Dear Reader:
It seems like just yesterday that cloud communications—really, everything in the cloud— was all about the technology. How does it work, how can you customize it, how do you integrate your apps. Now? Technology is still important, of course, but we know cloud calling and messaging work, they’re easily customized, and APIs make everything plug-and-play in the cloud.
The words on everyone’s lips these days? Cybersecurity and its enforcer, Compliance.
Someone once said “There’s a sucker born every minute,” and it seems like for every sucker, there are several scammers trying to take advantage. We thought it was bad when email exploded with spam, but then the car maintenance warranty calls started! The robocalls from “our own” area code! The text messages from who the heck knows, begging for “urgent donations”!
Consumers have had it—and we can’t blame them. There were more than 50 billion robocalls in 2022, or ~4 per person per day (note: not all qualify as spam). And, the number of spam texts first surpassed spam calls in 2020, then soared to 225B+ in 2022! (Mid-term election year, surprise?)
The FCC has had it, as well, receiving tens of thousands of complaints each year. With STIR/SHAKEN regulations and tracebacks fully implemented for calling, more legislation will follow, and fines are into the hundreds of millions for callers who spam (ye p, the car warranty guys!).
At the same time, carriers have been feverishly implementing their own text messaging rules, reviews, and fees in an attempt to head off FCC involvement. With these efforts still evolving, it’s hard to say how effective they are at curtailing spam—or whether the FCC will step in anyway.
And then there’s the rest of us. Legitimate businesses who just want to communicate with prospects and customers in a timely manner, plus the providers who want to deliver those messages. Caught in the crosshairs of the FCC, multiple carriers, myriad regulations, and fraudsters who-knows-where, it’s hard to keep up and it just keeps evolving.
That’s why we’re pleased to provide you with this cybersecurity and compliance eBook, covering both calling and messaging. We’ll tell you what you can and can’t do to get content approved quickly and keep it flowing (and what to do if your calls come up as “Spam” anyway, or your messaging campaigns are rejected). How to protect your business and your communications. And because things keep changing, how to pick an expert provider and where to find some great resources.
Last but not least, we strongly recommend that you assign a compliance officer within your company (in addition to your chief information security officer or similar). This doesn’t need to be a full-time person, depending on company size, but someone who stays current on the latest requirements and is a stickler for detail, who will review all your communications before they go out.
We won’t sugarcoat security and compliance in the cloud. It’s complicated. If you do it right, though, it’s worth the effort. So here’s to happy (and compliant) calling and messaging!
Essential Guide for Cloud Communications Compliance & Cybersecurity:
Part 1: Compliant Calling in the Cloud – Call Compliance, STIR/SHAKEN | Dialing Strategies | Dealing with SPAM Labels
Part 2: Text Messaging Compliance – Getting Started with Messaging Campaigns | Different Messaging Types, Compliance | Long Code Compliance Checklist | 7 Traits of a Good Provider
Part 3: Securing Your Voice & Messaging Business – Empowering Your Team | The Human Element | Cybersecurity 101 | Know Your Customer! | The Robocall Mitigation Database | Toll Fraud
