Today, the enterprise IT sector is affected by, and taking advantage of various new technologies and models, derived and developed in consumer space. This trend, called ‘Consumerization’ is impacting the enterprise-wide in a number of ways, which includes the usage of instant messaging for business.
With instant messaging apps having massive mobile messaging traffic, it has turned out to be a preferred platform for team chat, file sharing, and other interoffice communications.
However, in the process of adopting an instant messaging program for business, there are some security loopholes that needs to be addressed and fixed. Reason being, exchanging data over untrusted IM apps on mobile can hamper sensitive business data. Therefore it is important to create a list of security essentials that ensures integrity and confidentiality of data.
Enterprise Instant Messaging: Key Challenges
Practical Solutions:
Takeaway:
User and device based authentication, when practiced individually have a few pitfalls. While passwords are vulnerable, an alphanumeric passcode with good length can help to offer the much needed security. Also, using certificate-based auth ensures that before the IM is accessed by the user, a certificate validates the device to access the application. Therefore, a combination of user and device authentication should be used to bypass any access vulnerability.
The data exchanged through instant messaging platforms, text or file-based needs to be encrypted, for safeguarding it against eavesdropping. This can be achieved through various encryption models like:
Takeaway:
With encryption, IM applications can offer advanced security levels. One of the finest security options that can be integrated to an interoffice messaging app is end-to-end encryption as it will ensure integrity maintenance of text as well as file level data (as we have in Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp).
Encrypting messages help to retain their confidentiality. However, in this process, the location of server matters and in this respect, there are some approaches and following them makes sense for a better enterprise instant messaging system.
Takeaway:
Alongside authentication and encryption, it is important for organizations to deploy corporate IM servers that integrates with the corporate directory service infrastructure (LDAP).
Need Custom Instant Messenger for Business? We can Help
There are N number of messaging apps in the market. While some are good at authentication, some at encryption, it is important to have one that has a rare and strong combination of the security factors shared above. For a custom instant messaging application development for enterprise, share your requirements with us.