In the competitive SaaS industry, cyber threats are constantly present, and business leaders need to ensure complete application security in order to keep their customers safe, protect sensitive information, and preserve their own brand’s reputation over the long term. In order for a SaaS application to accommodate the needs of its customers, it not only has to have the right features – it also needs to have stellar security systems in place. To that end, one of your top priorities should be to integrate the leading solutions in the field of cyber security in order to boost customer retention and grow your company safely and efficiently.
While there are many security features you could integrate into your application, there are some tried-and-tested solutions that you should focus on in order to protect sensitive customer data, improve your trust factor, and minimize risks across the board. That’s why today we’ll be taking a look at the best ways your SaaS business can improve network and data security quickly and effectively.
Start by educating your employees and customers
Oftentimes, your own employees and customers can pose the greatest risk for your cyber security, no matter how many smart and industry-leading tools you integrate into your system. This is especially true for your customers who might not be versed in all of the key ways they should handle their data. Your employees can also inadvertently give out sensitive business information to online scammers and hackers, simply because the tools cyber criminals use are advanced enough to make them think they are providing information to the right person.
To put this into perspective, consider your customer service department. Customer support is essential for SaaS success, and this is the department that is at risk the most from cyber-attacks and scams. Scammers will often pose as customers in an attempt to extract valuable information from your customer service agents, which is why it is imperative that you educate them on proper cyber security measures and practices.
Be sure to conduct thorough cyber security workshops with all teams that deal with customer data on a regular basis, so that they can spot nefarious online activity with ease. Use your content strategy and newsletters to educate your users on personal cyber security, so that they can keep their information safe at all times.
Have a disaster recovery plan in place
In case that you do lose customer data or sensitive business information, you have to have a disaster recovery plan at the ready to minimize the damage for your company and your customers. If any of customers’ accounts have been compromised, it is imperative that you notify your users quickly and suspend their accounts until the matter has been resolved. You also have to have a system in place to erase sensitive user information from all compromised accounts automatically, to prevent unlawful use and distribution.
If the system has crashed and you haven’t detected any cyber-attacks, then you need to recover that data quickly and reboot your system so that your users don’t waste any of their precious time or lose faith in your company. The longer they have to wait, the higher the chances that they will switch to a different SaaS solution.
Monitor and control your network at all times
To improve network security, you have to stay in control of your company’s network at all times and you need to monitor all incoming and outgoing traffic in order to prevent cyber-attacks and data breaches. This level of cyber security is achieved only with a comprehensive network security solution that has numerous features and security applications to create an impregnable system, including internet access management, a strong AI-enabled firewall platform, and more.
However, one of the most important features is the secure web gateway that you can use for deep traffic inspection, and to control network activity. This will allow you to restrict access to dodgy, non-work-related websites to keep your employees safe, and it will help you prevent cyber-attacks and phishing scams by identifying threats early on.
Enable two-factor authentication
There is no telling who might be trying to enter the accounts of your employees or users on a daily basis, and there is always a chance that someone has managed to take hold of a password and username that an employee or customer is using. This is why you need to enable two-factor authentication in order to verify the identity of the user at every log-in, and prevent unlawful entry into the app. Along with a strong password that every user should have, they should also designate a security question, or verify their phone number with a unique code that you can automatically send to their smartphone at log-in.
Store your data on secure servers
Lastly, always make sure that you’re working with a reputable cloud provider that guarantees the security of their servers and the data they store. Your provider should always strive for innovation and regularly upgrade their security measures to stay ahead of the cyber criminals at all times. What’s more, they should provide you with 24/7 support should you need any help with data management, storage, or cloud security.
Wrapping up
SaaS companies are under constant threat of cyber-attacks and scams that aim to extract valuable user information, which is why improving network security should be your top priority if you want to preserve your brand’s reputation in the long run. With these solutions at your side, you should have no problem running a secure SaaS operation that the customers will trust.
