When historians look back at the Pandemic, they may conclude that necessity was the Mother of Invention.
That was especially true with Unified Communications (UC).
It revolutionised work.
Vital to UC is chat and its dynamic reactions, gifs, emojis, link and file features, if not properly monitored, increase the risks of data breaches and exposure.
Theta Lake conducted in-depth research about the risks of UC chat and uncovered some startling findings
The Attraction of Chat
Chat is embedded in all the popular collaboration tools, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams RingCentral, Cisco and others.
It’s easy to see why.
Chat is flexible. Conversations can be concurrent or asynchronous. Salutations and closings can be ignored, saving microseconds. The user experience trumps both email and telephoning.
Chat is so popular precisely because it makes every interaction — from reactions to the sharing of links, files, and emojis — incredibly easy.
That’s a problem.
2021 Modern Communications Survey: Scary Findings
Theta Lake’s 2021 Survey is a must-read for anyone concerned about online security and keeping information safe.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents cited chat, file and link sharing as most threatening to client privacy and security.
They were justified.
Research revealed that: –
- 63% of respondents share files
- 56% share links
- 93% admitted to receiving files or links (which could contain malware). Half do this twice daily.
Regulators Are Focused on Chat
Regulators are well aware of the risks of chat. Their rules are designed to protect investors and market integrity. Their concern isn’t the commercial impact on enterprises. .
In the US, enforcement is underpinned by SEC Rule 17a-4 and FINRA rule 2210.
It stipulates that written electronic communications must be “captured, retained, and supervised”.
Non-compliance brings substantial fines and reputational loss.
In January 2022, FINRA announced it was fining a global financial services firm $9m for its failure to preserve 18.6 billion plus chat and communications records.
Theta Lake’s Chat Connector Enables Compliance
Theta Lake’s chat connector allows for the full use of chat, capturing all the dynamic elements of a conversation and facilitating quick and seamless retention in a firm’s existing archive. Theta Lake’s chat connector captures emojis, file shares, reactions, links, and the context of these interactive conversations. It collects the content, and sends it to existing firm archives to support investigations, eDiscovery, and operational processes.
Moreover, Theta Lake allows organisations to selectively archive content, like in-meeting chat or polling without recording the voice or video components of a meeting.
Perhaps future historians will note happy regulators for the first time.
Click here for more details about Theta Lake’s 2021 Modern Communications Survey.
