Founder, Zivver
• Robert Fleming, Chief Marketing Officer & Head of Product Management at Zivver
• Duncan Brown, Vice President, European Enterprise Research at IDC
• Barry Moult, Director at BJM IG Privacy Ltd

We all know that email remains the most popular form of communication between employees, as well as external stakeholders. And this reliance is only set to increase. Zivver’s CMO & Head of Product Management, Robert Fleming, kicked off the session outlining how the rapid pace of digitalization and the shift to hybrid and remote working has changed the adoption of digital communications tools, and what employees need from this technology:

“Digital transformation, coupled with the hybrid working and regulatory reforms, means that we really need a modern secure communications platform that's highly usable, and drives secure working for staff to have maximum effectiveness and causes minimum disruption to their usual workflows.”

Despite this, existing technology isn’t keeping pace in today’s world, causing friction. It’s time for a new generation of smart technology, which is the key to making communication effortless and secure. Tools powered by smart security can work hidden in the background, helping employees stay safe and stop potential outbound data leaks. Enter: The 3^rd Generation of Secure Digital Communications.

While introducing the concept of this new wave of email security our CIO, Rick Goud, shed light on the transformation email communication has gone through, from the initial threat-free stage, the first gateway-based solutions and today’s user-centered and risk-focused tools. More importantly, he made the point that greater attention to protecting digital communications has led to complex solutions such as multi-step processes, clunky systems, or separate accounts just to access information securely. These additional steps are far from simple and effortless, particularly considering the number of emails we send and receive.

“If you look at day-to-day practices, every employee, whether it’s a hospital, law firm or the accounts department, needs to make hundreds of data protection decisions a day. In fact, an average employee sends over 130 business emails per day, spent over two hours working on their email, which accounts for 25% of the working day.”

He went through a few scenarios when sensitive information can be mishandled by staff such as doctors sharing incorrect medical records with patients or colleagues. As Rick pointed out, instead of expecting employees to change their ways of working and switching applications for different use cases, such as sending a sensitive attachment, they should expect more from technology used within the organization.

Key security gaps to bridge

But how can IT leaders wake up their business to the benefits of the 3^rd Generation of Secure Digital Communications? Duncan Brown, Vice President, European Enterprise Research at IDC went on to discuss the main “big buckets” of barriers when it comes to internal buy-in, including getting the risk assessment wrong, issues with traditional system implementation as well as over-relying on trust.

Inaccurate risk assessments often stem from a CISO’s focus on inbound attacks, such as ransomware and phishing attacks. At the same time, security professionals might not always think about outbound protection as priority. Duncan noted that, in fact:

“The outbound side is probably not often within the boundaries of what a security professional would look at as a risk…

I've been in organizations where they would say they trust the employees. And that's fine as far as it goes, but do you trust them always to do the right thing on every occasion, with no mistakes? I think that's a bit of a stretch.”

Barry Moult, Director at BJM IG Privacy Ltd, noted that, although companies can carry out risk mitigation initiatives by having right policies in place and providing employee training, technology needs to move with the times. With the ever-growing amount of data organizations handle, it’s key to stay on top of available security solutions. Robert seconded that by saying:

“Relying only on employee awareness training is clearly not enough. Because we're seeing the problem getting worse, not better.”

Calling for the industry to step up and use smart solutions to empower employees on every level, he continued:

“We live in an era of smart cars, smart houses, smart power that is helping people to overcome a problem with technology that's not obtrusive. On the contrary, it’s modern and usable.”

The smart revolution

Following from Robert’s point, Rick used an analogy to showcase what digital communications can learn from Tesla. In a nutshell, Tesla made sure the new car’s design has a familiar look, because changing users’ behavior is always a challenge. However, the true innovation “happened under the hood”. Rick commented that email communication must follow suit and integrate security capabilities within already used tools to make the transition as effortless as possible.

This panel discussion highlighted how the 3^rd Generation of Secure Digital Communications is not only about leveraging smart technology to strike the optimal balance between security and effortlessness. It's also understanding that for users, it's about the job to be done. Employers need to empower staff to operate securely and compliantly but at the same time must bear in mind the use cases. Instead of expecting employees to change their way of working and switching applications for different use cases such as sending a sensitive attachment, they should expect more from technology used within organizations.

Are you ready to discover the next generation of secure communications? Get in touch.