Enterprise CIO recently revealed the most banned software technologies in businesses today: WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Why?
“The majority of the banned apps were flagged by Appthority for data leakage, as well as vulnerabilities such as disabling default HTTPS encryption.
... WhatsApp Messenger, for instance, has a relatively high risk score of 7 out of 10 in terms of data leakage on both iOS and Android. Facebook shares the same risk score, despite being slightly less popular among enterprises.” - Enterprise CIO
Don’t leave your company vulnerable by using WhatsApp or Messenger for work
Enterprises are worried about lax security on the apps their employees use. In the first half of 2019, more than 4 billion records were exposed in data breaches. Confidential company information such as financial results or links to internal files could be hijacked and shared as employees use consumer-grade messaging apps or simple texts to collaborate.
Small and medium businesses (SMBs) should be just as wary of data breaches as large enterprises. If you work in or own an SMB, take a step back and consider how much private financial and operational information is being shared every day over texts and WhatsApp. Beyond security, there are other downsides of using a consumer messaging tool for business.
Business leaders tend to use apps with poor security
If you are a business leader, chances are you may be the source of potential security breaches for your business.
Flock surveyed 500 small US-based business owners and leaders, and our findings show that the more senior your designation, the more likely you are to be using informal messaging tools like texts and WhatsApp to communicate. CEO's and founders are 10% more likely than managers to use informal messaging tools!
Startups use informal messaging more than regular SMBs
Surprisingly, tech-savvy startups have a higher rate of usage of informal messaging tools than established businesses. What’s interesting is that while 37% of startups reported using messaging tools like Slack, 56% also use informal messaging tools like text and WhatsApp to communicate. So why is this a big deal?
Should SMBs trust WhatsApp or Messenger to keep them secure?
SMBs of all kinds are especially susceptible to security breaches due to their shorter technology adoption curve. The consequences of such incidences are exceptionally damaging since SMBs lack the budget and technical expertise to combat serious breaches.
Entrepreneur highlights four ways for SMBs to protect themselves from potential security incidents:
- Recognize that SMBs are highly lucrative targets
- Put security systems in place to safeguard your business
- Train employees continuously
- Use systems and tools that are easy and secure
Secure team communication software is accessible, even for SMBs
For team communication, consider moving away from texts or other consumer messaging tools and try using a business messaging solution that is designed for security. On top of keeping your business communication secure, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that these tools improve team collaboration.
Business communication and collaboration software like Flock allow team members to exchange messages—just like in a texting app—but offer a secure environment that gives business owners peace of mind. For added security measures, SMBs can also consider implementing top-rated antivirus software to protect against malware and cyber threats. Antivirus programs provide an additional layer of defense by detecting and removing malicious software that could compromise sensitive business data.
What's more, there are productivity and efficiency benefits from using collaboration software. Modern business messaging tools offer more features for group chat, such as the ability to create open or private channels for specific topics and projects, video conferencing and screen sharing, file tracking, and note-taking. Messages and channels are searchable so you can track back to a file or conversation from earlier in the month, something that’s very hard to do with texts.
