How to Protect Your SaaS Customer Data
To protect your SaaS customer data, use a variety of technical solutions and strategies, such as encryption, access controls, regular backups, and employee training. This guide outlines some steps you can take to try and safeguard your data and reduce potential risks.
Assess your current data protection landscape
Before taking specific action, assess your current data protection and security measures.
- Take inventory of your data: What type of customer data is collected and stored? Identify all types of data you collect, store, and process. This includes personal information such as your name, address, phone number, and email address, as well as financial data and other sensitive information you choose to share with us.
- Evaluate current security measures: How is this data protected? Review your security infrastructure, including encryption methods, access controls, and backup procedures.
- Assess customer data vulnerability: Evaluate the potential risks and areas of vulnerability in your customer data handling. Conduct an assessment to pinpoint weaknesses in your protection practices. It’s important to consider factors such as unauthorized access, data loss, and system failures.
Free SaaS Data Security Checklist
Download this checklist to implement essential security measures.
-
Data protection
-
Access controls
-
Employee training
-
Backups
-
and more!
Encrypt your data
Encrypt your data both at rest (when stored) and in transit (when being transmitted):
- Encryption at rest: This protects data stored in databases, file systems, or cloud storage.
- Encryption in transit: This safeguards data as it travels between systems or networks.
Choose the right method for encryption:
- Advanced Encryption Standard (AES): A widely adopted encryption technique with broad industry support. AES-256 is a preferred option.
- Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA): Typically used for secure key exchange.
- Additional options: Explore other algorithms like Twofish or Serpent if they align with your needs.
|
Encryption Type |
Description |
Strength |
|
AES-256 |
Symmetric encryption algorithm, widely adopted and considered secure. |
Very strong |
|
RSA |
Asymmetric encryption algorithm, often used for secure key exchange and digital signatures. |
Strong, but computationally expensive |
|
Twofish |
Symmetric encryption algorithm, designed as a potential replacement for AES. |
Strong |
|
Serpent |
Symmetric encryption algorithm, finalist in the AES selection process. |
Strong |
Box, a popular cloud storage platform, uses AES 256-bit encryption to protect data at rest and TLS 1.2 for data in transit.
Free SaaS Data Security Checklist
Download this checklist to implement essential security measures.
-
Data protection
-
Access controls
-
Employee training
-
Backups
-
and more!
Implement granular access controls
Implement role-based access controls (RBAC) to restrict access based on job responsibilities. Systematically update user permissions so only authorized personnel can view or modify sensitive data. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for an extra layer of security. This requires users to provide multiple forms of verification, like a password and unique code sent to their mobile device.
Such as Salesforce, a leading CRM platform, allows administrators to define access controls based on user profiles, roles, and permissions.
Develop a Backup Strategy
Regular backups are necessary to ensure against data loss. Schedule backups as a strategy that includes both on-site and off-site backups. By storing your data redundantly, you mitigate the potential risks associated with data loss or corruption. Test your backups to be certain they are working correctly and can be relied upon if needed.
Dropbox offers version history and file recovery features, allowing users to restore previous versions of their files or recover deleted files.
Free SaaS Data Security Checklist
Download this checklist to implement essential security measures.
-
Data protection
-
Access controls
-
Employee training
-
Backups
-
and more!
Educate your employees
Your employees are your first line of defense against data breaches. Schedule security awareness training on a regular basis to educate them about the importance of data protection and security. Teach them to determine phishing emails, use strong passwords, and report suspicious activity. Create procedures for reporting security incidents and create a security-conscious culture within your organization.
Free SaaS Data Security Checklist
Download this checklist to implement essential security measures.
-
Data protection
-
Access controls
-
Employee training
-
Backups
-
and more!
Monitor and log activity
Implement broad logging and monitoring mechanisms to track user activity within your SaaS application. This functionality facilitates the detection, notification, and investigation of unauthorized access attempts, potential threats, and security incidents. Review logs often for unusual patterns or anomalies. Set up alerts to notify you of potential security breaches.
Splunk, a log management and analysis platform, helps organizations gain insights into their security posture by aggregating and analyzing logs from various sources.
Stay up-to-date with security patches
It is important to ensure that software is secure to prevent unauthorized data access. Ensure that your SaaS application, and any third-party components, are up-to-date with the latest security patches at any given moment. Taking these steps reduces the possibility of known vulnerabilities being exploited.
Free SaaS Data Security Checklist
Download this checklist to implement essential security measures.
-
Data protection
-
Access controls
-
Employee training
-
Backups
-
and more!
Conduct regular security audits
Carrying out regular security audits can reveal areas in your data protection and security that need improvement. Hire an external security firm to conduct a comprehensive assessment of your SaaS application and infrastructure. Here are some suggestions for improvement based on the data.
In 2014, Slack sought to strengthen their security posture by engaging an external firm to conduct an extensive penetration test. This involved simulating real-world cyberattacks on Slack’s platform to identify potential risks.
The test identified several areas of improvement, including authentication security, cross-site scripting (XSS) prevention, and information security practices. Following the discovery of vulnerabilities in its test results, Slack, acknowledging its accountability for customer data protection, took immediate steps to address the issues.
Conclusion
Protecting customer data is essential to avoid potential legal and reputational risks, which are key factors in maintaining a successful business. This guide outlines the foundational elements of securing your customer data across eight key steps.While these measures could potentially lead to improved data security, they may not completely eliminate the risk of data breaches.
Remember, data security is a continuous process, not a one-time event. Maintain consistent vigilance, stay up-to-date on the latest information, and ensure your data security measures are current to protect customer data.
FAQ
-
Data security in SaaS refers to the process and procedures put in place to protect customer data which is stored and processed within a SaaS application. It entails a wide range of practices, including encryption, access controls, backups, and security awareness training.
-
Security is a shared responsibility between the SaaS company and customer. The company is responsible for securing the infrastructure and application, while the customer is responsible for configuring security settings, managing user access, and protecting their own data.
-
Implement role-based access controls (RBAC) and the principle of least privilege (PoLP) to restrict access based on role responsibilities. Grant only the minimum access level necessary. For an added layer of security implement MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication).
-
The merchant of record usually stores billing information, while the SaaS company stores usage data. Clarify this with your merchant to be sure of compliance.
Ready to get started?
We’ve been where you are. Let’s share our 18 years of experience and make your global dreams a reality.
English 
Español 
Português 
Português do Brasil 
Deutsch 
Italiano 
Polski 
Українська 
日本語 
한국어 
Română 
Français 
Nederlands