New technology The threat to our corporate information

I work in corporate communications. My job is to make sure the information we have is correct.

The risk of wrong information is huge – think of compliance information security reputational risk

It keeps me awake at night

It’s part of my job to be on the lookout for new risks to our corporate information. The advent of new technology has led to new risks

Now we face the gravest threat to the accuracy and compliance of our information. It’s called …

The ‘ telephone ’

The name comes from the greek words for ‘faraway’ and ‘sound’

There isn’t just one ‘telephone’ – there are many variations

But they all mean you can have a conversation with someone many miles away AS IF THEY WERE IN THE SAME ROOM

The telephone is no respecter of corporate or even national boundaries

One person can even speak to many at once in so-called ‘conference calls’

In the right hands it could be a valuable business tool

We can talk directly to our customers as if we were in their homes With the correct controls and firewalls in place we could allow them to talk to us

But think of it in the wrong hands …

Wrong information can pass easily and undetected from employee to employee

Non-compliant information can be spread outside of the company itself It’s as simple as pushing some buttons and speaking

This isn’t tomorrow – it’s now Your children could well be using the new ‘mobile phone’ technology right now . How do you know who they’re talking to?

This isn’t paranoia – it’s real There’s reliable evidence that terrorists have used the telephone to plan atrocities

How much damage has been done already?

We don’t know

How many people in our organisations own telephones and have used them during work time?

We don’t know

How much MISLEADING NON-COMPLIANT downright FALSE information is being passed on as you look at this?

We simply don’t know

Across the developed world, companies are struggling to impose order on this new frontier

And it’s not just hard facts – corporate values and morale are vulnerable

One top 50 company reported that an individual was overheard on the telephone referring to a challenge as a problem !

We need to be able to monitor - who’s talking - to whom - what they’re saying The risk to the company is too great to just ‘trust in people and hope for the best’

Until we have suitable controls in place …

It’s essential that we rely on accountable methods of communication, with visible audit trails …

Wikis, blogs and forums are the tried and tested ways. Every entry is named and attributable , and can be corrected if wrong. All corporate communication should take place this way

How do you update and correct a telephone conversation when it’s done ? You can’t!

In time the telephone may form part of an integrated communication strategy Until then …

Use only web 2.0 technology - you’ve been warned !

Norman Lamont Lloyds Banking Group