How to Secure Enterprise SMS

SMS is a powerful communication tool and more businesses are starting to leverage its power to reach customers. While it certainly brings its fair share of benefits to the table, it’s important to identify and plan for potential security risks. Failure to do so could have costly repercussions for a business, especially in industries that must meet strict SMS archiving requirements.

The Importance of Security When Crafting Enterprise SMS Solutions

When you’re planning your enterprise SMS messaging strategy, security should be at the forefront of your mind. After all, you’re trusting a third-party provider with sensitive customer data. Ensure that the provider has suitable security measures in place to protect your information.

These are some of the top reasons you need the very best cybersecurity features you can afford:

• To protect your customers’ data: This should be your top priority. If you’re handling sensitive information like credit card numbers or social security numbers, you need to know this data will receive adequate protection.
• To comply with regulations: In many industries, there are strict requirements for how customer data must be stored and protected. Failure to comply could result in hefty fines.
• To avoid reputation damage: A data breach could damage your company’s image and it could be difficult to recover. This is especially likely if you have older customers who already feel more hesitant about sharing private data and making purchases online.
• To keep your competitive edge: e-Commerce and online banking undoubtedly represent the future of business. So, if you want to maintain a competitive advantage, your customers need to know they can do business safely.

How To Ensure Secure Enterprise SMS Capturing and Archiving

When you’re looking for a secure enterprise SMS solution, cybersecurity should be at the forefront of your plans. Cybersecurity breaches will cost you money, time, lost customers, and damaged public trust. There is no foolproof way to prevent a breach, but you should aim for prevention anyway. Use the following as starting points.

Do Your Research

When you’re looking for an SMS provider, take the time to read reviews and compare features. Review what each company offers and how these offerings fit into your overall security strategy. It would also help to look into whether SMS companies or their clients suffered any recent breaches. If so, how did they handle it? What kind of support did they offer?

Set Up Two-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication, including two-factor authentication, adds an extra layer of security to your account. Both options require you to confirm your identity with another factor, such as a push notification sent to your phone, asking you to confirm the log-in account. MFA might require more than just one other backup confirmation. Microsoft posits that MFA can stop 99.9% of breach attempts. Google cites similar findings.

Choose a Provider That Encrypts Data

Encryption changes readable data into an unreadable format. This makes it much more difficult for hackers to access your information. When you’re looking at SMS providers, check to see if they offer data encryption. It does not prevent data breaches, but it makes it difficult for hackers to decipher the data.

Train Your SMS Chat Employees

Estimates on the percentage of security breaches caused by employees vary from around 40% to 95%. Tech companies tend to report much higher numbers. According to one CNBC article, the number is closer to 47%. Training employees can reduce that number, regardless of where it stands in your industry.

3 Critical Elements of Enterprise Text Messaging

Strict SMS archiving regulations do not apply to all industries or businesses. Even so, a continued focus on data privacy and resulting laws have made it more likely that most businesses will face some kind of requirements. Consequently, consider the following:

1. Remote Wipe Capabilities:  If an employee loses a phone or someone steals it, you’ll want to remotely delete any SMS messages stored on it. This capability reduces the risk of data getting into the wrong hands.
2. Cloud-Messaging: Cloud-based solutions are often more secure than on-premise ones. They also make it easier to add or delete users and monitor activity.
3. Data Retention Compliance: Depending on your industry, you may have to keep records of SMS conversations for a certain period of time. Make sure your provider can help you comply.

How LeapXpert Can Help You Secure Your Messages

Our team is proud to facilitate responsible business communication between businesses and customers around the world. Our platform is compliant with the latest industry standards and regulations. It s also fully encrypted at-rest and in-transit, so you can be sure your data is safe. Contact us for more information about our enterprise SMS solutions.