Ensuring security in collaboration products is one of the top concerns for RingCentral’s customers, according to Nat Natarajan, EVP of Products and Engineering.
Last month the cloud comms provider introduced end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for ad-hoc and scheduled meetings. This encryption works across mobile, desktop, and web browser meetings. It also recently achieved compliance with C5:2020 – one of the strictest cybersecurity standards in Europe – for its Message Video Phone Platform and other Video and Engage solutions.
These features were to allay concerns from customers who were worried about ensuring privacy and security as they move to a hybrid working model.
“Due to the effects of the pandemic, people have to collaborate more, and security is top of mind for them,” he told UC Today.
“I think we were one of the first in the industry to use industry-standard protocols so people understand what our encryption protocols are. We constantly look at how to get ahead when it comes to security. It’s a never-ending battle and we always have to be vigilant”
“We are also always looking at the different compliance rules globally; we’re constantly evolving our footprint to make sure that that we are meeting these requirements in different regions of the world.”
His colleague Steve Rafferty, Country Manager for UKI, added that security and privacy are often the topics he gets asked about first when meeting with clients.
“The first thing is around security and privacy and trust – having the latest and greatest technology doesn’t always mean you’ve got the most secure,” Rafferty stated.
“I’m about to enter my fifth year at RingCentral and we’ve had Message Video Phone (MVP) about three years before I joined. We’ve been practising and preaching in this market for a hell of a long time.”
RingCentral has seen phenomenal growth recently, reporting a 36 percent jump in revenues to $379m in its most recent results, which Natarajan attributes in part to the vendor “stepping on the gas” with regards to innovation over the past 18 months.
Rafferty added that partners have been driving this innovation among customers, adding that they are central to the company’s growth.
“Our channel sits right at the heart of what we’re doing in the UK,” he declared.
“I spend at least 40 percent of my time talking to partners, 40 percent of my time working with customers, and the rest of the time working with my team, so partners are equally as important as customers in my work week and I think that will continue to be the case”
“And it’s not just your traditional partners – we’re attracting all types of partners, for example, I’ve had a number of conversations with some of of the larger cloud providers around how we can collaborate better because we’re all serving the same customer.”
New Additions
This week RingCentral announced a host of new features to its MVP platform to address the challenges posed by a hybrid working environment.
The new features include live transcription, meeting summaries, and a whiteboard, which will be generally available to customers from Q1 2022.
It has also introduced next-gen analytics that is available in a single pane of glass enabling customers to make business decisions in just a few clicks. This is also expected to be generally available from Q1 2022.
Updates to RingCentral Rooms enable a no-touch environment for hybrid working and will be available from Q4 2021.
“We are a product-driven company – you’ve seen the acceleration of our capabilities and you’ll continue to see that,” Natarajan stated.
