Internal communication has undergone a massive shift. While it used to refer to the monthly newsletter or the posters in the breakroom, today internal comms is the core of many organizations. 

But as internal comms evolves, the definition of secure communication is changing. It is no longer enough to just have an encrypted chat app or a password-protected intranet. For an organization to truly be secure, it needs to think about how information is distributed, who has access to the tools that send it, and how to reach the 80% of the global workforce that doesn’t sit behind a desk with a corporate-managed laptop.

As such, creating a robust internal communication strategy requires a balance between two groups that don’t always speak the same language: the Comms team, who want maximum reach and engagement, and the IT team, who want maximum control and security. 

The growing security challenges of shadow communication

At work we often rely on quick and accessible data. And when this data isn’t accessible it can slow us down or even prevent us from doing our jobs properly. Today, one of the greatest threats to enterprise security comes in the form of the workaround or miscommunication.  

When corporate tools are difficult to use, slow to access, or simply unavailable to certain segments of the workforce, employees find their own ways to talk. This is known as shadow communication and it often goes in tandem with it’s more insidious cousin, shadow IT.

For context: Consider a manufacturing plant or a retail environment. If a floor manager needs to send an urgent update about a shift change or a safety protocol, and the official corporate app requires a multi-step login process on a personal phone, that manager will likely turn to a WhatsApp group or personal email.

While this solves the immediate problem of getting the word out, it creates a massive security vacuum. Personal apps do not follow corporate retention policies. They aren't subject to legal discovery. 

And most importantly, and worryingly, when an employee leaves the company, their access to those informal groups often remains, leaving sensitive company data in the pockets of former staff.

The financial and legal cost of a comms-based data breach is rising. The average cost of a data breach in 2025 was $4.4 million according to a study by IBM, and the biggest vulnerability is often the user rather than the system.

But it’s not even the cost to rectify the data breach. Between GDPR in Europe and various state-level privacy laws in the US, the mishandling of internal data can result in seven-figure fines, massive reputational damage and worse - and it goes beyond password protection and cybersecurity tools.

Putting it simply, a secure communication strategy isn't just about protecting trade secrets; it is about protecting the company’s bottom line and it’s existence. 

The pillars of a secure internal comms tech stack

When it comes to moving away from shadow comms, IT and Comms teams need to build a sanctioned tech stack that is as easy to use as a consumer app but as secure as a banking platform. This starts with three non-negotiable pillars.

Encryption is the baseline. It ensures that the message sent from a CEO’s laptop is only readable by the intended recipients. In 2026, data in transit, the journey the message takes from point A to point B, must be encrypted using modern standards like TLS 1.3. 

However, data at rest, the messages sitting on a server, needs equal protection. 

A truly secure stack ensures that even if a server is compromised, the data within it remains an unreadable scramble of characters.

The era of having a separate username and password for every internal tool is over. For an enterprise to remain secure, every communication tool must integrate with a Centralized Identity Provider through Single Sign-On (SSO). 

This allows IT managers to maintain a single source of truth for who is in the company and what they can see. If an employee is offboarded from the main system, their access to any software CMS, the intranet, and the internal chat tools is revoked instantly and globally.

Not everyone needs the keys to the entire kingdom. A secure system uses Role-Based Access Control to ensure that a local HR manager can update the menu in the cafeteria without accidentally having the power to broadcast a company-wide emergency alert. 

RBAC minimizes the blast radius of human error. By limiting permissions to the bare minimum required for a job, you significantly reduce the risk of a compromised account causing widespread damage.

We typically think of email and Slack as the gold standard of communication, but from a security perspective, they are what we call active channels. They require a user to log in, interact and, crucially, click.

Because these channels are interactive, they are the primary targets for phishing. And phishing remains the number one entry point for malware in the enterprise - accounting for around 90% of all cyber attacks.

Every inbox, chat group or messaging app is a potential doorway for an attacker. Even with the best training, it only takes one stressed and distracted employee clicking a malicious link in an internal-looking email to compromise a whole network.

This is where many organizations realize they have a gap. They are over-reliant on channels that require high levels of user interaction, which simultaneously increases the surface area for a security breach.

The passive security advantage and the moat of digital signage

This brings us to a tool that is often overlooked in both internal comms and security conversations: digital signage. While often viewed simply as a way to show slides or metrics, digital signage offers a unique architectural advantage known as passive security.

