Why Your CRM May Cause Your Next Data Breach
Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2025 5:41 am
In the fast-paced world of sales today, every customer interaction holds significant value. Reps grab phone numbers for calls and texts, get home addresses for sending out swag, and even note health updates (like a meeting having to be rescheduled due to the customer having Covid). While these actions often come from good intentions, aiming to build on relationships and keep track of the customer journey, they beg a crucial question:
How do you safeguard critical data sitting inside your CRM?
The truth is, your CRM is the vital core of your sales operation, but it’s often treated differently from other data storage environments that house sensitive information like PII, PCI, PHI, etc. Without mexico whatsapp number data proper controls and oversight, your CRM data might be exposed internally, accessible to third-party apps, or susceptible to misconfigurations. (See this alarming revelation on data leakage in SFDC.)
CRMs, like any other data storage technology, contain vast amounts of potentially sensitive information. On top of that, they are complex to manage, creating a risky combination.
Let’s explore a four-point approach to minimizing these risks:
Discovery and Classification
Identify all data assets in your CRM. This includes not only the data residing within core functionality, such as deals, opportunities, leads, contacts, and interactions but also any attachments or documents. This is often time-consuming, but essential to be comprehensive.
Classify data based on sensitivity levels. For instance, group data into categories like “highly sensitive” (i.e., health records), “moderately sensitive” (i.e., contact info), and “non-sensitive” (i.e., general emails).
How do you safeguard critical data sitting inside your CRM?
The truth is, your CRM is the vital core of your sales operation, but it’s often treated differently from other data storage environments that house sensitive information like PII, PCI, PHI, etc. Without mexico whatsapp number data proper controls and oversight, your CRM data might be exposed internally, accessible to third-party apps, or susceptible to misconfigurations. (See this alarming revelation on data leakage in SFDC.)
CRMs, like any other data storage technology, contain vast amounts of potentially sensitive information. On top of that, they are complex to manage, creating a risky combination.
Let’s explore a four-point approach to minimizing these risks:
Discovery and Classification
Identify all data assets in your CRM. This includes not only the data residing within core functionality, such as deals, opportunities, leads, contacts, and interactions but also any attachments or documents. This is often time-consuming, but essential to be comprehensive.
Classify data based on sensitivity levels. For instance, group data into categories like “highly sensitive” (i.e., health records), “moderately sensitive” (i.e., contact info), and “non-sensitive” (i.e., general emails).