3 Strategies for Maintaining Your ERP Data Security

Maintain Data Integrity Long After Your Implementation

If you’re a manufacturer or distributor who utilizes an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, you’re aware that your ERP system is integral to your business, controlling a huge amount of your company’s data and processes. This level of control can make security risks even more frightening. Though ERP software is designed with robust security protocols, the truth is no system or dataset is 100 percent safe.

It likely goes without saying that it’s extremely important to take extra care in your ERP implementation process to mitigate the most common security risks, like poor data, mishandled communication, and porous security barriers.

But how do you maintain security long after your implementation is complete? Outlined below are three strategies!

1. Define User Access and Perform Regular Audits

All your ERP users should have access to the ERP in relation to their roles for all datasets. During implementation, construct a set of rules and checkpoints that will limit access for specific employees to only the data they need to see. You can work with your implementation partner to create limited dashboards and password-protected areas. And we recommend segmenting these accesses into read-only, export-permitted, and full editing access.

Also, we recommend conducting frequent top-to-bottom comprehensive security audits to assess your ERP data security. These audits should thoroughly examine end-user behaviors as well as the ERP system’s performance. In short, your comprehensive security audits should inform you about how effective and safe your IT procedures are, whether your data is vulnerable to ransomware and hackers, and whether your employees need a refresher training course on cybersecurity best practices.

2. Reporting

Visibility into your ERP system is critical if a data security issue arises so you can track and address the problem. Precise reporting provides traceability into your data. By tracing the problem, you can ascertain what caused the data security problem, whether there is any damage/the extent of the damage, and you can prevent similar instances from happening in the future.

Additionally, accurate reporting is made easier by restricting employees’ user access permissions (see above). Agile reporting informs executives and business leaders of attempted unauthorized data access, whether it be internal or external, so it can be immediately addressed.

3. Software Updates

We know that software updates and upgrades can be a headache. Not to mention, they always seem to pop up at the most inopportune times, so it’s easy to push them off or ignore them altogether. However, outdated software leaves room for system vulnerability.

Hackers search for vulnerable systems, so neglecting your appropriate software updates and upgrades leaves your business unprotected. Remember, while a software upgrade may seem like a headache, resolving a security breach will be a full-on disaster that costs way more money and resources.

Wrap Up

ERP security is a huge deal as your ERP system houses all your business’s critical information, so keeping it safe is hugely important to your business’s cybersecurity. Datix is an Infor partner and an expert in Epicor® ERP. We are extremely knowledgeable in ERP, security, and enterprise software solutions. Plus, we can help you at any stage of your ERP journey.

Ready to mitigate potential security risks in your ERP software? Contact Datix today!