Unlike a mobile app or an email client, a digital signage screen does not require an employee to enter credentials to view it. It is a broadcast-only medium. This means there is no login for a hacker to phish and no inbox for a user to click a bad link. 

Moving high-priority information such as safety alerts or KPI updates to a screen reduces one cyber attack vector. Because data is visible there’s no need to login, and no unnessecary access to a potentially compromised login.

Network segmentation and the deskless moat

For IT managers, the biggest fear is lateral movement by hackers. Once they have access to one device they can quickly and easily use it to hop to another - and another... 

Digital signage players, like the ScreenCloud Station P1 Pro or PIXI, allow for total network segmentation. 

You can place your signage network on a completely separate VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) that has no path to your core database or financial servers. If a screen is physically tampered with, it is isolated. 

It’s a communication tool that lives outside your most sensitive zones while still being managed centrally.

Digital signage is inherently a one-way street. Data flows from the secure CMS to the screen, but no data flows back from the screen to the network. This read-only environment, or Narrowcasting, is a dream for security professionals because it eliminates the possibility of the endpoint being used as a source of data exfiltration.

Secure internal communication for the deskless workforce

In sectors like manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare, the security challenge is even more acute. Workers in these industries often do not have company email addresses or regular access to corporate devices. 

And so, to reach them, companies often resort to allowing personal device use on the floor - a massive security and safety risk.

Digital signage manages and potentially solves this by providing a company managed window into the organization. 

You can display real-time data from secure sources like PowerBI, SharePoint or other data tools without ever giving the end-user direct access to those platforms. The screen acts as a secure proxy, showing the information people need to see without providing the keys to the software behind it.

7 Best practices for IT and comms alignment

Whatever tools you’re using for internal comms, you need to be sure your tools are both engaging and bulletproof. Whether you’re choosing messaging tools, intranet platforms or project management software, make sure to follow these seven steps to bridge the gap between departments:

Prioritize SOC2 Compliance: Prioritize vendors that have undergone independent security audits. SOC2 Type II compliance is the industry standard for ensuring a service provider manages your data securely.

Regular Firmware Updates: Treat all of your hardware like you treat your laptops. Ensure your digital signage hardware is capable of automated, remote firmware updates to patch vulnerabilities as soon as they are discovered.

Audit Your Access Regularly: Once a quarter, the Comms and IT teams should sit down to review who has admin rights in your communication tools. You will almost always find accounts that can be downgraded.

Use Hardware Designed for the Enterprise: Consumer-grade devices (like Chromecasts or basic smart TVs) are not built for enterprise security. Use dedicated media players that support enterprise-grade WPA2/WPA3 Wi-Fi and ethernet authentication.

Enforce SSO Everywhere: If a tool doesn't support your SSO provider (Okta, Azure AD, etc.), it shouldn't be part of your stack.

Train for Physical Security: Security isn't just digital. Ensure that media players are mounted securely and that USB ports on public-facing screens are disabled or blocked.

Create a Crisis Loop: Have a pre-set plan for how an emergency alert is triggered. If a security breach is detected, how do you instantly clear all screens and broadcast instructions? This should be a one-button process.

Making security an enabler, not a barrier

The most secure communication system in the world is useless if nobody uses it. If security measures are too clunky, employees will revert to the shadow comms we looked at earlier. The goal of a modern enterprise should be to make the secure path the easiest path.

By leveraging a mix of active channels (like encrypted chat and intranet access) and passive channels (like secure digital signage), you create a communication ecosystem that is both resilient and pervasive. You protect your data while still reaching every employee, from the main office to the warehouse floor.

Security should not be a barrier to great internal communication; it should be the foundation it’s built on. 

ScreenCloud: Your secure communication partner

Digital signage has become a key part of the internal communication infrastructure for many enterprises. By seamlessly integrating with popular intranet tools, messaging apps, Business Intelligence solutions and other sources of real time information, comms teams can surface updates, data and team news when and where its needed.

And because ScreenCloud offers the highest standards of security, we’re trusted by some of the world’s biggest organizations, from healthcare and financial services, to manufacturing and technology.

If you’re looking for a digital signage solution that meets and exceeds most security standards, book a demo today.

Keeping your internal communications secure is a common challenge for business IT teams. Find out about reducing risks and using digital signage to improve internal comms.

The Enterprise Guide to Secure Internal Communication

The Enterprise Guide to Secure Internal Communication

The Enterprise Guide to Secure Internal Communication

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