The US Department of Homeland Security has, in the past, alerted companies about the increasing threat of attacks against enterprise resource planning systems. The alert came in the aftermath of a study exposing the widespread violations in Oracle and SAP systems. While government agencies and some other sectors are particularly vulnerable to security outbreaks, it is more common for smaller companies and producers to become victims of breaches.
As disturbing as this news is, it should not stop enterprises from looking for ERP solutions. Without introducing ERP to simplify workflows and act as a central hub of business data, organizations will fall behind in our fast-paced marketplace. The reality is that our data has never been 100% safe, and cyber-attack vulnerabilities sometimes stem more from weak protocols than from the systems themselves. The risk of getting hacked decreases significantly with each security precaution a company takes. In this section, we discuss the steps companies can take to ensure robust ERP data security.
Regular Upgrades And Updates
The news of rising ERP attacks proves the need to update and upgrade your apps periodically. There have been obsolete, unpatched cases of a significant number of hacked systems. Upgrades and patches are frequently postponed by organizations as long as possible because they do not want to delegate their money to the process. Most new updates, however, contain fixes and safety characteristics designed to overcome security challenges. There are constant new threats, and the program needs to keep on top of the changes. The longer you stick to your legacy structure, the more it will be vulnerable to attack.
Training For Employees And SoD
The greatest danger to the credibility of the data is sometimes not the program itself; it’s the people who use it. Your business becomes a prime target for hackers when users do not hand over information properly. That’s why, during ERP deployments, you should not only train users but maintain an ongoing training schedule. This encourages users to reacquaint themselves with security procedures so that they can report anomalies by opening compromised email attachments to avoid introducing problems.
Another way to ensure the data is handled properly by your users is to segregate duties. Segregation of Duties (SoD) requires the dispersion of tasks among many individuals. In this way, one person is not entirely responsible for the maintenance of sensitive data and the implementation of essential procedures. Logins can be tracked by managers, and misuse, if any, detected.
Database Maintenance
A goldmine for hackers is the ERP database. To ensure robust ERP data security, companies need to put in place different steps. One measure is encryption, which, by converting data into a code that is meaningless to hackers, serves as one of the most efficient ways of protecting information. Businesses should run checks to detect possible vulnerabilities in addition to encryption.
But hackers don’t only target a database directly; they also use backdoor methods to access confidential company data. In order to provide optimum security, IT workers must stay vigilant on all fronts, secure firewalls, upgrade passwords, and enforce two-step verification methods. Since it is such a heavy burden to maintain security standards, organizations should employ the assistance of specialist experts to direct them through this phase to ensure that there is no opening for attack.
Conclusion
The key lesson from the increase in ERP violations is not that enterprise software is unsafe; it is that sensitive information is at risk regardless of where it is held because there are no acceptable security protocols. Fortunately, to streamline your ERP data security measures, you can receive security and compliance functionality out of the box with the right vendor. The ideal data protection solution preserves the security of your data, documentation, transactions, and permits.
ERP Data Security for Peoplesoft ,SAP, OracleEBS 