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integrity in communications, helping manage transformation, governance and compliance. Unfortunately, just as no form of security software works in a flawless vacuum, the very concept of collabo- ration software is not without its own unique challenges. Ever-Changing Tech With the growing evolution of communications technology and how it is transmitted, holes are constantly left open for malicious actors to expose. This threat consistently uncovers significant risk for sensitive business information, critical dialogue and private employee data. Plus, to further compound the issue, most attacks do not occur within the short, closeable window of the actual session. “Most people don’t know that the average hack lasts three to six months,” said Nace. “Monitoring for a collaboration security risk is so much more of a long-term investigation into the habits and tendencies of stake- holders than people realize.” For this reason, Telesystem pro- motes a full “white-glove” approach characterized by extra-special – and specialized – attention to the smaller details that most self-policing enter- prises miss. “It’s so important to have somebody do the heavy lifting,” Nace continued, noting that companies such as Telesystem “provide the expertise that the end user might not have.” And as more groups shift to reliance on remote collaboration tools, a false feeling of bravado can have devastat- ing side effects. Proper Data Governance Hubris aside, the increasing number of instances of reliance on remote collaboration software has exposed yet another vulnerability for cyber criminals to exploit. “The move to remote collabo- ration tools poses risk for online security, such as how organizations try to protect data,” said Jason Beal, AvePoint senior vice president of global channel and partner Ecosystems. “Whether it’s on-premis- es or in the cloud, there is so much access to data, and that requires gover- nance as far as who can access what and share what. If you don’t have the right governance or the right policies, it will lead to storage inefficiency.” And inefficiency could be an at-best scenario. “From the user perspective,” Beal continued, “it’s a whole new set of risks.” According to the executive, common issues such as lax data-loss prevention practices, info sprawl and other storage defects only continue to open the door to third-party penetra- tors. With the trend toward vendor consolidation, data maintenance has become even more complex, often lending to massive, often difficult-to-manage info stores, at best, and problem- atic, exposed data sprawl, at worst. This trend, it should be noted, is where AvePoint’s executives believe its collabora- tion security options truly excel, with several products and platforms that aim to reduce a lot of the costs and headaches associated with problem- atic data governance. Importance of Proactivity Perhaps more than any other aspect of collaboration security, the critical need to stay proactive – or paying one to react in real-time on the organization’s behalf – cannot be underscored. “I think this is an area that is finally starting to get some atten - tion,” observed Bill Wootton, founder and president of C3 Integrated Solutions. C3 is a government contractor IT company and managed service provider partner of AvePoint, with a staff of consultants who work to recommend best-case technology for clients. “We have an incredible oppor- tunity to collaborate and share, both within and outside of our organization. But the security side tenses up.” “How do I know what I’m sharing, who can see it or if who is seeing it, should be?” he continued. The only clear answer is to have 24x7 anti-fraud measures in place. “I see it as more of a real-time versus reactive mindset,” said Nace, who believes that too many organiza- tions are willing to sit back and wait for a breach to occur, all the while not comprehending the nature of how most collaboration- related hacks go down. In contrast, Telesystem’s approach is to provide a multi- faceted playbook of options for the end user, including real- time, back-end monitor- ing and – outside of normal calling patterns – making sure the session is shut down. Nace believes that the optimal combi- nation to stay safe is three-pronged. They include frequent password changes; end-of-session logouts, to keep sessions from floating online; and maintaining SOC compliance, regularly monitoring for unwanted activity. Unexpected Sources While many tend to get visions of spy movies with ultra-intelligent hackers in ninja outfits or hoodies at their computers, most infiltrations are CYBER PATROL 14 CHANNEL V ISION | July - August 2021