Although it may have seemed informal just a few years ago, text messaging has become de rigueur as a way to conduct business.
There are several reasons why text messaging has become ubiquitous in the modern business world. Many people prefer texting to email and phone calls because it's fast and easy. Also, many collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams have a text message function front-and-center. Furthermore, it's easy to text while on the go, which means workers can remain productive anywhere they can find a digital signal. All of this adds up to higher productivity.
While texting is very popular and offers many benefits, this mode of communication isn't without its drawbacks. Perhaps chief among them are issues of compliance and liability. Regulations from FINRA, the SEC, and others call for the collection and storage of all business communications for a specified length of time.
Furthermore, health care workers routinely send information related to patient care over text. These communications should be done in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Text messages also need to be archived to minimize liability, in a manner that is HIPAA compliant.
HIPAA codifies the notion that patient health information must be kept confidential, and any disclosure of that information, whether intentional or not, is illegal. Under HIPAA rules, health care providers must ensure that patient records are kept confidential, intact, and available for authorized parties. Regulations also state that health care providers must protect against reasonable threats to patient confidentiality and improper disclosures.
Unfortunately, security breaches of health care information are quite common. Modern archiving solutions typically have an encryption safeguard that protects both patients and providers.
Another benefit to archiving is that it helps protect a company against wrongdoing. Those that are up to no good will often cover their tracks by deleting text messages that may implicate them. While it's unpleasant to think about somebody behaving unethically or illegally at work, archiving guards against improper behavior, and helps to hold guilty parties accountable.
Companies looking to address the compliance and legal issues around text messaging have two options. One is to prohibit the use of text messaging for business purposes. Although this would be an effective measure, it would be hard to implement. Forbidding the use of text messages could certainly cut into overall productivity.
The second, more reasonable option is to use a secure archiving solution that is designed to meet various regulations. There are many ways to archive text messages, that work seamlessly on Android devices. This often requires the purchase of phones for people wishing to do business over text, as enforcement of archiving measures on personal devices is much more difficult. Even though a company might consider archiving to be a top priority, a typical staff member's perception of non-compliance and liability issues is far different.
It should be noted that currently available archiving solutions only work with certain messaging apps, due to encryption and other factors. For example, WhatsApp uses encryption that makes it challenging to archive text messages in a compliant manner.
Regulatory situations are always fluid, and what is permissible today may not be permissible tomorrow.
Several states have been updating their laws related to text archiving. For example, the SB 944 law in Texas now requires public agencies to use a business-grade text archiving solution to capture and archive text messages, so that they can be retrieved in the event of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
MirrorWeb Can Enable Your Company to Archive Android Text Messages
Regulatory bodies like FINRA and the SEC mandate the archiving of text messagesand other forms of communication, but these organizations do not prescribe a way for it to be done.
Recently, the use of cloud-based third-party solutions has emerged as the standard approach to archive text messages and other communications. After a text message is sent or received, the archiving platform can automatically send a copy to a secure computer or the cloud. Backing up information can also be done automatically, based on a set schedule.
MirrorWeb's archiving solution collects and compiles text messages to create a fully compliant record. Our solution also allows for authorized users to easily search and find specific text messages.
We are able to maintain a permanent archive of all written communications on a wide array of platforms and channels. Our clients are able to supervise the archiving process in real-time. They are able to track all incoming and outcoming communications as they happen.
When our archiving platform collects a text message, it is time-stamped and stored in a protected and compliant manner. Every text message in the system is fully indexed and can easily be found, which makes for much easier compliance inspection and eDiscovery situations. The archive can also be downloaded for record-keeping purposes as a PNG or PDF file.
In addition to helping organizations archive text messages, we also have solutionsfor archiving company web pages and social media posts. Please visit our homepagetoday to schedule a consultation and find out more.
