By Joy Deep, Marketing DirectorThe use of mobile communication, including text messaging and voice calling, has become a growing trend in many industries worldwide, especially due to the increase in remote work cultures. Those industries are subject to various regulatory requirements that demand archiving and retaining mobile communication records such as text and instant messages, audio and video calls, emails, and other electronic communications.
A mobile communication archiving solution helps organizations comply with these regulations and avoid costly fines and legal penalties. It is also critical in the areas of audits, litigations, and eDiscovery.
But even in non-regulated industries and beyond legal requirements and needs, the ability to archive and access e-comms ensures data governance and helps businesses of all sizes and types derive insights and provide better customer services.
Here are the top ten industries that can benefit from such a mobile communication archiving solution.
1. Financial Services
The financial industry is one of the most highly regulated industries worldwide, where most communications now use mobile phones. Various financial industry communications compliance laws govern financial institutions like banks, registered investment firms, advisors, and insurance companies. Laws can vary according to the country or region of their operation. The archived data can monitor and audit employee communications, identify potential risks and misconduct, and resolve disputes.
Regulations:
US – FINRA, SEC, and FCA
EU – MiFID II
Canada – IIROC Notice 11-0349
What must be archived: All financial industry communications related to the business, customer accounts, orders, transactions, etc. These communications include text messages, chats, social media, emails, voice conversations, and message boards.
2. Healthcare
Secure mobile communication in the healthcare industry is important to comply with its major regulation Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Healthcare providers, such as hospitals and clinics, use healthcare communication mobile apps to communicate with patients and staff. A mobile communication archiving solution can help these organizations comply with HIPAA regulations by securely storing patient-related communications.
Regulation: HIPAA
What must be archived: Health information records such as patient data, clinical communications, appointment details, and other pertinent information captured from electronic channels. These communications include instant and text/SMS messaging, social media, audio and video, websites, and blogs. Records must be retained for six years.
3. Government
Government agencies and departments use mobile devices to communicate with employees and other agencies. They are governed by various laws, such as the Federal Records Act (FOIA) and Open Records Acts/Sunshine Laws. Laws can vary according to the country and state. Government mobile device archiving helps these organizations comply with record-keeping requirements of such laws by recording and storing all communications.
Regulations: FOIA, Open Records Acts/Sunshine Laws
What must be archived: All electronic communications, including text and instant messages, voice calls, emails, social media content, and iOS and Android device messages. Government agencies must archive communications for a certain period, typically from several months to several years, depending on the type of communication and the specific regulatory requirements.
4. Energy
A mobile communication archiving solution can help the energy industry by ensuring compliance with communication regulations and facilitating the record-keeping of relevant data. This includes archiving all types of mobile communication, such as text messages, voice calls, and multimedia messages. With the help of this solution, energy companies can efficiently capture and store their communication data, making it easier to search, retrieve, and manage records.
Regulation: North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Standards, FERC, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 18 CFR Part 35 & Part 284, NRC 9.6 Communication.
What must be archived:
NERC – Protect their electronic communication systems, including mobile communication devices, from cyber-attacks and maintain security incident records.
OSHA – Safety-related messages and accident reports.
FERC – Maintain records of all communication related to transmission services, including mobile communication, for a minimum of five years
PHMSA – All communication related to the transportation of hazardous materials, including mobile communication, for at least two years.
8 CFR Part 35 & Part 284, NRC 9.6 Communication – Communications between transmission providers’ transmission and marketing function employees. These communications include text messages, emails, voicemails, etc.
5. Law
Law firms must keep track of all their communication with clients, opposing counsel, and other stakeholders in legal cases. A mobile communication archiving solution can help them to ensure that all relevant communication is captured and stored securely for future reference.
Regulations: GDPR, CCPA, SEC and FINRA Rules, ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) Rule 26.
What must be archived: GDPR, for example, law firms to obtain explicit consent before collecting and using personal data and to provide individuals with access to their personal data. SEC rules require law firms to retain electronic communication records for a specific period, including mobile communication.
6. Education
Educational institutions like colleges and universities use mobile devices to communicate with students and faculty. There are several mobile compliance regulations that apply to the education industry, such as the federal law Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), etc. A mobile communication archiving solution can help educational institutions securely store communications related to student information and comply with such regulations.
Regulations: FERPA, COPPA, HIPAA, State Open Records Law.
Who Needs to Comply: All schools receive funds under an applicable U.S. Department of Education program.
What must be archived: electronic communications related to a student’s education, such as email, instant and text messaging, audio and video, social media, websites, and blogs.
7. Information Technology
IT industry companies deal with various types of clients, such as banking, retail, education, etc., and directly handle and have access to client data. Therefore, similar data protection and privacy regulations apply to IT companies.
Regulations: GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA
Archiving data enables IT companies to conduct internal investigations to address employee misconduct, such as harassment or fraud. Electronic communication records, including mobile communications, can provide valuable evidence during these investigations. Also, such records can improve business operations by analyzing customer and employee interactions, identifying trends, and improving customer service.
8. Hospitality
A mobile communication archiving solution helps the Hospitality industry in several ways. For example, it enables compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA to protect clients’ confidential information, easily retrieving relevant data during legal disputes or regulatory inquiries and provides valuable insights for improving customer service and identifying trends.
Regulations: GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA
9. Sales and Marketing
Archiving also helps the sales and marketing industry in many ways, such as compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, easily retrieving relevant data during legal disputes or regulatory inquiries and providing valuable insights for identifying sales trends and improving marketing strategies.
Regulations: GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA
10. Retail
Retail companies also use mobile devices for internal communication and communication, customers with customers and vendors. The data types that must be archived include all business-related communications, such as promotions, pricing, and customer complaints. Retailers can ensure compliance and improve business operations using a mobile communication archiving solution.
Regulations: GDPR, CCPA, 16 CFR 315.5- Prescriber verification for contact lens retailers
What must be archived: To comply with CFR 315.5, contact lens retailers must record and retain prescriptions given to the retailer by the patient or prescriber, prescription verification requests, prescriber communications, and all other direct communications. For all other regulations, communication records must be captured and retained accordingly.
How LeapXpert archiving solutions help different industries?
LeapXpert offers organizations a modern, high-quality, and compliant mobile messaging solution. Its federated architecture integrates with many instant messaging apps, including WhatsApp, iMessage, SMS, Telegram, Signal, WeChat, LINE, and voice channels providing a compliant messaging experience to different industries. This solution enables organizations to carry out secure and compliant remote mobile communication through the instant messaging app of their choice while enjoying the benefits of leveraging them.
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