INTERVIEW Securing modern workplace collaboration Kurt Mueffelmann of archTIS highlights the need to move away from traditional security tools BY ELLY YATES-ROBERTS Today’s distributed workforce can access systems and data from virtually anywhere. But traditional security tools are not equipped to handle threats coming from the multiple devices and collaboration channels used to access and share data. “This leaves a gap when it comes to managing data protection across all these collaboration scenarios,” says Kurt Mueffelmann, chief operating officer and US president at archTIS. Mueffelmann believes that many leaders don’t understand why their existing security tools aren’t up to the job. “C-level executives need to recognise that dramatic changes in collaboration require tools built to address the new security challenges that stem from employees, contractors and partners accessing and sharing sensitive data.” archTIS helps its customers keep pace with modern work methods and insider threats with its NC Protect solution, which ensures safe handling of sensitive and regulated data in Microsoft 365 and Government Community Cloud applications. NC Protect enables Microsoft customers to apply access controls and unique file-level protections to sensitive data by ingesting attributes from various Microsoft solutions such as Azure Active Directory and Microsoft Purview Information Protection. “Users can be allowed full access and editing when in the office or forced to view sensitive documents in NC Protect’s secure web viewer for read-only access that prevents saving, copying and downloading when on a home laptop,” says Mueffelmann. “A user’s country can also be used to control what documents they can access, as well as hide unauthorised files to meet geolocation restrictions.” archTIS has already helped many organisations to implement a more effective security posture, including the Australian Department of Defence, which wanted a more secure way to collaborate on and share files, increase file security, and prevent accidental data loss. It also wanted to maintain need-to-know principles and control over the releasability of SharePoint files to coalition partners. “NC Protect addresses these challenges by leveraging user, data and environment attributes and provides contextual control over who can access classified information,” says Mueffelmann. “Defence can automatically enforce rules to ensure that only people with the right clearance level, from an organisation recognised as trusted, can access classified information.” With NC Protect, Australian Defence has provided a more effective way to secure data access and collaboration while reducing the level of IT effort required to release content to partners by leveraging policy-based enforcement in their SharePoint environment. “ C-level executives need to recognise that dramatic changes in collaboration require tools built to address the security challenges of the modern workplace” 75
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