The current events in Europe are increasing the need for security – also in companies. As a result, cyber security and secure communication – both within an organization and to external stakeholders – have gained new relevance. Companies upgrade to be prepared for unforeseeable emergency and crisis situations.
Because then fast reactions, clear information and concrete instructions in communication are required. Only in this way can companies take away the uncertainties of their employees, partners and customers and remain capable of acting themselves. It must be the goal digital resilience and to establish communication based on a Zero Trust security concept.
Whether real emergencies or digital cyber crises due to hacker attacks – companies must prepare and protect themselves accordingly for both. In this context, the topics of digital resilience, zero trust and emergency communication take on new importance. The same applies to digital communication solutions, which function securely as the main means of communication and are intended to provide communicative support in emergency situations. Companies are becoming more and more aware of this. Therefore, they are looking for secure digital communication solutions that work even during telephone and power failures and enable teams, departments or the entire company to work together during a crisis or emergency situation. The desire for increased security is either met by platforms that focus on crisis management as a whole, or by solutions that guarantee smooth communication through specific functions. At the same time, free messengers such as WhatsApp & Co. are increasingly being avoided for data protection reasons. But even with UC&C tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, companies are increasingly coming up against compliance and functional limits.
Digital communication solution + zero trust architecture = higher digital resilience
Organizations that use a communication solution that is specialized for companies are not only much more crisis-proof, but also have a higher digital resilience. This means they have a stronger ability to withstand and regenerate in the face of complex and increasingly unpredictable risks in digital and information technology contexts. Even more protection is given based on a Zero Trust security principle. Zero Trust means treating services, devices and users in your own network as if they were external. Following the Zero Trust security principle, it is important to include all available data points in the authentication and authorization, to restrict user rights and to minimize segment access. With a digital communication solution, this can start with hosting and go through user administration to two-factor authentication and location activation. In this way, hackers have to overcome not one but many hurdles in order to access data or cause damage. A digital communication solution built on a Zero Trust security principle is an indispensable reinforcement of digital resilience.
The cornerstones of a digital communication solution
As already mentioned, it goes with digital communication solutions about much more than just GDPR compliance and compliance. They should also be able to be used properly in crisis and emergency situations. The functional quality plays a decisive role here. A digital communication solution must be based on the following three cornerstones: security, speed and emergency functions. In crisis and emergency situations, seconds can be crucial. Communication speed is therefore an essential factor. For crisis communication, it is important to provide mobile devices and digital solutions, including suitable functions, before an exceptional situation arises. In order to optimally protect everyone involved at the same time, primary security requirements in crises and emergencies are indispensable. This includes maximum data security, the greatest possible data sovereignty and working on the basis of zero trust. In addition, managing exceptional situations requires a high level of logical understanding. It is crucial to look at what is happening from a functional point of view. The easier the solution is to use, the faster all those affected can be informed.
Only if a communication solution pays attention to these three central aspects does it support crisis and emergency situations by enabling a smooth exchange of information before, during and after. This also includes employees, stakeholders and customers.
Well prepared for crisis and emergency situations in three steps
In order to optimally deal with exceptional situations, a three-stage procedure has proven itself:
Step 1: Establish a crisis and emergency communications plan
The first thing to do is to create an emergency communication plan. Typical crisis and emergency situations are, for example, faulty production, employee accidents, environmental disasters and, increasingly, hacker attacks. The Business Continuity Manager is responsible for creating the emergency communication plan. The purpose of the plan is
- all those affected – from individual teams to the entire workforce to the entire organization –
- regardless of your work situation, be it in the office, home office, on the road on the company premises or mobile in the field
- to provide brief and concise information about a crisis or emergency situation at the same time and to create an opportunity for exchange
- and to keep any damage to the company as low as possible.
At the same time, people are named in an emergency communication plan who will act as a crisis management team in an emergency. On the one hand, it records which processes have to take place internally. And on the other hand, it ensures that communication between employees and the company and vice versa is reliable. The plan is backed up with appropriate solutions that set the process in motion and guarantee that everything runs smoothly. It is also advisable to review the emergency communication plan at least once a year.
Step 2: Putting the theory into practice
Although standard communication tools are suitable for everyday corporate communication, they are not designed for crisis and emergency situations. Because UC&C tools, such as Microsoft Teams and Slack, do not offer any specialized additional functions for this. However, free private messengers such as WhatsApp and Telegram should also be avoided due to the lack of emergency functions and the rejection of the Zero Trust security model. It is better to equip employees with a digital communication solution that
- is easy and intuitive to use,
- offers sophisticated additional functions for crisis and emergency situations,
- and leaves no security gaps, i.e. guarantees maximum data security and sovereignty.
Step 3: Determine a digital communication solution
The aim of a digital communication solution for crisis and emergency situations must always be to enable unrestricted real-time communication for individual teams, the entire workforce, the entire organization and external stakeholders such as suppliers, customers or other companies. Since the smartphone has now established itself as the most important end device for mobile communication, the integration of an instant messaging app that comes up with sophisticated functions for emergencies is recommended. This includes
- alertsto warn quickly and get feedback from those affected.
- broadcastingto inform those affected about crisis and emergency situations.
- status messagesto give instructions in an emergency and to describe the next steps.
- Push to talkto enable more direct voice communication and be closer to those affected.
- group chatsin order to simplify the exchange between the members of the crisis team via predefined circles and lists.
- Federated chats and guest accessto ensure communication and collaboration with partners, vendors and suppliers.
- live locationto be able to share current locations.
A secure messenger that has all this and also offers a fail-safe, stable and independent server environment ensures the best possible exchange and the fastest possible interaction – before, during and after a crisis situation.
Conclusion: Respond optimally to crisis and emergency situations with increased digital resilience
In order to be better prepared against both real emergency situations and cyber attacks, companies need one thing above all: digital resilience. These, in turn, can be strengthened by building on a Zero Trust security model. In particular, solutions already in use or planned must meet the requirements of Zero Trust. As a result, a digital Zero Trust communication solution is indispensable for companies, which supports crisis and emergency plans and thus ensures the flow of information at any time and any place and guarantees the protection of employees.