BBME provides optimal security and full GDPR compliance for Brighton and Hove Business Forum.

24 February 2020

Our client

Brighton and Hove Business Forum is a business crime reduction partnership operating in Sussex. The partnership works directly with local businesses in the Brighton community in a bid to reduce crime and disorder. Additionally, Brighton & Hove Business Forum works in conjunction with local authorities and Sussex Police to collaboratively tackle crime in the area.

Background

Communication is at the heart of the Forum’s operations: There is a network of staff, local businesses, as well as council members and police officers that share information and keep one another informed of offenders and issues around the area.

The partnership has a password-secure and GDPR-compliant intranet which holds a wealth of sensitive data about crimes in the area. The intranet also acts as a hub where people can report crime directly.

The partnership makes use of a Townlink radio system to connect staff members with police for live communications. Previously he partnership additionally used an older version of BBM for instant messaging, but were not making the most of the app’s archive tool and instead relied on a complex auditing system for retaining messages and data. With the introduction of GDPR requirements, and to streamline and simplify the partnership’s internal systems for managing, storing, and archiving messages, the Forum needed a more effective means of communication across the entire partnership.

Requirements

The Forum’s ultimate requirement was to deploy a messaging tool across the partnership that is fully GDPR compliant, gives the partnership the means to control, manage, and audit data centrally, and with a user-friendly interface that staff could immediately pick up without requiring IT support.

While previous methods of communication used by the Forum were functional, there were a number of challenges that needed to be overcome. Primarily, the partnership needed to be able to securely and instantly share images of potential suspects and offenders between members. The partnership also wanted a solution that enabled staff who were off-shift easy access to catch up on crime recordings and refer back to information securely. Additionally, control and management of all data shared via instant messaging needed to be centralised and stored in line with GDPR requirements, but with the added option for the partnership to delete sensitive information on the devices of individual users once it became redundant.

Solution

Appurity worked with the Forum to complete an initial audit and health check of their current systems, and then implemented a BBM Enterprise (BBMe) and BlackBerry UEM solution. This solution satisfied the partnership’s top requirement of needing an instant messaging tool with the user experience of WhatsApp, but with optimal security and full GDPR compliance. Kylie Wroe describes the BBMe solution as being “the perfect fit for what the partnership needs.”

Appurity’s technical consultants upgraded the partnership’s old version of BBM to BBMe across all the devices, trained staff on-site in secure information retention, and provided written documentation guides for auditing messages and activating new devices so that the partnership could manage their new system without ongoing technical support.

During the deployment, Appurity additionally implemented a bespoke system for the Forum to sign new members onto BBMe. The one-step process means that newly enrolled members are automatically sent a secure email with their personalised BlackBerry PIN, as well as a full step-by-step guide for using the service.

“The on-site technical induction to BBMe and BlackBerry UEM delivered by Appurity was great. Crucially, it was important to be met with friendly, dedicated consultants who we know will support us if we have any technical questions in the future.”

Benefits

Most importantly, BBMe’s enterprise-grade security ensures that all instant messaging, voice, and video communications meet the strong data protection standards enforced by GDPR – and therefore satisfies a key requirement for Brighton and Hove Business Forum.

Using BBMe gives the partnership complete control of all information – including images – shared by its members. Now the partnership can limit its users from saving or sharing images outside of BBMe, and even clear chat history once messages have been audited.

The integrated BlackBerry UEM system provided the Forum an updated, simplified method for logging and auditing sent and received messages through BBMe, ensuring that all data is stored in compliance with GDPR regulations.

The BBMe solution implemented by Appurity also satisfies the partnership’s requirement for a user-friendly messaging tool that is accessible to all staff and members. The solution can be adopted across all devices and operating systems – which crucially meant no complicated or lengthy transition period for the partnership.

“We needed a messaging tool that even members with little or no technical experience could use comfortably. BBMe is as simple as using WhatsApp, but with all the security requirements we need to ensure we’re meeting GDPR requirements.”

About Appurity

Appurity specialises in mobile and application security, delivering comprehensive solutions to community-focused businesses, government and local council organisations.

Mobile security is essential in the public services industry, where sensitive and personal data is shared on a large scale. Many organisations are bound by strict data protection policies and requirements, often in line with GDPR, and must be seen to be taking data security seriously.

Appurity’s consultants understand the landscape of GDPR and data protection compliance where it relates to mobile security, and use the latest technology to ensure that data protection is at the forefront of any mobile security solution.

In sectors where the stakes are high for protecting data and securing mobile communications, our consultancy and implementation services enable organisations to deliver fully secure and compliant devices, without compromising on functionality.