Third-party risk is certainly not a new risk factor, but, in our hyper-collaborative economy, it’s rapidly rising in significance. Whether you’re in financial services, telecommunications or manufacturing, your greatest risk to data loss occurs when you are connected to multiple service providers; whether it is to receive a consultation, auditing, or support services, and content moves outside of your direct control. Yet we can’t afford to stop collaborating. What’s needed is data-centric security, a way to keep control over this valuable information without paralyzing the ability to do business.
How to protect and secure your sensitive business data
Before that can be addressed, let’s look at what most organisations are currently doing to secure their data and to what extremes they go to. In doing so we shall create some fictitious companies to enable the required scenario. White Lotus Ltd is acquiring services from Black Fox Ltd (provider) to provide a system audit as part of an assessment to evaluate the required changes for White Lotus’s legacy ERP system.
Securing your data
The first thing both businesses do is sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Once that is out of the way Black Fox is ready to start a discovery session on the ERP system. White Lotus has different options and methods to allow the Black Fox personnel access to the system such as providing Black Fox a VPN tunnel and credentials to the ERP system, as well as a company device to access the system.
The first method will come at no cost to White Lotus and requires minimal effort. On the other hand, it also causes high security risks of data leakage. The provider will use his/her own device which enables the provider to have full control of White Lotus data without any preventions. White Lotus will then need to make travel arrangements for the provider to visit the premises. This option is not always possible as certain contracted services may take long, so conducting them remotely is the best option. In any case this scenario makes sense when providing a business device and dedicating a resource to supervise the Black Fox representative. This scenario is only then considered low risk and high effort, costing the business money and resources to lower the risk.
Shipping a business device to the provider can be expensive and can also cause delays due to logistical issues. While having a monitored and controlled business device would lower the risk, the administration and logistics make this scenario a nightmare for White Lotus.
How to protect sensitive, core business data
With Windows 365 enterprise, a business can address these data security risks with a few simple clicks and in a cost-effective manner. The IT admin does not need to worry about device procurement, servicing the hardware, insurance, or other logistical nightmares. Simply assign the provider a controlled virtual desktop which is managed and monitored through Microsoft Endpoint Manager. With the ability to set policies such as removing the ability to copy or transfer data between the cloud PC and local devices you can rest assured that your data is secure. Not excluding other services such as VPN and firewall configurations to enhance and protect your business data. So why not give the third-party representative access to a cloud PC?
BMIT Technologies is Malta's leading technology provider, offering intelligent, secure infrastructure solutions, to help build your internal capabilities and identify opportunities to enhance your business potential through the application of innovative technologies.
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