Ensuring secure collaboration while safeguarding sensitive information is paramount. Microsoft offers Information Barriers to control document access, prevent unauthorized sharing, and maintain data integrity. While straightforward scenarios are well supported, some cases allow users to communicate via SharePoint documents even when set to be blocked.
In this blog, we will explain one scenario that is not covered by Information Barriers
Let’s delve into a scenario where Bob and Alice lack permission for a document, but Jim has access and shares it, highlighting the effectiveness of Information Barriers.
Understanding Information Barriers
Information Barriers in SharePoint allow organizations to control communication and collaboration between different groups of users. By defining policies, admins can restrict access to specific content based on user attributes such as department, role, or team membership. This ensures compliance and prevents conflicts of interest by enforcing segregation of duties.
While Microsoft Information Barriers offer some controls for access management in SharePoint, it’s essential to acknowledge their limitations. One notable gap is the potential for accidental access granted between restricted users and sensitive documents. This is due to MS Teams Information barriers policy setting being too broad, only having limited sharing control such as sharing with anyone, sharing with the company, shared with a group but it does not provide granular control.
The Scenario:
A user can share a file with members of separate groups that are blocked from communicating with each other
The Players:
Jim: A senior manager with access to sensitive financial reports.
Bob and Alice: one is an investor, and the other is a researcher, and they are set not to be able to communicate with each other.
The Incident:
Jim needs input from both Bob and Alice on a project that involves data from the financial reports. He decides to collaborate with them by sharing the relevant document on SharePoint. Giving them access to a document that they otherwise should not have.
He shares the file with Bob and then shares the same file with Alice. As a result, Bob and Alice have a file shared that enables them to communicate and share info on it.
The Solution
AGAT’s Ethical Wall /Information Barrier Enforcement validates all the users that have access to file on any permission changes event. This is done in real-time blocking the communication between Bob and Alice as explained above Despite the attempt to share, the restricted user will be unable to access the document due to their restricted permissions.
AGAT Information Barriers ensure that sensitive or restricted information remains protected, mitigating the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches.
Conclusion
AGAT’s Ethical Wall/ Information Barriers in SharePoint provide advanced sharing options that enable organizations to maintain data integrity and confidentiality. By effectively segregating users and controlling access to sensitive content, businesses can foster secure collaboration while mitigating the risk of unauthorized disclosure. Implement Information Barriers in your SharePoint environment to bolster your data protection strategies and safeguard critical information.