What are the most common mistakes that can lead to CRM data breaches?

Inadequate Training: Impact: Users may not understand the full capabilities of the CRM, leading to underutilization of features. Solution: Comprehensive training programs should be conducted to ensure users are familiar with all aspects of the CRM. Lack of User Engagement: Impact: If users are not engaged with the CRM, they may revert to old methods, leading to data inconsistencies and inefficiencies. Insufficient Customization: Solution: Customize the CRM to match the unique requirements and processes of the organization. Poor Data Quality:

Is there a discussion about the security of browser based tools and auto-complete? I've noticed that there are usually exceptions even when a tool is provided. Does the auto-complete debase the use of multiple passwords if it only takes one password to unlock the tool?

Strong passwords are better than weak passwords. Strong passwords are 16 characters or more and require capital and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Ideally, you can bypass the need for a password by using a SSO (single sign on) software. SSO would be part of your IAM (identity and access management) efforts. SSO has the added benefit that it is more convenient to use than a password.

Password management is one of the first issue that comes to mind: broadly any security and data management related issues can lead to breach. Use of 2FA can help reduce the unauthorized access while constant best security practices to users/admin will help contain password problems.

Common mistakes leading to CRM data breaches include weak passwords, insufficient user access controls, neglecting software updates, and inadequate encryption measures. Regularly audit and enhance security protocols, educate users on best practices, and implement multi-factor authentication to safeguard sensitive CRM data.

Actually, I disagree. Data backups are good, but they will not prevent data breach which was the original question. They may help you recover in case of a data breach, but it’s not a prevention tool… on the contrary, if you do not secure those backups it could lead to a data breach!

Having this detailed and well implemented plan will save you a mountain of redundancy in almost every task that involves data. Not to mention the reliability that is provided.

I definitely agree to this. From my past experience, in the field of Salesforce, I have seen many customers suffering from this problem. Many a times, people accidentally delete entries either through a batch job or some flows, and get to know about it little late. To avoid such problems, there are some good tools like Ownbackup, which takes periodic data snapshots from the org to help data restoration. Overall any CRM implementation should have a data archival and retrieval strategy in place to prevent some unexpected surprises. For example, a data breach might corrupt your data - voila, then your data snapshot could be your saviour!

An example I’ve found with insufficient training is in users not having the desire or confidence in using the software. A lot of resistance was met when my past employer implemented CRM. This was one of my key motivations in training users on how to use and navigate through CRM. We saw a big turnaround in usage once users were trained accordingly.

The most likely way to be hacked is by social engineering… train your users to avoid falling for phishing emails and other similar hacking techniques!.

Even when there is training, are people practicing it? Is it a best practice or is it a standard? Needs to be made explicitly clear.

CRM training or best use practices should be contained to user role and provileges; Some CRm limit who/when and what areas/functions of the CRM can be read/edit/delete or if new objects/processes are allowed. Think about 3rd party access thru APIs and embedded code: some might be good while others could be security poor or malware (Trojan, scripts etc.) Train peeps on their access, authorized use and limit all functions that could create (security, mismanagement, etc) issues

Good training is crutial because it creates trust. If users trust the system, they care enough to keep the CRM tool functional and clean.

There can be many scenarios where the user access should be revoked for certain CRM functionalities and data, but it is not done properly. One such case is, we provide the user with certain CRM access as per their initial request, but when they get transferred to a different position within the company, we do not revoke the access as necessary. A periodic audit of user privileges is one way to eradicate this situation. We get the verification and confirmation of user privileges from the relevant supervisors and remove the unnecessary privileges from the users. This way we can guarantee that only the necessary users are having the necessary responsibility or privilege in the systems.

In my experience, smaller companies will usually grant complete access to the CRM to the relevant teams, like marketing, sales, and customer success/account management. In general, as security increases, RBAC (role based access control) will become necessary. Generally, various teams like engineering and product, don't need access the CRM and the data it contains. Nuances in access vary. Sales will be able to access account and lead information, but perhaps not JIRA ticket information from CS (customer success), if tracked in the CRM. This is a meaningful control for privacy. By no means does marketing need access to that info.

California, NY for example and countries/zones have adopted GDPR or similar regulations to protect use of data and limit the use to approved ✅

A common misconception is that we trust our users so we give them access to all. There are two issues with that scenario. One is accidental deletion or modification of records or Metadata. The second is the old adage about too many cooks spoil the brew. This often ends up with too many unnecessary or unused fields, automation, Reports etc. I cleaned up scores of sites with so much tech debt that they were impossible to manage. A systematic approach involving limited access and strategic design will avoid these issues.

In any database, CRM or otherwise, provisioning proper data rights (ownership, access, etc.) is imperative as a product owner/ administrator. Thus, ownership of a data breach should come from the top, down. Ultimately, the administration's unknowingness regarding user-data interaction, whether lack of proper resources, or ignorance, leads to a user/user group having unnecessary access to records or actions they should otherwise not have. Even if an outside breach occurs, role-based access controls should be in place, so a truly serious breach would need to involve a user with high levels of access; likely a product owner, administrator, or high level executive.

There's lots to be said against using cloud-based solutions, but the biggest advantage is that you don't need to update the software. If, however, you have an on-premise version of your CRM (regardless if it's on your servers or in your cloud), you will have to make sure that you update and maintain the CRM software. You can operate it somewhat outdated, but in that case, you want to make sure that it is locked down with limited access. Consider controls to mitigate unauthorized access, like requiring a VPN to access the CRM and SSO. This will eliminate many risks as well as give you reasonable security while you obtain resources to update the CRM software.

Enabling automatic CRM updates enhances security, but in complex enterprise setups, hesitancy arises due to potential disruptions. Large-scale systems may experience cascading effects from software changes, impacting critical processes. A cautious alternative involves thorough testing before deployment. Enterprises can also adopt a staged update strategy, scheduling updates during low-impact periods. This approach enables vigilant monitoring by IT teams to swiftly address unexpected issues, striking a balance between security needs and uninterrupted business operations. SaaS/Cloud CRM solutions offer seamless updates, easing IT burden. This decentralized approach ensures prompt security patches, fostering enhanced security.

In my experience, having an adequate encryption is critical when it comes to preventing CRM data breaches. And not just adequate, maybe we also need to consider what type of encryption is required on different levels of data we’re handling.

The most common mistake is allowing users to extract data from your encrypted CRM software into Excel spreadsheets shared as email attachments. The CRM encryption and security policies are pointless if the data can be extracted to .csv and .xls files and share with users that don’t have the access to view the data in the first place.

One thing I think is important is always hiring the right people. Everything else need sthe foundation of people who share the vision.

Frequently, data breaches occur during transitions when employees leave an organization. It's critical to mitigate this risk by promptly disabling data export rights from CRM systems, such as exporting to Excel, the moment an employee enters their notice period. Additionally, implementing controls to disable data export functionalities when accessed outside the company network or on mobile devices is imperative.