Security & Scalability: Two Foundational Things your IT Department Needs
Data is at the core of every business, so should protecting and growing it. With modern companies depending more and more on technology for virtually all aspects of their operations, you can’t afford to let your tech stack crack under pressure. Once that happens, the foundation of your business—your people, processes, and technology—begins to crumble.
At the core of your IT department’s goals is a need to create a clear process to integrate and enable applications, create rich data repositories, and create a structure for all of that to scale. But scalability itself doesn’t come in a prepackaged box with a bow, and it’s certainly not something an organization can simply buy. So what does it mean to bed secure, and how do we achieve both?
Scalability or Security? Why Not Both?
While there are many pros and cons to CRM technologies, companies need to be sure that their current or future vendor is providing them with a solution designed with both security and scalability in mind.
Since businesses are operating in a highly-digital landscape, their ability to compete is directly linked to their tech stack’s ability to accommodate and succeed customer needs. And in today’s climate, customers today want protection against failures and the ability to grow undisrupted.
In its most basic form, scalability involves having the right amount of resources for your current or expected needs, all of which should enable your organization to operate without pause and without suddenly restructuring of sales and marketing activities as growth happens. If your current processes can’t pivot or handle operational curveballs, this can introduce additional risks or complexity. Companies need to prioritize onboarding a scalable platform to mitigate any potential issues that will inevitably pop up due to inflexible operations.
At the same time, as you scale your applications, data, and infrastructure, so should your approach to security to adapt and grow with your business needs. Most often, CRM platforms have built-in security tools as part of their risk management framework that needs to have the ability to be flexible due to the complex nature of business and data. As enterprises seek to accelerate their business by shifting data and infrastructure to the cloud, more and more companies become potential targets of cyberattacks. CRM security is now a top priority for organizations that don’t want to be held liable for having their data stolen or exposed.
If your current provider cannot provide these basic requirements, you’re jeopardizing your business’s future. A cyber security strategy aligned with the business helps predict these potential challenges. Look for a company that can assess, strategize, and proposes a product roadmap that will meet your current and future needs. Staying away from siloed tools will help keep your organization safe.
Nowadays, when you look at modern business requirements, you’ll see that scalability and security almost go hand-in-hand. Your current tech stack shouldn’t crack as you begin to scale. Here’s what you should look for in a CRM to avoid that:
What scalability functions should you look for in a CRM platform?
- Out-of-the-box functionality
- Support services
- A good ongoing partnership with your choice in vendor
- Ability to meet and succeed current and future business needs
What security functions should you look for in a CRM platform?
- Rigorous cloud security
- Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities
- A data retention policy that retains or deletes all data in accordance with applicable laws and compliance requirements
- Data that is restricted from access by non-authorized personnel or granted by role-based access control
- Multi-Factor authentication is used on all systems
Protecting Your Company for the Present and Future
The good news is users no longer need to choose between security and scalability. Thanks to technology advancements and an ongoing commitment to education, users are requesting convenient, scalable, and secure solutions. There is no need to sacrifice one over the other when implementing a solution. Even if you aren’t ready for some of these systems today, it is important to know the options available to make an informed decision for the future.
If your company is in the market for a new CRM that prioritizes scalability and security, check out how one of our customers seamlessly made the switch to Sugar in our webinar, Dream Different: Get More For Less with SugarCRM.
