You were probably working on your NIST SP 800-171 or CMMC project and came across the requirements surrounding collaborative computing devices and were wondering what they were which led you here. Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one.

A collaborative computing device is a device that generally has the following characteristics, networking capabilities, cameras, and microphones.

An example of a collaborative computing device is a smartboard or other video conferencing device.

NIST SP 800-171 requirement 3.13.12 and CMMC practice SC.2.178 require that you “Prohibit remote activation of collaborative computing devices and provide indication of devices in use to users present at the device.”

Once you have identified collaborative computing devices in your information system, you can begin meeting this requirement. You need to go through the settings on the collaborative computing device to see if there is a remote activation setting. If there is, turn it off. Make Sure that your collaborative computing devices have an LED or other indicator that tells users that the camera or microphone is on. If you have a conference room where you have a collaborative computing device, you should lock the door when the device is in use and post a paper notification on the door to the room warning that audio and video may be recorded in the room.