Finding the key for balancing remote workforce security with productivity

Unify Square released additional data from its report. This second wave of data centers on collaboration security and governance findings, and supports the need for better tools to address the challenges enterprises face today in balancing security with productivity.

More than half of survey respondents stated their organizations’ security measures related to unified communication and collaboration (UC&C) have made it harder to do their jobs, and two thirds of those surveyed also reported their companies have increased the number of restrictions or security policies for using UC&C apps since the beginning of the pandemic.

The 2021 Unisys Security Index further validates these findings, demonstrating that a lack of cyber threat awareness contributes to the trend of employees bypassing their IT departments. These results pose a stark warning for companies navigating remote and hybrid work environments.

“While many organizations have successfully embraced hybrid work, few have prioritized or implemented collaboration security and governance plans proactively or successfully,” said Irwin Lazar, President and Principal Analyst, Metrigy.

“It’s critical to understand the strengths and weaknesses of an enterprise’s current work environment, and only from there can they plan an effective – and comprehensive – security strategy.”

Many organizations are in the dark when it comes to their current risk levels. Although collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams (including underlying SharePoint and OneDrive data), Zoom, and Cisco Webex Teams have some foundational features to help IT manage security, these do not provide the full scope of functionality often required by enterprise IT organizations.