The nights are drawing in and there’s a chill in the air which means Halloween is right around the corner. If your IT is giving you the cold sweats, we’re here to tell you that with Google Workspace, it doesn’t have to be a horror show. Let’s take a look at some of the frightful mistakes you’re probably making with Google Workspace… and, of course, how to avoid them!
Possibly the scariest thing about putting this blog together was finding out the most common passwords from internet security firm SplashData, with ‘123456’ coming out on top, ‘123456789’ as the second most popular choice, and the classics ‘qwerty’ and ‘password’ in the respective following places. Truly horrifying stuff considering that when a password from one account becomes compromised, there is a high risk that their business account will also be tried. You should always use different passwords but we know that a lot of people will use the same across various accounts and it’s something that as a business owner, you have little control over your employees doing.
Never fear, you can put extra security measures in place like two-factor authentication for an added layer of protection against this risk. Should a password become compromised, two-factor authentication renders it useless without the second layer of approval needed. It’s a must have feature for all businesses and super simple to set up.
Even if your business isn’t fully up and running on Google Cloud or Workspace at the moment, the chances are your employees will be using services or platforms that require a Google account to gain access to. Think marketing teams using Google Analytics and YouTube, or maybe you have employees using Google Maps, or they have their work emails set up on an Android device.
This means, at some point, Google accounts will have been made using your business information. However, as they’re considered personal accounts, you don’t have access to them. This is a problem at a regulatory and compliance level when it comes to GDPR, not to mention the challenges it creates with data visibility across your organisation with making data-driven decisions. There’s also a high risk when employees leave the business, but still have access through these accounts to business data.
Keeping your company’s data secure is a top priority and with endpoint management, you can do just that through Google Workspace. You’re able to better protect access through mobile devices and manage policies that can help protect your business with features such as setting screen lock and strong password requirements.
This is especially important for employees who travel a lot. One misplaced, lost or stolen device could cost you much more than the cost of the hardware – leaving your important data vulnerable. In case of theft you can remotely wipe confidential business data, as well as blocking access to specific sessions using admin access, giving you better protection of your data.
Frontline workers are the backbone of many businesses, yet they’re often left out in the cold when it comes to digital enablement, communication and collaboration. How well do your IT systems serve those delivering parcels, serving customers on the shopfloor, or working the production line?
Employees at all levels require tools for communication, operations & logistics, onboarding, and training. However, when this is overlooked, it can result in a cultural disconnect between those on the shopfloor and those in HQ. And when it comes to tech, it can result in workers resorting to using shared accounts or passwords. This can lead to Personal Identifiable Information (PII) issues, breaches in terms of service and even puts your data at risk. Some workers may even turn to using shadow IT, the likes of WhatsApp groups to communicate, for example. Not only is this isolating for workers but can go on to impact customer experience and staff turnover.
It’s frightening to think how much knowledge and experience goes untapped. This is solved by democratising your IT and creating a more collaborative culture throughout your organisation.
Segmentation of workflows and ways of working across departments can cause a bit of a headache when it comes to fostering a truly collaborative environment. It can be hard to break the habits of a lifetime, especially in departments where employees are used to working on a certain legacy platform. This results in issues with sharing files and data, slower collaboration processes and wasted time and resources across the board.
If your team all work together on the one platform, this makes your business stronger, more collaborative, more productive. And, if the zombie apocalypse does happen, Kevin in accounts can let everyone know in real time via Google Chat Spaces that the rest of the departments might want to make a run for it!
If any of the above resonates with you, why not stop the IT nightmares and get in touch with the CTS team today?