Privacy Concerns In CRM: 3 Key Ways To Avoid Security Risks

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is one of the organizations of the most useful system in today's world have. They don't only help maintain good customer relationships, find potential customers to build a strong pipeline, but can also lead to an increase in revenue and customer loyalty. However, since CRM software contains valuable data such as customer behavior and buying patterns, they're usually considered jackpots by hackers.

A data leak can have disastrous consequences for your organization. For example, it can result in customers losing their trust in your business. But lucky for us, any risks to the security of CRMs can be avoided by taking precautions. Therefore, in this article, we'll be discussing three key ways to avoid security risks with CRM software and addressing your privacy concerns.

Thre Key Ways to Avoid Security Risks with CRM software

1.    Secure Your Data & Server    A secure data & server can go a long way in preventing hackers from getting to your data. Firstly, ensure your servers, routers, and local network have secure entry points. This can be done by taking a few steps:

• Install a well-known firewall that will enable you to control who can access your data.

• Install a reputed anti-virus program so your data is protected from any viruses or other threats that can result in a breach of privacy. Some anti-virus programs enable you to block any unwelcoming intrusion in real-time. Such programs are your best options as they'll keep you up to date on any such attempts and enable employees to browse the web safely.

• Regularly update your Operating System. This can be done by turning on auto-updates as some operating systems updates fix bugs and other errors, including security threats. 

• Ensure the SSID of your router is locked.

• Limit remote access to the server. This will ensure any outsider from accessing your data.

• Install software that provides encryption on your operating system. 

2.    Only Choose CRM Providers that You Can Trust     Another important step in protecting your CRM data includes choosing reliable CRM software. When hackers prey on your data, they'll probably first try and find out which software you use and target any security vulnerabilities they're already aware of. Therefore, it's important to go for a reliable provider that follows best security practices. 

Before choosing a CRM for your business, don't just go for any software that seems cheap as it may cost you a lot later. And switching from one CRM to another isn't as easy as it seems once your employees are trained and data stored. Therefore, conduct thorough research. 

There are numerous CRMs in the market these days customized for the type of business you may own, across travel, properyys and many others. The next thing to ensure is that the provider follows best security practices. A good way to check this is to search for the provider's blog or website for any previous security breaches. Moreover, you can also search the "provider's name and security breach" in the search engine of your choice for any news regarding breach of security. 

3.    Educate Employees & Be Wary of Passwords    Another important thing to do when securing data is to train your employees to take precautionary measures and ensure the passwords you use aren't easy to guess for hackers.
Firstly, know that most security breaches happen due to employees' negligence as they unintentionally pass important documents, data, and passwords around. We realize it's important for employee's motivation for them to believe their employers trust them, which is why instead of having a direct conversation, focus on passing this message around in a training program.

In a training program, train your employees on using the hardware and software. Make sure they are aware of the right way to prevent any security breaches and discuss what should and shouldn't be done in case a data breach occurs. This can be done through informational presentations and video tutorials.

Moreover, be careful of the passwords your employees use. Another important cause of data breaches nowadays is due to employers using passwords that are short and easy to guess for a third party. Make sure your employees use unique passwords that are at least 13 characters long and different for each account. And also, ensure the passwords are kept in safe places away from their desks or other places where they can be easily accessible to third parties.

Another good thing to do to prevent data breaches is to get strong authentication for signing-in purposes. This requires more than just a password to sign in and is completely safe and reliable. 

Conclusion     CRM data is important for every company and its owner. We hope you find our article useful and never become a victim of security breaches!

Myrah Abrar is a computer science graduate and writes on web development & digital marketing for The Real Estate CRM

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