For the success of a business, modern CRM systems are critical. All the business’s proprietary information, from sales data to corporate intelligence, is held by the CRM. Additionally, you can understand a lot about your customers, like their buying patterns, things they like, etc., using it.
It is understandable that a data breach or attack on your CRM can be devastating. It can easily result in irreparable harm to your customer trust and your reputation and entail lawsuits. Since there is so much at stake, it is important to know how you can protect your CRM system from hackers.
In this article, we will talk about some methods that can help you protect your CRM system from hackers and accidents.
How Can You Protect Your CRM From Hackers?
Some prevention steps that you can take to protect your CRM from hackers include:
1. Keep Your Data Secured
One of the first steps you need to take is protecting the IT infrastructure that hosts your CRM data. It is important to create several security layers so that hackers are unable to gain access to the system.
The first step here is to install a trusted firewall to protect your CRM data. It’s recommended that you install a reputed anti-virus program to secure the CRM from Trojans, worms, and viruses. Most anti-virus programs are also known to offer services to prevent intrusion from unknown third parties. You will find anti-phishing and anti-malware capabilities so that you can browse the internet securely.
Another important thing you need to remember is to update your operating system to the latest version. Most operating systems today will download and install the updates automatically. Most users turn off the auto-updates in fear of increased data usage or loss of internet bandwidth. However, experts recommend that you let these updates get downloaded automatically to protect your data and assets.
Many types of tools and software will encrypt your entire disk. These encryption tools can easily be downloaded and used. If you have the latest device, the software may be already installed in the OS.
2. Opt For a Trusted CRM Provider
Another tip that will help you avoid your CRM getting hacked is selecting a reliable CRM provider. It is not easy to migrate from one CRM provider to another once the system is set up. Therefore, you must research various CRM companies before you make the final decision.
To understand more about the CRM companies, you can look into trusted IT news channels and websites; these platforms offer comparisons of various CRM software and their unbiased opinions. Typically, your CRM developer needs to provide unlimited secure access to your data. The provider needs to follow the strict data standards as per ISO 27001.
When you are reading through the reviews, you need to keep a close eye on the data breach history of the CRM providers. Or, you could head over to Google, type in the provider’s name, and then ‘security breach’; you will find all the data breach history on the SERPs. You need to ensure that the CRM company is transparent and is reputed for providing solid security.
One of the best platforms related to this topic is SignalHire. It’s a hiring tool that utilizes SaaS software. This tool is used for a wide range of purposes like interaction tracking, job board posting, job requisition, resume parsing, and CRM. The CRM feature of SignalHire is considered one of the program’s best features; it is robust and cannot be hacked via conventional means.
Established CRM companies will have a dedicated website where you can find all the security procedures that the provider follows. It will always be in the form of a PDF document; if it is not available, you can ask for the information directly from the provider.
3. Train Your Employees
Typically, security protocols tend to become outdated as technology evolves. At times, there will be certain data breaches if your employees keep passing around documents, data, and even user credentials carelessly. Therefore, your first job here is to conduct a security audit so that the weak points in your security protocols are identified and fixed.
Helping your employees learn about the security protocols or CRM data cleansing will help them understand how to use the hardware and software correctly. You could introduce role-playing scenarios, conduct Q&A sessions, provide video tutorials, etc.
All these activities will provide a hands-on experience to the employees regarding data security and breaches. It’s recommended that you keep testing and updating your security protocols daily.
It is suggested that you educate your employees about everything related to safe web browsing so that external threats can be avoided. For instance, if your employees have the habit of opening emails from unknown senders, this pattern should be changed. Such emails may contain malicious and suspicious links that can steal the data of your employees or your company.
You should provide tips like not using public Wi-Fi signals that can easily steal sensitive information like customer emails and data or corporate documents. Public Wi-Fi is often insecure and can let viruses or spy tech into your mobile devices.
4. Utilize Effective Passwords
If you use easy-to-guess or weak passwords, it becomes easier for the hacker to get into your CRM systems. Studies have shown that most of the breaches (nearly 90%) occur due to weak passwords attackers were able to bypass in less than a minute.
You must create a strong password that contains letters, numbers, and special characters. Even if the password is not easy to keep in mind, many safe password managers can easily help you and your employees remember the passwords. Ensure that you use only reliable programs for the job.
Most popular platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Gmail, and other companies and organizations have started using 2FA (Two-factor authorization). This is a type of security feature where you need to provide two types of information independently. Once you do, you will be given access to your account.
For instance, after successfully entering your username and password, you will receive another OTP (one-time-password) on the registered mobile device. Unless a person has access to your mobile device, they will not be able to access your account. The 2FA feature provides an extra security layer for your account.
5. Keep Monitoring Your CRM Activities
You don’t need to keep monitoring the CRM activities of your employees as they keep working in the system. However, you must set up security alerts to get notified when there are security breaches or unauthorized access.
To keep monitoring the security status of your CRM systems, you can create real-time online dashboards. Most of these dashboard tools can be integrated into your current security systems and provide a wide range of features to help you keep track of all security measures for your CRM system and your company.
6. Create Data Backups
Most CRM systems today are quite capable and will provide the required protection against operational and infrastructure failures. However, you cannot be too careful; it is always better to be safe than sorry.
When it comes to data backup and replication, you need to pay some extra attention. It is recommended that you keep backing up the data daily to replace the lost data easily if there is any malfunction. Backups are convenient when your data is being targeted by hackers or gets lost accidentally.
Final Thoughts
Of course, your customers are important; however, their data is equally important. When a security breach occurs, it can ruin your company’s hard-earned reputation. It makes it easier for the competitive brands to steal your clientele.
With the help of the tips mentioned in this article, you will be able to analyze the security of your CRM systems and keep making the required improvements and changes.