The importance of data security is something that cannot be ignored today. It seems that a day does not go by without news of a data breach of some form.
In the SaaS market, in particular, it is imperative to make a dedicated effort to keep your customers protected. After all, with cloud-based services like this, personal information is regularly shared and hackers are continuously looking to compromise these sorts of applications.
In fact, did you know that 73 percent of cyberattacks involve external cloud assets? This statistic alone should be enough for SaaS companies to take note.
The trouble is that a lot of business owners do not know where to begin when it comes to protecting their customers and their data. However, the good news is that you are not alone. There are a lot of tools on the market today that offer customers enhanced protection and put their minds at ease. So, continue reading to discover everything you need to know.
Why Customer Security Matters for SAAS Businesses
Before we take a look at the different tools that are available and can help you manage your customer protection efforts, we first need to establish why customer security is so critical for SaaS businesses. There are a number of factors to look at here.
Firstly, we need to start with the law. There are many different rules and regulations around the world that you need to adhere to when it comes to customers’ data rights and protection. From the GDPR to the CPRA, you cannot ignore your responsibilities here.
You may be wondering what is the CPRA? This is the privacy act that has been established in California. So, if you have any customers in this part of the United States, you need to make sure you adhere to the data rules and regulations that the CPRA implements – even if it is just one customer!
A lot of experts believe that the CPRA is a representation of what is to come for most states in the US, as well as other locations around the world. So, even if you do not do any business in California at the moment, this is certainly something worth paying attention to, as it is not going to be the last time you see state-specific rules when handling consumer data.
Aside from this, you also need to consider just how rife data breaches are at the moment. The 2021 Data Threat Report found that almost half of all companies in the United States suffered a data breach last year. And remember, there are bound to be many businesses that have been breached and simply have not realized it yet.
If you do not protect your customers, you are simply asking for a breach to happen, and events like this can be very difficult to come back from. Firstly, you will need to find the cause of the breach and put in the time and resources to patch up the vulnerability.
Next, you will need to make sure that you communicate with your customers and reimburse them for any losses they have experienced. You are also almost certain to face large fines for non-compliance.
If that was not bad enough, your reputation will be in tatters, with profits dwindling and customers heading to the competition. It is, therefore, not hard to see why many businesses have been forced to close their doors permanently after a data breach. We do not want this to happen to you, which is why you need to take data security so seriously.
What Are the Best SaaS Tools for Customer Protection?
Now that you have a good understanding of why customer protection is so critical in 2022, we are going to take a look at some of the best SaaS tools on the market today to assist with this:
Acronis Cyber Protect
The first solution that we recommend is a data management and security service known as Acronis Cyber Protect. This tool incorporates a threat-protection system, a vulnerability scanner, and a backup system.
You can also utilize the backup service for the purpose of replicating servers, which means you can set up new hardware rapidly if something happens to your premises, such as a fire or natural disaster. The backup service operates on both physical streams and virtualizations.
There is a 30-day trial available for this software, so you can test out this product before determining whether or not it is right for you. There is also a cloud storage facility, which can be combined with this product or you can enjoy it as a standalone solution.
FireEye Helix
A next-generation SIEM solution, FireEye Helix is a great choice, especially as it includes a threat intelligence feed. If you are looking for a tool that will help you to protect your entire IT system, you have found it.
As well as blocking intruders, FireEye Helix also features UEBA, which stands for User and Entity Behavior Analytics. What this means is that it is able to identify any unusual activities performed by authorized accounts. So, if someone on your team is doing something they should not be doing, this tool will pick it up. This helps you to spot insider threats and hijacked accounts.
You can also set up your system so that it performs in accordance with specific data protection regulations and standards. There are ‘playbooks’ as part of the service, which are basically workflows that are triggered when a set combination of events occur. You can also create your own playbooks as well, and you can customize your dashboard with ease.
ManageEngine DataSecurity Plus
Another security tool that is well worth considering is ManageEngine DataSecurity Plus. This tool includes a number of different features that can assist with consumer security, including data risk assessments, data leak protection, and file server auditing.
The facilities you can enjoy in this bundle include vulnerability scanning, file integrity monitoring, data classification, and data discovery.
The service will track down all of your data stores, whether they are on a cloud server or on one of your sites. The tool will then categorize data, identifying any sensitive information that demands extract tracking and security.
Access rights and file permissions are assessed within the system, ensuring any weaknesses are highlighted and prompting you to make changes so that you can patch up the vulnerability before a hacker ends up exposing it.
Other services you can enjoy as part of this SaaS tool include FIM, which is File Integrity Monitoring. This is a form of tamper protection that will track any changes to your files, noting who made the change and when it was made.
You can link this service to a restore system, ensuring that any unauthorized changes are wiped out. The service will also raise an alert if a protected file has been deleted or changed already.
N-able
Last but not least, we have N-able, which is a tool that provides a broad range of services to help support managed service providers. The backup system is one of the main features. It is based in the cloud, meaning you can automate your backups no matter where in the world you are.
You can use these backups for many different purposes, including restoring lost data to the same location, replication, or migration.
The strong encryption methods that are used are also worth a note. N-able makes the most of AES cipher with a 256-bit key, which is deemed pretty much uncrackable in the industry. Furthermore, 256-bit key AES is also used for your data backups.
These backups will manage the contents of both physical and virtual servers. You can back up all servers even down to the operating system. You can also version updates, creating time archives, which can be used for partially or fully restoring files. This is a vital function if you are recovering from unauthorized file tampering.
Final Words on the Best SaaS Tools for Your Business in 2022
So there you have it: an insight into some of the different tools that are available for your business today when it comes to protecting your SaaS customers.
The importance of this should never be underestimated. After all, we all have a duty to ensure that our customers receive the correct permissions and options in terms of their data. We are also lawfully and morally obliged to protect the personal data of our customers so we can make sure harm does not come their way.
The tools and solutions that we have mentioned above can help you to do this. When determining the best option to go for, there is o right or wrong. It is all about considering what sort of solution is going to be the right fit for your business.