When dealing with sensitive information, such as customer data, protection from leaks and theft is crucial. Losing this type of information to scammers opens a business up to fines, broken trust, and in some cases, lawsuits. In the past, such data leaks were commonly caused accidentally by employees.
Nowadays, there is more data than ever, and storing that data in the cloud is a major convenience and can help protect against data leaks. Unfortunately, with improper management, this data is vulnerable to new forms of cyber theft. Fortunately, if used correctly, many cloud platforms come with advanced security tools to protect your data from these vulnerabilities.
User and administration settings
User and administration settings are some of the most effective ways to protect information. Each directory and file are configurable to only allow specific people or groups access. This makes it simple to define groups of varying accessing levels, and when a new person requires access to your folders, you can assign them to the appropriate group. This is a simple process that ensures people only get access to the exact level of files required. In special cases where the users fit into one group but require specific access to another folder, individual user access is grantable.
Multi-factor authentication access
Placing your data behind a multi-factor authentication login is an incredibly effective and simple way of protecting data. One of the most common ways for data to leak is by the accidental loss of employee credentials. With a multi-factor authentication process in place, employees need access to a physical device to log in, so even if credentials are compromised, there is no way for people to get into the system.
Cybersecurity
As long as everything else is set up correctly, businesses basically get this one for free. The criminals who carry out cyberattacks are always growing and evolving. Fortunately, cloud platforms are always at the forefront of cybersecurity technology.
Data backup
Data backup provides a form of internal security for your company. If you’ve ever lost an external hard drive or had a hard drive fail then you know how devastating it is. Cloud platforms offer options for automatic data backup. For example, you may want to configure your data to back up to two different locations once a day. This eliminates the possibility of losing information critical to the operation of a business.
Quality assurance checks
Whether it’s to a product pipeline or a customer checkout procedure, additional quality assurance doesn’t hurt. Systematic checks added to any production process will help a business catch errors early. These checks may include things such as making sure any new product that comes in is also rescanned to storage, avoiding the possibility of losing or misplacing product early. Another example may involve sending customers verification codes to make sure all interaction is human and verified.
System health monitoring
System health monitoring is a subcategory that falls within the umbrella of quality assurance checks. Oftentimes the use of automatic data gathering and dashboard visualization is only used for product sales and revenue. Quantifiable system components are very useful and can convert data into visual components like graphs and tables. For example, one could keep track of the number of products produced every day and the number of products that have defects. By having this data uploaded real-time to a dashboard you could quickly identify anomalies in production numbers.
IoT physical security
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical devices that automatically gather and convey information to humans. Turns out these types of devices also come in handy for the security of a physical location. IoT cameras and motion sensors can detect movement after hours and take appropriate actions. This might include alerting the owner via email or text, or a direct call to the police. The schedule at which these devices will perform such actions is configurable.
Best security practice training seminars
Cloud platforms come with great security tools, but if misused your data could be vulnerable. While the security is automatic once it is in place, it’s crucial to make sure it’s configured correctly from the start. Therefore, everyone accessing your system must be trained in the available security tools to make the most of them. Many cloud platforms provide training seminars and modules so that everyone in the business can make the most of them. On top of that, there is always live help from consultants available.
Contact Premier Computing if you have any questions about cloud ERP systems and security. We’ve proudly implemented effective business solutions for over 60 years.
