The future of safe hybrid collaboration with Akku

In case you’re still wondering how important it is to focus on security during remote operations and collaboration, there are 10.5 trillion reasons to sit up and take note. According to the 2023 World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report, the cost of cybercrime is projected to hit an annual $10.5 trillion by 2025.

A single data leak can have catastrophic consequences for a business, leading to financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties. As of February, the global average data breach cost was 4.88 million U.S. dollars.

As organizations transition to cloud-based collaboration, this opens the door to risks of remote ops that didn’t really exist before or were far easier to manage in an office-based working context.

Additionally, misconfigured security settings and improper assignment of access rights, which can result in “privilege creep”, or employees gaining more access rights than necessary. This is a major risk factor since insiders are responsible for 20% of data breaches, often due to such excessive access.

Here are three ways to address these challenges related to security during collaboration.

1. Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

This ensures team members only have access to the information necessary for their specific tasks. RBAC needs to be reviewed regularly and updated.

2. Regularly audit collaboration tools

This helps identify potential security gaps, misconfigurations, and outdated permissions.

3. Utilize secure collaboration platforms

Invest in collaboration tools that prioritize security features, such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and robust compliance measures. Akku offers secure collaboration solutions tailored to meet your organization’s needs.

Akku has a suite of features designed to secure team collaboration in hybrid work environments.

Here are some of the ways Akku enables secure collaboration.

Granular access control

Akku ensures secure application and data access for hybrid teams, even beyond office firewalls. It allows administrators to enforce strict control over user access by utilizing IP-based, device-based, location-based, and time-based restrictions. Administrators can whitelist or blacklist specific IP addresses, ensuring access only from authorized locations. Also, device-based restrictions tie access to registered devices, while location- and time-based controls further limit access to designated areas and specific time frames.

Centralized policy management

As teams and projects evolve, so do access needs. Akku’s User Lifecycle Manager provides centralized control over access policies. Integrated with Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication (AMFA), the platform provides real-time adjustments to security policies, enhancing overall control and ensuring secure access across various environments.

Compliance and auditing

Akku’s detailed audit trails and activity logs help organizations track every interaction within their collaboration tools. This ensures compliance with industry regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.

For one of its clients, Akku helped ensure HIPAA compliance by securing access to sensitive medical data through its internal office networks, minimizing the risk of data breaches. By implementing a unified identity and access management solution, Akku provided visibility into user access, addressing the challenge of shared computers and reducing the manual effort involved in password management. This streamlined solution enhanced data security, improved compliance with HIPAA regulations, and protected the privacy of sensitive medical information for their 8,000+ distributed workforce.

500+ Pre-Built App Connectors

Akku integrates with over 500 cloud-based collaboration platforms, including Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 allowing businesses to enjoy collaboration across their favorite tools without sacrificing ease of use.

Securing hybrid collaboration is no longer optional—it’s essential. Businesses need tools to protect sensitive data, ensure compliance, and streamline collaboration across cloud-based platforms. If you’re looking to safeguard your team’s collaboration, explore how Akku’s IAM solutions can help you.