Security is an important and often sensitive topic, especially when it comes to deploying new technology on an IT network. The first thing IT will need to know is if and how solutions can be securely deployed on the network. While security policies vary significantly from organization-to-organization, there are some standards to look for in wireless presentation, or wireless collaboration, solutions to ensure they’ll stand up to enterprise scrutiny.
Multiple Security Layers.
Robust encryption of network traffic between user devices and the wireless sharing system received is critical. This ensures that the data moving over the network can’t be easily understood if it happens to he intercepted (which isn’t too likely in the first place). While there are different levels of encryption, a good baseline for wireless presentation solutions is a standard RSA/SHA cipher with a 2048 bit private key. Other network security capabilities that may be required include 802.1x network support as well as support for web proxies and even behind-the-firewall updates when new software upgrades become available for the in-room receivers.
The most secure solutions offer multi-network support to allow guests users to wirelessly share content on the same screen as employees who are using the corporate network. This requires a wireless collaboration solution with two separate network cards with separate routing tables so that the card used for guest network connectivity provides no means of infiltrating the corporate network.
Robust Access Control.
Other important security considerations for wireless collaboration products are user and administrator access where the former is granted system access only for collaboration while the latter is granted access for an array of setup and ongoing administration tasks. Moreover, on-screen codes are essential to prohibit users outside the room from taking over the display. The most secure solutions provide administrator alerts and remote control of the endpoint.
Holistic Approach to Security.
Beyond the specific capabilities outlined above, enterprise products should be engineered with a holistic approach to security that solutions providers should be able to speak to. How is the system architected to ensure that the data remains secure? And does the provider conduct regular security testing to validate security measures and meet / exceed best practices? Serious enterprise customers should ask these questions and expect good answers.
Top-tier security is an absolute must for enterprises, and for good reason as cybercrime continues to be an ever-growing threat. The good news is that wireless collaboration solutions have matured to the point that solutions with real, enterprise-grade security are now available. While we did not cover every security requirement in this article, we hope it gives you an understanding of the important security considerations when evaluating wireless collaboration solutions for the enterprise. In our next installment of this series, we’ll change gears and explore the networking requirements for enterprise solutions, so be sure to subscribe to our blog so that you automatically receive a notification when the post is up.
