Microsoft SharePoint is many things to many people. It presents a frontier of opportunities and collaboration, but also of dangers. SharePoint can be a mammoth task to secure; and trying to secure it without content compliance and security solutions is an impossible task.

Many corporations that have installed SharePoint, took one look at it and either failed to deploy all of the collaboration features including social, or are not using it to secure their most confidential documents; fearful of what they think SharePoint compliance and security to be. However solutions exist that can integrate seamlessly into SharePoint to scan posts prior to publication, as well as monitor existing and new content, libraries and lists, to either block, quarantine, or simply notify the appropriate security staff about anything from profanity, to PII or even the secret merger codename that only the executive team should know about.

That is exactly why SharePoint can benefit from a Sheriff, and why HiSoftware will be in Copenhagen for the European SharePoint Conference in only a few short weeks.  HiSoftware has profiled some of the typical internal offenders that could inadvertently put your organization at risk.

Here are some of the repeat offenders that your organization should be on the lookout for:

Wanted: Slippery Fingers Sally

While executive assistants are trusted to manage the calendars and information for the executive team, Sally does not know nor does she consider the sensitivity of some of the information with which she is entrusted. If that information is posted internally on a public site or calendar it is accessible to the entire organization. Confidential merger talks, reorganization strategies, even layoff plans can be jeopardized.

What Can Be Done?

Managing the distribution and storage of information in SharePoint and Office applications can protect the confidentiality of information. Technology that does not interrupt daily activity, but prevents the unauthorized spread of sensitive information can mean the difference between a successful or failed merger. The most effective method for content security is to protect sensitive information at the using secure metadata at file level.

Wanted: Mike the Social Media Monster

Mike has a lot to say and wants to tell everyone about it. He’s a great collaborator on TeamSites and MySite, however, he’s not always using appropriate language and sometimes forgets that he represents the business and may offend other colleagues.

What Can Be Done?

Relying on staff to follow HR, regulatory and security policies is not a solution, and companies should not have to forgo the collaboration benefits that SharePoint social offers because they are not sure how to manage it. Automated monitoring can remove the vulnerabilities and human diligence required to maintain SharePoint social compliance over the longer term.

Wanted: Cher the Clueless Uploader

Cher the Clueless Uploader means no harm. She’s happily sharing documents with the public, just as she is expected to do as part of her job. But one day she puts out a file that has customer social security information within it. Not her fault, really. It was embedded in one of the multiple tabs within the spread sheet.

What Can Be Done?

It is difficult to know what’s in every layer of a document. While SharePoint’s permissions and folder security are helpful for restricting access to information they don’t prevent someone from moving, copying or attaching them to an email. Employing an automated solution that can enhance security by restricting access to and encrypting content at the document level based on the presence of sensitive data affords the best solution. It ensures that no one, even administrators, can access your most sensitive information, from personal information to company financials and board documents-even if it’s misplaced within SharePoint or makes its way outside of the system to a laptop or via an email.

To better protect your organization, you should consider how automated compliance and security products that classify, encrypt and restrict content based upon the presence of sensitive information can remove some of the vulnerabilities and human diligence required to maintain SharePoint content security over the longer term.

Read more about what can be done to ensure your SharePoint most wanted are not putting your organization at risk. Going to #ESPC13? Stop by booth 22 to learn about how HiSoftware can help keep your staff off the Most Wanted list and knock down compliance and security violations before they can hurt you.

HiSoftware were already signed up as Silver Exhibitors for the European SharePoint Conference 2013. Contact aoife@sharepointeurope.com or call + 353 91 514 501 for more information.

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