Assessing Security Risks in Social CRM

By Barton Goldenberg

The growth of Social CRM is exposing organizations to more risk than ever before. Social Media communities open the organization to all kinds of new exposure. Threats can come from hardware, software, operating systems, middleware, networks and elsewhere. Minimizing security risk for Social CRM is just as important as for other applications that leverage the Internet, and companies need to create a security culture and provide the necessary tools to address this. In this blog post, I will discuss assessing security risks in Social CRM.

According to Robert Richardson, former Director of the Computer Security Institute, “Information security is a complex undertaking, but it is also an essential one in the current, highly-networked world. Organizations that hope to thrive have to create a culture that willingly funds, trains, and empowers an enterprise information security function, because attacks happen with regularity and their impact can be significant.”

A best practice to address risk is to create a written information security policy covering information stored on all computers and mobile devices. It must contain sufficient definition of “what” to do so that the “how” can be identified and evaluated. At minimum, it should address network infrastructure risks, and ideally account for risks with Remote Access, eBusiness/eCommerce, Call Center Email, Enterprise Email and Enterprise Security.

While not all security holes can be plugged, organizations should strive to define an acceptable level of risk at a reasonable cost. Identifying potential threats will help in identifying vulnerabilities and will assist in selecting the appropriate security measures for protection. Management must learn the new industry terminology, and proactively address key security issues before any Social CRM implementation.

See my next post for a discussion of the human factors behind Social CRM security.

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Barton Goldenberg, is the founder and president of ISM Inc., customer-centric strategists/implementers serving best-in-class organizations globally. As a CRM leader for 30 years, he was among the first three inductees in the CRM Hall of Fame. Recognized as a leading “customer-focused” author, his latest book, The Definitive Guide to Social CRM, is hailed as the roadmap for Social CRM success. Barton is a popular speaker on “maximizing customer relationships to gain market insights, customers and profits”. He is a long-term columnist for CRM Magazine and speaker for CRMevolution and frequently quoted in the media.