Organizations of all sizes rely on Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRMs) every day to create meaningful customer experiences and keep track of important customer data. An essential part of an organization’s cybersecurity protocols should include guidelines for protecting their customer’s information, as CRMs are often a primary target for cyber attacks. Typically, cyber criminals will target sensitive information such as social security numbers (SSNs), credit card info, and banking information when breaching an organization’s cybersecurity defenses; the loss of this information can be potentially devastating for both customers and organizations. Let’s learn more about how you can better protect your CRM from cyber attacks.
The Basics of CRM Security
CRM security is a subset of cybersecurity that focuses on implementing enhanced protective measures and protocols to safeguard valuable customer data. While having protocols in place to prevent cyberattacks is important, organizations in California and the EU are legally obligated to implement certain protective measures by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) respectively. External fraudsters often use phishing attacks and malware to gain access to confidential information, but insider threats can also expose valuable information to the public. Here are some of the best techniques for securing your CRM from both internal and external threats:
Implement Data Encryption Software
Data encryption algorithms are highly effective at protecting valuable information, as they can safeguard data while it’s being transmitted and while it’s being stored. If a fraudster attempts to access encrypted data, the information is rendered useless by the security algorithms, as encrypted data is nearly impossible for the average cyber criminal to decrypt. For organizations that store large amounts of sensitive information such as social security numbers and banking statements, data encryption software is crucial.
Conduct Regular Security Audits/Backups
Even with encryption in place, conducting routine security audits and data backups is essential to prevent future threats. These audits cover a company’s entire IT infrastructure and are highly effective at identifying threats before they even occur. In the event of a breach, having your CRM data backed up can ensure that your organization can quickly recover and resume operations as soon as the threat is mitigated.
Educate Your Staff on Cybersecurity Best Practices
Sometimes, CRM data can be unintentionally leaked due to unsafe business practices such as password sharing and not updating employee access to certain files. One of the most effective steps that IT leaders can take in preventing incidents is promoting cybersecurity best practices within the team and equipping them with the knowledge necessary to quickly identify potential threats. Conducting cybersecurity seminars and hosting hand-on training sessions can make a significant difference in how your team handles sensitive information.
Prevent Password Sharing Among Employees
One of the leading causes of data leakage is password sharing, a practice where employees share passwords to sensitive documents with their fellow employees. Even if the intent isn’t malicious, sharing passwords with unauthorized staff members poses a significant risk to an organization’s data privacy. CRM platforms offer advanced accessibility settings such as two-factor and multifactor authentication to access different accounts; these settings can almost entirely eliminate the possibility of data leakage occurring due to password sharing.
Protect Your CRM System’s Data with CCG’s Cybersecurity Solutions
IT leaders all over the world are constantly searching for ways to improve their organization’s cybersecurity efforts, and CCG is ready to help. We act as a partner with your business that researches and implements IT solutions from our vast network of providers–our goal is to serve as an extension of your IT team. Learn more about our cybersecurity solutions by visiting the CCG website or getting in touch with our team today!
