Digital transformation, the process of using digital technologies to modify or create new business processes is becoming increasingly important for companies. Enterprise resource planning (ERP), an application that automates business processes, is the first and most significant phase in the digital transformation process.
Digitizing your data makes work more convenient and information extremely easy to access, but there are risks of data exposure. Even the most secured servers are hacked.
While many business owners take the next steps to enter an ERP transformation, they may need to consider data privacy insurance to protect sensitive data.
What is an ERP system?
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a critical component of a company’s operations. ERP software helps companies monitor, store, and integrate data from multiple sections in a business.
By enforcing best practices and corporate regulations, an ERP system will simplify business operations throughout a complete organization, regardless of its size.
ERP software arranges supply chains and connects several business accounts, making it easier to oversee manufacturing activities inside a company.
You can handle all your business operations with one powerful application if you choose the correct ERP for your company.
ERP software is divided into three categories: web-based software, industry-specific software, and small company ERP software. If you’re a small business owner, some of the most important aspects of ERP software to look for are:
- CRM-related competencies
- Billing and accounting
- Intelligence for business
- Management of the supply chain
- Reporting and analytics
ERP software that can connect all your business activities into a single unit is ideal for most companies. Even though this software is costly, it is critical for increasing an organization’s productivity.
Importance of Digital Transformation With ERP
ERP has a huge influence on digital transformation since it can make improvements to a variety of corporate operations.
Digital transformation, as the name implies, is a process that guides company operations toward digitalization, allowing them to use new technology to boost productivity and efficiency.
Digital transformation makes it easier to deal with a competitive and demanding corporate climate. High demands from the corporate world are why businesses invest a lot of resources and effort in digital transformation.
Ultimately, the goal of digital transformation is to make the company’s growth more inclusive. It helps businesses improve customer service while complying with the law.
ERP can help businesses provide workers and stakeholders with the benefits of mobile apps and cloud-based solutions. The software’s installation could make important company operations like finance, accounting, and inventory management easier.
ERP solutions also include extensions that link to social media sites, allowing users to alter their social accounts and upscale their customer skills.
Data Security Risks With ERP
Even though ERP software is built with strict security standards, no system is completely secure. Your ERP system is critical to your organization since it manages a large quantity of data.
Unsecure Hosting Space
Whether you choose to host your ERP in the cloud or on servers on the premises, a safe place for your company’s data and operations should always be a top priority.
Having a hosting site on the premises involves designating part of your technical resources to secure your system. If you can’t afford to keep a high-skilled technical team on the premises, your hosting space can be compromised because of a lack of continual maintenance and monitoring.
For those who store data in a cloud, your data load will be passed on to your cloud provider. The fact of storing your ERP on a public cloud server may seem contradictory to data security, but it isn’t.
Cloud suppliers are more positioned to focus on data protection. They host ERP systems in bulk on their servers, so they have the resources and personnel to monitor and protect your data.
Not Limiting Data Access
Even though your ERP system will affect everyone in your company, it doesn’t mean that everyone should have complete access to all of it.
While launching ERP, it’s critical to create a set of rules and checkpoints that prevent certain employees from accessing secure data that is irrelevant to their working duties.
You can work with your technical team to build limited dashboards or password-protected sections, but you need to set up barriers for workers and understand how they’ll use the system.
Companies that fail to do this tend to have data security issues. Even companies that do take these steps can have employees who accidentally receive more access than they should, creating a system-wide security breach.
Too Many External Systems
If you adopt a new ERP but continue to rely on other programs such as QuickBooks or Excel, you run the risk of data corruption or loss.
Since data is supposed to be stored in one location, businesses using ERP should have a central database. Central databases are stronger and more secure. Companies that don’t have all of their procedures mapped out on a new, more efficient software put information at risk of being hacked.
How will data privacy insurance help with ERP transformation?
In today’s digital age, failing to get data privacy insurance exposes you to a lot of cyber-related problems and large expenses connected with security breaches.
Despite ERP having more advanced security measures, the security risks mentioned above can leave your company vulnerable to lawsuits. Plus, there are other security risks with ERP that are not mentioned here.
Data privacy insurance is a worthwhile and required investment for small and large businesses alike. If a data breach happens, a data privacy company can assist the company in complying with data breach notification and federal regulations.
Data privacy insurance helps the company get legal advice and hire forensic experts to investigate and respond to a data breach. A data privacy insurance company can also provide liability coverage in the event of a third-party claim involving privacy, network security, or online media.
Data privacy insurance is an additional cost, but it avoids costly expenses associated with regular maintenance and fines resulting from privacy issues. It protects the organization’s long-term reputation, customer trust, revenue, and productivity.
