Tag Archive for: security

6 Things You Can Do Right Now To Secure Your Business

If you’re a small business, you may think that your business is safe because it is a small operation. Well, we’re here to tell you, think again. Research shows that about half of small businesses experience a cyber-attack, and this is mainly because they tend to have minimal security. So you need to be alert and take the necessary steps to secure your business. To help, we’ve come up with a list of six things you can do right now to secure your business.

Step #1: Keep Software & Operating Systems Up-To-Date

One of the best things you can do to secure your business is keep a close eye on all the services and software your business uses and make sure everything is up-to-date. By putting off updates, whether it’s for your PC, tablet or server, you could end up losing hours, and hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Keeping your software and systems up-to-date keeps you safe from known security holes. When you leverage any of our applications at Commercient, such as SYNC and IoT Pulse, you will always stay up-to-date, because all our apps are cloud-based.

Step #2: Store Data Safely

Another step you can take to secure your business right now is decide where to store your data. And one of the best places you can store your data is in the cloud – is it both safe and secure. For example, having a cloud server restricts your employees from saving their files on their personal computers.

Also, you can use cloud storage as a backup plan, as it can provide a second copy of your important files. These files are stored at a remote location and can be accessed through an internet connection. So, in the event that a disaster occurs, your data will remain protected. Since all our apps at Commercient are cloud-based, you don’t have to worry about your data being destroyed or lost, and you can have that extra peace of mind.

Step #3: Control Data Use

Another step you should take to secure your business is make sure every employee only has access to the data they need, which will minimize the chance of anyone accidentally changing or deleting things they shouldn’t.

According to CSO Online, you should “divide your data into categories, and make sure sensitive data is protected and can be accessed only by authorized employees who have a legitimate reason to access it.” Many CRM systems, such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, even allow you to grant different users different levels of access, which is a great way to help you control data use.

Step #4: Set Up A Firewall

Making sure that firewalls are activated for all computers in your business is another way to your business is secure. A good firewall will help you block unauthorized access to computers. Without it, a hacker may be able to penetrate your network and access your critical business information, such as financial data and employee records.

Firewalls also protect against other malicious activity on the Internet, including hackers using “malware malicious” programs often disguised as legitimate software to get at your private data.

Step #5: Have A Two-Step Verification Process

According to USA Today, “almost two-thirds of all cyberattacks are now directed at small businesses,” and the number is still increasing. This is why two-step verification is an important measure you need to take to secure your business.

The idea behind two-step verification, or two-factor authentication, is that in addition to a password, users are required you to provide a second piece of information to confirm their identity (sometimes a special numerical code sent via text or email). This increases the level of difficulty for hackers to access a user’s personal information.

Step #6: Educate Your Staff On Cyber Security

Another way you can secure your business is by educating your staff and helping them to understand what data needs to be protected. Research shows that 64% of data breaches are caused by human error, so training them on this topic is so important.

For instance, you should let them know what they can and cannot use company computers for, as well as which applications should not be downloaded to a company computer. It’s also important to inform them on what types of emails should not be opened or sent.

Want to integrate your all your other business apps securely? Contact us today to learn more about our SYNC data integration and IoT Pulse apps today.

IoT Pulse connect ERP to the Internet

 

Safe and Sound: 3 Useful Ways to Improve Security and Protect Your CRM Data

Companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on CRM software alone; so poor security practices are not an option. In the wake of the Wikileaks revelations, IT companies are scrambling to up their security measures. So, just how secure is your data? Here are 3 useful ways to improve your company’s security and protect your CRM data.

Know thyself

What better way for you to protect your company than to know and inspect your company’s current business processes. It is possible that some of your current processes could be insecure, which can leave customer data exposed. Ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Does the company house information that is sensitive, and how is that information being handled?
  2. Are there any system permissions in place for your organization’s employees? Does everyone have the same access levels to your system data?
  3. Is the current customer database secure?

Without answering such questions and having a system in place to warn you of data breaches, your customer data can be easily exposed.  Performing routine risk assessments will help you and your company fight against any attempts of data breaching.

Salesforce is a good example of a company who fell victim to a security breach, and by improving its security measures, has not suffered a breach since then.

Train your staff

Your employees are the most critical assets to protecting your CRM data. It means they should know how to safeguard and handle your company’s data. You must make them aware of potential security threats.

To help improve security measures within your company, you can educate your employees through annual and quarterly security eLearning courses, on-site briefings, training classes, and more. Through security training modules, your employees can become more aware of your current security measures and will be more inclined to put security measures into practice. They also will feel more comfortable disclosing any mistakes or potential security threats. Additionally, by training your employees, you will help them to make good judgments and identify and avoid risks, Training your employees is one of the best ways to secure your data and your company.

Enforce strong passwords

Companies that allow their employees to use weak passwords are asking for a data breach. The best practice is to enforce employees to use strong passwords or employ a password manager, like LastPass. Password managers require employees to remember only one complex password, while the password manager remembers all the others.

Companies like Salesforce are also using two-factor authentication techniques to provide an extra level of security to user accounts. Such techniques can enhance and improve your organization’s security.

If you have integrated your CRM and ERP system using our SYNC App and would like to learn more about come common security concerns, check out our Commercient blog post on ERP Security Concerns.