Secure Cross-Enterprise Knowledge Sharing using SharePoint

Deploying a Knowledge Sharing Solution
that Promotes Cross-Enterprise
Collaboration without Compromise

September 2008 W H I T E P A P E R Deploying a Knowledge Sharing Solution that Promotes Cross-Enterprise Collaboration without Compromise
Cross-Enterprise Information Sharing - the Challenge What the Industry is Saying Outsourced manufacturing especially in the Aerospace and Defense Industry and "SharePoint is emerging as a partner-intensive programs and products are increasing the complexity of popular mechanism for file information sharing, while competitive pressures are making better, faster, and sharing and collaboration with cheaper execution a must. Expanding corporate footprints, coupled with the partners and suppliers. emergence of a truly worldwide economy, are fueling the creation of global supply However, implementers are struggling with how to deploy chain team teams whose constituencies are comprised of an ever rising number SharePoint in situations that of partners, customers, and other third parties working together across corporate require secure information boundaries to achieve the business objectives. sharing when spanning multiple domains and multiple, The cross-enterprise collaborative approach has enormous upside. Trading external organizations." partner team members can focus on and leverage their specific areas of expertise, paving the way for optimal performance with respect to quality and cost - Craig Roth, Vice President of considerations. Division of labor amongst the parties also encourages parallel Collaboration and Content development, tightening the critical path and thereby minimizing the overall Strategies at the Burton Group. schedule. Unfortunately, the approach has some challenges for businesses as well. As the number of constituents grows, so does the need for timely and secure knowledge sharing. Companies are aware that in-person interactions are often impractical, costly, and time-consuming, and that hardcopy documentation exchange expends valuable resources while also introducing delays. So, they turn to electronic collaboration (e-collaboration) solutions, be they be unsecure email or more sophisticated knowledge sharing tools. In fact, according to a 2007 survey by Forrester Research, "Enterprise and SMB Software," nearly 50 percent of businesses in North America and Europe view implementation of a collaboration strategy as a priority. The key to the successful definition and execution of a cross-enterprise collaborative strategy is security. The risks and impacts associated with unauthorized knowledge sharing can undermine the effectiveness of the global supply chain. With comprehensive security functionality, risks can be mitigated and businesses can realize significant benefits, including: · Intellectual Property Protection - Keep sensitive corporate information from falling into the hands of team members who don't have a need-to- know · Enable Compliance - Ensure that regulations (government, industry) and standards, as well as internal controls and corporate policies, are adhered to throughout the program or project lifecycle. · Audit and Remediation - Track the activities of all team members and individuals to identify unwarranted actions and prevent them from recurring. Comprehensive security means not only controlling access to the environment in which the knowledge sharing solution operates, but also protecting information within that environment once access has been granted. The following capabilities are essential solution components to address the risks of cross enterprise information sharing: · Build Identity Management framework that is based on a Federation model to enable strong assurance of electronic identities of people who access the information · Include Trading Partner On-boarding with appropriate training · Protect information from third party service providers who are involved using data encryption Copyright © 2008 Exostar LLC. All rights reserved. 1 Deploying a Knowledge Sharing Solution that Promotes Cross-Enterprise Collaboration without Compromise
What the Industry is Saying Companies have recognized that employers (managers with authority) are in the best position to vouch for the identities of their employees and to define the ... [download for more]