In today’s digital landscape, safeguarding data is essential to securing customer privacy and ensuring business continuity. With more and more employees working remotely, firms must implement robust data protection systems to minimize risks and guarantee data availability for business operations.
One of the biggest challenges firms face is managing access to data and systems. Human error is often the weakest link in a firm’s security system, and cybercriminals often target these vulnerabilities.
Law firms are the custodians of a tremendous amount of sensitive client data. Unless ethically obligated to implement an information barrier around that data, many law firms have traditionally kept internal work product open to all users for knowledge sharing, training, and maximizing efficiencies within the firm.
However, with the benefits of having all information readily accessible to everyone in the firm come the dangers of potential cyber breaches. Firms that keep data public to improve efficiency run the risk of sensitive information falling into the wrong hands. The power of data in the legal realm is a double-edged sword - the wealth of information can provide immense value, but the lack of structure and management makes it vulnerable to exploitation.
A vital component of a firm’s data protection strategy is ensuring consistent and effective access management throughout its collaboration systems.
What is access management?
Access management is the process of controlling who has access to a system and what they can do with that access. It is particularly crucial for firms that handle sensitive data, as it helps to prevent data breaches and cyberattacks.
Why should firms be concerned about access management?
Cybersecurity: One of the primary reasons firms implement access management is to protect against cyberattacks. As more people work remotely and use multiple devices to access sensitive data, the risk of cyberattacks increases. Access management helps mitigate this risk by limiting who can access the data and what they can do with it.
Compliance: Another reason firms need access management is to comply with regulations. Many industries are subject to strict regulations around data protection, and firms that fail to comply with these regulations can face significant penalties. Access management helps firms comply with these regulations by ensuring that only authorized individuals can access sensitive data.
Business Continuity: Access management is also crucial for maintaining business continuity. In the event of a data breach, firms need to be able to quickly identify and contain the problem to minimize the impact on operations. Access management helps firms do this by providing visibility into who has access to the data and what they do with it.
Efficiency and Productivity: Access management is also beneficial for firms to create an efficient workflow and maintain a high level of productivity. Ensuring that employees only have access to the data they need to perform their job responsibilities reduces the risk of data breaches and improves productivity.
Litera to the rescue
This is where CAM, a Software-as-a-Service platform, comes in handy. It helps firms provision, classify, manage, protect, and govern data across collaboration systems, including Microsoft Teams. By providing a logical place for users to store data and tracking rich custom metadata, firms can improve collaboration and productivity while reducing the risk of data loss and hacks.
One of the key features of CAM is the Zero-Trust security model. This approach requires continuous verification of users and endpoints each time access is needed rather than assuming all users need access to specific data. This limits access to data on a need-to-know basis, which reduces the firm’s vulnerability to data loss and hacks.
Another vital aspect of CAM is Privileged Access Management (PAM). PAM is a strategic approach to cybersecurity that centers around monitoring all users and their levels of access across a given workspace. By implementing PAM, firms can reduce the risk of human error and ensure that access to data and systems is limited to those who need it.
CAM also enables firms to establish Zero-Trust and PAM policies on documents, folders, workspaces, and more, allowing them to control who can access data and in what manner.
Access management is a crucial aspect of cybersecurity and data protection. It helps firms protect against cyberattacks, comply with regulations, maintain business continuity, and improve productivity. With the rise of hybrid working, it’s more important than ever for firms to implement access management strategies to protect their sensitive data and ensure their continued success. That’s why firms need a solution like CAM, which enables them to improve collaboration and productivity while protecting their data and systems from cyberattacks. So, why not take a step forward to protect your firm’s confidential information and book a demo today with one of our experts to learn more about CAM’s capabilities.
Posted in CAM,Governance
