Taking on something new can be intimidating, but familiarizing yourself with the potential stumbling blocks can make all the difference in rising to the challenge. The same can be said for moving to a cloud-based ERP solution. Although it can seem intimidating at first, knowing the most common challenges can put you a step ahead so you can be sure that your most important data is protected.
Cloud-based ERP solutions are more secure than ever. A vendor that specializes in ERP data security bases their reputation on the fact that they can keep data secure, so it’s in the vendor’s best interest to have state-of-the-art software and security measures. When a business works together with an ERP vendor to increase protection, sensitive data can become almost impervious to attacks.
Four of the most common cloud-based ERP security problems can be addressed by paying particular attention to these issues. Once security habits are established, keeping your ERP system up-to-date should become routine.
Common Issue #1: Not Knowing Who Can Access & Edit Your Data
Information can be stolen or inadvertently mishandled when too many people have access to sensitive data and the ability to edit it. It’s hard to keep up with employees who move around in a growing a company but this is one of the best ways to protect sensitive data. Most software initially gives everyone full access to all information. It is up to the business to set role-based access to sensitive data. Be sure to take advantage of the ERP solution’s ability to implement these parameters and give data access to only the teams that need it.
Common Issue #2: Weak Passwords and Authentications
Passwords should be strong and include two-factor authentication (2FA). Password sharing and ignoring the benefits of 2FA can put a business in peril. Once a password is broken, information in other parts of the system can be accessed. Multi-factor authentication verifies a user’s identity based on multiple attributes, including biometrics, location, and digital footprints.
Common Issue #3: Lack of Activity Logging and Review
Activity logs store periodic records of all the operations and transactions carried out on a system. These logs can then be filtered, analyzed, and audited for review. Careful examination of user and activity logs gives you an overall view of the ERP’s usage at any given time. Without taking note of typical operations and transactions, it can be difficult to identify unusual activity. An ERP solution with Intelligent analytics can track behavioral patterns and flag deviations and constantly monitor key security indicators such as user traffic, data volume, and general system health. These assessments help identify and rectify discrepancies before they become problems.
Common Issue #4: Not Having a Growth Strategy
Ill-defined strategies can deter the best of intentions. Every business should have a growth strategy that includes security measures. Without a well-thought plan in that takes data security into account, software can become outdated and leave a business vulnerable to outside threats. These plans should budget for security increases that come with changing customer needs and can quickly adapt to new ideas and keep ahead of competitors. Implementing a cloud-based ERP will help with creating an outlined plan and can quickly adjust for continuous growth and adaptations that come up.
If you have questions about how DRI can help your business implement cloud-based ERP data security or guide you through ERP data security, call us at 412-562-9660 or email info@decision.com. We can help you customize your platform to meet your needs.
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