by Michael Richmond 

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Last updated on 3/19/2020

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published guidelines for companies to follow when employing a remote workforce, specifically related to protecting privacy while leveraging online collaboration tools to host virtual meetings while responding to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Jeff Greene, director of the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at NIST states, "Unfortunately, if virtual meetings are not set up correctly, former coworkers, disgruntled employees, or hackers might be able to eavesdrop. Using some basic precautions can help ensure that your meetings are an opportunity to collaborate and work effectively – and not the genesis of a data breach or other embarrassing and costly security or privacy incident.”

Mr. Greene’s statement represents an often-repeated scenario that accompanies the rapid adoption and implementation of new technologies within an organization. The lack of proper vetting, configuration, and user education will typically result in some security flaw or failure within security operations as companies adjust to new communication tools in an effort to maintain operational capacity.

Our Technology Services team can assist with implementation and training for collaboration tools that may be new to your workforce. Please contact us if you need help.