In today’s workplace culture, many employees are moving far away from using computers in cubicles from 8 to 5 and shifting to using laptops and mobile phones at any time during the day and anywhere they are in the world.
In these dynamic, collaborative, and technology-driven work environments, making use of consumer messaging applications such as WhatsApp, GroupMe, and iMessage are justified due to speed, convenience, and ease of use.
However, these apps present a handful of challenges to corporate security. There are 5 primary reasons these types of consumer apps are deemed NSFW or Not Safe for Work:
1. Consumer apps don’t offer the security controls businesses require.
Designed for use with friends and family, consumer messaging apps don’t come close to meeting the security and compliance standards that are necessary in most businesses.
2. There’s no way to discover co-workers or business-related contacts
Instead of an enterprise directory, consumer apps are often centered around personal phone numbers and contacts which can cause a breakdown in collaboration when contact information isn’t known.
3. There are no integrations with other enterprise tools
Since apps such as WhatsApp and GroupMe are built for personal use, they don’t offer integrations with enterprise tools, such as cloud file services or Salesforce, that help employees get work done.
4. They don’t always work across desktop and mobile
With the need to connect deskless workers to those in the office, messaging apps must work across smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Consumer messaging apps do not meet this requirement.
5. There’s no way to structure your network
With consumer apps, there is no real way to create official groups or to easily onboard people based upon existing organizational structures.
Because of these 5 reasons, companies must use communication platforms that are designed specifically for professional use among employees and managers, and that are also equipped with a set of tools aimed at supporting employees. 84% of employees are said to be willing to use a company-wide mobile messaging platform if their company implemented one. All you have to do is find the best company-wide messaging platform that will work for your team.
To find out more information on why uniform messaging platforms specific to companies are so beneficial, click the link below for more information.
