Here are a few tips for securing one of your company’s most valuable assets: its contact files, in other words, your future clients
It was during the last conference held by CRM software publisher SALESFORCE that its CEO Marc Bernioff highlighted the importance of protecting your data « security is a never-ending battle »
Our line of work requires us to make securing our client database a priority « email, SMS marketing, etc…. »
Most of the advice below can also be relevant for FTP access, your website admin areas, and other domain management tools.
Brief your teams
In a company, there are always stakeholders who are more or less close to the business : subcontractors, accounting, communication agencies, various service providers…
Even though trust is the basis of a good business relationship, it’s wise to remain cautious, better safe than sorry
Passwords.
Remember to change them regularly, avoid passwords that are too easy to guess, such as, in most cases, the company or user’s name followed by the current year or a date of birth. Also avoid using a single password for all your systems; instead, favor a unique password for each of your systems.
Make your passwords more complex by alternating uppercase and lowercase letters, special characters, numbers, etc.…
Equip yourself with the right technologies without necessarily going through an IT professional whose job would be to protect your data by developing security and encryption programs. Have your site hosted in the country where your company is based, partly for security reasons, but also for legal reasons: when it comes to data security and data breaches, laws can vary from one country to another, which is why, before hosting your data, you should thoroughly research that country’s legislation.
Recourse under local laws can be more permissive and lax than French law, particularly regarding trademark rights.
In the event of legal action, proceedings may be either impossible or much longer, and the financial compensation awarded by the court may be derisory.
Ask your colleagues for advice on hosting your data.
Remember the questions to ask yourself when choosing a hosting provider :
What level of security does it offer?
Which country will my data be hosted in?
Does it hold a certification?
What is the backup procedure?
A word of advice: if you want optimal security for your data, don’t be too focused on the price of the services offered. Conversely, a company offering services at prohibitively high prices is not necessarily a sign of reliability.
One very important thing: your company should always hold the highest level of rights.
Manage access rights differently depending on : the level of trust you place in your employees, but also their seniority — accordingly, do not grant access to sensitive data to your intern.
Finally, our last piece of advice is to never let up your efforts and to do everything possible to protect your data as effectively as possible.