Does your security team need a dedicated, out-of-band IT collaboration tool?

Chat tools are today what email was 20 years ago: An indispensable repository of organizational knowledge and the first line of connection between teams and their systems.

But it’s not enough for highly technical, complex organizations to have general chat tools at their disposal. They need a collaboration hub that consolidates all the information their IT teams require to accelerate mission-critical work without sacrificing security.

As efforts at digitizing organizational data and the shift to remote and hybrid workforces continue to accelerate, it’s more important than ever for organizations to have reliable digital communication at the core of their operations. IT- and security-specific collaboration tools are more than another channel for your team to communicate on; they’re an investment in the security and efficacy of your organization as a whole.

Technical Collaboration Tools Fulfill Complex Workflow Needs

General collaboration tools are great for connecting people within an organization. However, IT and security teams use an average of 76 toolchains to manage security and other mission-critical workflows, and chat tools that don’t fully integrate with these toolchains simply can’t give stakeholders a complete picture of business operations.

Technical collaboration tools must be adaptable and extensible enough to integrate with any number of applications, from popular development tools to custom-built applications. From streamlining DevSecOps workflows and facilitating code review in real time to enabling ChatOps practices that automate and accelerate key workflows, purpose-built collaboration tools unlock the full potential of your technical teams.

Enhanced Security Keeps Your Data in Your Hands

Technical teams deal with some of your organization’s most sensitive data, from customers’ personal identifiable information (PII) to confidential information about unreleased products and features. While your general collaboration tool likely has some security protocols in place, your most sensitive data needs an extra layer of protection. Encryption, granular access controls and compliance features help make IT-focused collaboration platforms more robust when protecting critical information.

With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) mandate fully in effect, EU-based organizations increasingly need software solutions that keep essential data entirely in their control. Opting for software solutions that allow for data sovereignty can eliminate questions of compliance and data ownership.

Dedicated Out-of-Band Channels Keep Your Team Prepared for Catastrophic Outages

Another key consideration is how your IT team communicates during an emergency. When team chat goes down, sales, marketing and other departments can temporarily default to email communication or work offline. But for IT and security teams, downtime can have catastrophic consequences.

IT teams are the first line of defense against security breaches, system outages and any number of technical issues that can impact the team’s productivity, customer experience and overall organizational security. If security and IT teams cannot collaborate during a major security breach or systems outage, the cost to the business is immediate.

Ensuring that those teams can communicate effectively and access the tools they need without interruption is critical. A backup, dedicated IT communication system can serve as an out-of-band channel if and when your main lines of communication fail. As a result, your team can stay connected and work together to get everything up and running again as quickly as possible.

Want to Optimize Mission-Critical Work in 2024? Don’t Compromise on Collaboration

In today’s digital world, keeping your organization’s data secure and processes running smoothly is essential to business success. Having the right tools in place isn’t just a convenience for your team; it is a vital part of your overall business and security strategy.

Investing in an IT- and/or security-specific collaboration platform ensures your team has tools that align with their IT and security requirements. These tools don’t duplicate existing functionality; they extend your team’s capabilities without sacrificing your organization’s security and compliance needs.

To hear more about cloud-native topics, join the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Techstrong Group and the entire cloud-native community in Paris, France at KubeCon+CloudNativeCon EU 2024 – March 19-22, 2024.