Protecting customer data has never been more essential in today's digital environment, urging 93% of organizations to plan on increasing cybersecurity spending. With the rise in the amount of personal information businesses store through Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, cyber-attacks and data breaches have skyrocketed. It is also important to ensure its protection so that it secures customer trust while satisfying regulatory requirements and reducing potential outcomes of data breach incidents.
Security measures like enhanced CRM security are about more than just keeping your business safe from technical threats; it is an evolving threat prevention strategy that your business simply must employ to stay safe. We take a look at how businesses can employ multiple means to protect customer data in their CRM systems while assuring maximum levels of protection. Read on to find out more.
Implement Strong Authentication and Access Control Systems
The best way to guarantee you have the customer data secure with a CRM system is to have strong authentication and access control. Authentication ensures that whoever (or whatever) is trying to break in is who they say they are and access control dictates what each individual should be allowed to see and do to those files. To further add to your security, consider enabling Multi-factor authentication (MFA) that would require users to show who they are using more than one form of evidence — their password and one-time codes delivered directly to mobile phones.
CRM security means you need to do your part with access controls. Not all employees need access to all of the customer data, so businesses can keep the risk of unintended data leakage or access by employees without authorization down by restricting customer data to employees who have to access it for work purposes. The use of user permissions should be reviewed regularly in companies to guarantee that the roles and responsibilities of each position are selected per them.
Monitor for Suspicious Activity and Perform Regular Audits
To protect the data about the CRM, organizations should implement a continuous monitoring system. Such monitoring allows businesses to establish detection of suspicious activities that include, for example, an excessive number of login attempts, a change of access control, or bulk export of CRM info, and when that occurs, businesses can respond very quickly and prevent more serious breaches of security or incidents from occurring.
Regular security audits provide another effective means of gauging CRM security protocols' effectiveness, with information security auditors playing an essential part. An information security auditor specializes in evaluating existing security measures to detect any weaknesses that might otherwise go undetected by internal teams, as well as suggesting improvements. By scheduling regular audits, companies ensure their security protocols stay abreast of evolving threats while showing compliance with industry standards and legal regulations, demonstrating commitment to data protection.
Encrypt Data to Provide Privacy Solutions
Encryption is another crucial aspect of safeguarding customer data within CRM systems, protecting sensitive customer information from being intercepted or viewed inappropriately by unintended parties. By encoding data, using encryption algorithms that only authorized readers are capable of deciphering with appropriate keys, businesses can ensure customer data at rest (when stored) and transit (when transferred between systems) remain protected from unwanted access or modification by third parties.
Modern CRM platforms often come equipped with encryption features built right in, making it vital to enable and configure them correctly for maximum protection. Businesses should also employ Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
Finally, end-to-end encryption (E2EE) should be thought of by businesses holding on to highly confidential customer details, as data sent in this manner is encrypted till its destination, hence if intercepted it cannot be deciphered to be used against its purpose.
Train your Employees on the Best Practices of Data Security
Even the most top-of-the-line CRM security measures will be impossible to defend from without well-trained employees who follow proper data security best practices. Human errors such as weak passwords, phishing attacks, or unapproved data sharing are exploited by cybercriminals. Based on this context, businesses can reduce the incidence of these incidents by providing regular training in data security practices. Policies for handling customer data need to be set by businesses so that employees know the responsibilities that they have to be tasked with protecting important information.
Training should not be seen as a one-time thing, it is an ongoing process. Cyber can pose a danger in multiple forms, and new risks are constantly spawned every day, so businesses must keep employees updated about new and current dangers and good ways to mitigate them, with accurate and complete information. They can minimize the liability claims significantly as they develop an awareness program about security matters that occur in an organization, and they can therefore reduce the risk which is attached to data breaches greatly.
Final Thoughts
While it would seem tiresome for businesses of all sizes to ensure their protection of customer data within CRM systems, customer trust, and information is, and always will be, critical to protecting. Information security auditors, strong authentication and access controls, data encryption, suspicious activity monitoring, and employee training on best practices are all areas businesses can enhance CRM security measures and decrease the risk of data breaches working with.
When a business is committed to protecting customer data, it needs to keep an eye on what technology can do with it and be prepared to defend against any loopholes created by it. Security measures for your CRM can protect against financial, and reputational losses, yet industry and marketplace trust will be demonstrated through privacy and customer trust.
