Cyber security is one of the primary concerns for many IT and Finance professionals across the UK at present. Every day we are seeing news stories detailing how another corporation has been hacked. While hacking is a major concern, there are other smaller and more subtle issues that can cause chaos for a business if they do not put the right measures in place.
One issue for many businesses is data security. It can be very easy to send a sensitive attachment to the wrong person, especially if you have several people with the same name in your business. It can also be very easy for people to transfer data out of a business, which can become an issue if people leave. Cyber security is not just about protecting your organisation from crime, it can be about protecting it from itself.
What is Azure Rights Management?
Azure Rights Management is a security tool that can be added on to Office 365 to help protect your data and documents. The tool is designed specifically to apply an additional layer of security to your data. Its name is self-explanatory in that sense, it manages the rights that people have to access your data.
Azure Rights Management uses encryption, identity and authorisation policies to secure company files and email. The tool also works across your devices to ensure complete security. The concept of the tool is that the security is attached to the data rather than the device or the user to ensure that only the right people have access to it, whether they are internal or external to the company. For example, an employee who is leaving may email a document to their personal email account so that they are able to access it when they have left the company. With Azure Rights Management you can set it so that only employees of your company are able to access the data, therefore when that person has left and can no longer sign in to Office 365 they can no longer access the document.
What can you do with Azure Rights Management?
Restrictions and policies are the major aspects of Azure Rights Management. You can specify exactly who in the business is available to access what, making sure that things like HR documents and departmental files are in the right hands. If you’re using SharePoint you are also able to use the tool to set up permissions for accessing data from that specific source.
What’s important about this tool is that it is not an application that is just installed on to your one device to protect what is on it. The tool applies itself to the data so that whether you access a document via your phone, PC or Office Online that file is still only accessible by specified individuals.
Another important aspect of Azure Rights Management is its encryption tools. You can use the tool to send encrypted mail with just as much ease as you would normally. The thread of the email is also encrypted rather than just an individual email.
Conclusion
Protecting your data from falling into the wrongs hands by your own actions is just as important as putting precautions in place against things like hacking and ransomware. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on data security. If you would like to know more, say hello today and call 01675 469020 or email hello@acutec.co.uk
