Protect sensitive data with Desktop Phone Auto-Lock

Protect sensitive data with Desktop Phone Auto-Lock

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The RSconnect Desktop Phone Auto-Lock solution (using our ALM software) effectively protects your organization’s sensitive personal data. Whenever you leave your desk, your desktop phone is automatically locked. Don’t just protect your servers and computers, but also the contacts, voicemails and other sensitive data on your business telephones.

 

 

Today’s challenge: business phones becoming a business risk

With the introduction of GDPR, HIPAA and other data protection laws worldwide, organizations must protect personal data. Data from customers, clients, patients and employees shall be treated with great care. As a result, substantial investments are made in identity and access management solutions to prevent unauthorized access to applications and data.

However, most protection measures focus solely on computers and IT equipment. IP Desktop phones are ignored, since… well, since they are just phones. Nevertheless, desktop phones increasingly provide access to sensitive personal data. And desktop telephones remain popular, specifically when the premium sound quality of a fixed line phone is required for customer and client contacts.

But is it acceptable that a voicemail for a medical specialist or psychiatrist is simply accessible by just picking up the phone and click one button? Is it GDPR compliant if the client contacts of lawyers could easily be retrieved from their desktop phone? What would be the effect if people receive abusive and threatening calls from an extension number at the police office.

A serious business risk (high chances and big impact)

These are just a few examples – our database is much bigger – of scenario’s which could cause serious damage to reputations. And could result in serious penalties as well, since GDPR for example allows for penalties up to 4% of the total revenues or 20 million euro (whatever is more).

And it is not just theory. How many phones on empty desks are ready to be used without any restrictions? How many external staff (suppliers, cleaning staff, maintenance) have access to your buildings? What is the background of the facility service staff working outside office hours? And how well do we actually know our direct colleagues? We never disclose our PIN and password but leave our telephone open.

The solution: Business phone auto-lock

Of course, it is possible to manually lock a phone (with a username and PIN) using the Extension Mobility feature. But do we really expect people to do that every time they leave their desk for a single moment? Manually lock their desktop phone every time they are going to a meeting, take lunch, getting coffee or walk to a coworker to discuss something?

The RSconnect Cisco phone auto-lock solution solves this problem. Our software detects changes in activity at a user’s laptop or computer. As soon as your computer locks, hibernates or shuts down, it automatically locks the telephone as well and no-one has access to contacts, voicemails etc. When the user reactivates the computer, the phone can immediately be used again. During the lock you can still receive incoming calls, so no important calls are missed.

Protect sensitive data with Desktop Phone Auto-Lock make your telephony gdpr compliant

How does this feature work?

RSconnect desktop phone auto-lock is effectively implemented by using our ALM software. ALM is our Single Sign-On (or auto-login) solution for Cisco desktop telephones. It targets two types of users:

  • Roaming users using the Cisco Extension Mobility feature to roam between multiple office locations and/or desks. Arrived at a flex-desk, the software detects their laptop and scans the network for a desktop telephone on that desk. Then it takes care that the selected phone is automatically loaded with their personal profile. They can be reached using their own extension number and use their own contacts and settings without the inconvenience of usernames and PINs.
  • ALM however can also be used for non-roaming users who want to automatically lock and unlock their personal desktop phone. The ALM software constantly monitors their computer status and detects status changes (e.g. from active to standby). Based on these status changes, the software takes care that their desktop phone is either locked or unlocked.

Try the RSconnect Cisco phone auto-lock yourself

Just give it a try and download your free trial version. Make your phone as safe as your computer and keep your organization GDPR and HIPAA compliant.

Try Desktop Phone Auto-Lock

Free trial download

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