When organizations extend their reach to include third-party vendors, partners, and other external entities, collaboration becomes a cornerstone of success. However, this essential exchange of information often involves unstructured data—everything from critical documents and detailed spreadsheets to impactful presentations. Without robust security measures, sharing this sensitive information can quickly become a significant liability, paving the way for data breaches, reputational damage, and steep regulatory penalties.
Here are the top reasons why securing unstructured data is paramount when working with external users:
- Preventing Unintentional Data Leaks: Files can easily end up in the wrong hands, whether through an accidental email, an incorrect upload to a cloud service, or even a misplaced USB drive. Unstructured data often contains Personally Identifiable Information (PII), intellectual property, financial records, and other confidential details. If leaked, these can have severe consequences for your organization and your customers.
- Mitigating Insider Threats (Even from Outsiders): While external users aren’t “insiders” in the traditional sense, they can still pose a risk if they gain unauthorized access or misuse the data they’re entrusted with. This could stem from malicious intent or simply from lax security practices on their end, which could expose your data to their own internal breaches. Without strong controls, you have no way of knowing how your sensitive information is being handled once it leaves your direct control.
- Maintaining Regulatory Compliance: Many industries are subject to strict regulations regarding data privacy and security, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA. Sharing unstructured data with external parties without adequate security measures can put your organization in violation of these regulations, leading to hefty fines and legal repercussions. Demonstrating a clear audit trail and robust protection for shared data is often a requirement for compliance.
- Protecting Intellectual Property and Trade Secrets: For many businesses, intellectual property (IP) and trade secrets are among their most valuable assets. Sharing design specifications, proprietary algorithms, marketing strategies, or research data with external vendors demands an ironclad security strategy. Once this information is exposed without proper protection, it becomes incredibly challenging to control its spread or prevent competitors from gaining an unfair advantage.
- Controlling Data Usage and Limiting Access: Once you share a document, how do you ensure the external user only views it, or only for a specific period? How do you prevent them from printing it, taking screenshots, or forwarding it to unauthorized individuals? Without granular access controls, you lose all ability to dictate how your data is used once it’s in someone else’s possession. This lack of control significantly amplifies the risk of misuse or unauthorized disclosure.
- Ensuring Data Revocability: What happens if your collaboration with an external vendor ends, or if you discover that a file was sent to the wrong party? Without persistent security, you have no way to revoke access to that data once it has been distributed. The ability to instantly cut off access, even after a file has been downloaded or emailed, is a critical security feature that can prevent widespread damage.
Secure Your External Collaborations with Fasoo Enterprise DRM for External (FED-E)
The risks associated with sharing unstructured data with external users are significant, but they don’t have to hinder your ability to collaborate effectively. To truly protect, control, and manage your sensitive files shared outside the organization, consider implementing a robust solution like Fasoo Enterprise DRM for External (FED-E).
FED-E offers persistent encryption that stays with your files no matter where they go, allowing you to set granular permissions, revoke access even after distribution, and monitor usage history. It empowers your organization to achieve secure and efficient external collaboration anytime, anywhere, mitigating the threats of unwanted information disclosure and ensuring peace of mind.