Enterprise Resource Planning software for Security
4 ways an ERP software system can protect your organisation
I remember when my now twenty-one year old son was in first grade he was told to draw a picture of “security”. He drew a stick figure guard dog barking at a burglar and it was on our fridge for months. I wonder though if today the word “security” would still conjure up images of guard dogs and burglars in many people’s minds.
Security threats have changed in recent years. Identity theft, piracy, hacking, viruses and more are talked about on a daily basis and none of these involve a barking dog, a security guard, CCTV or any of the typical security measures we’re used to seeing. Also the motivation behind security threats seems to have changed. These days people’s ideologies, international tensions and the desire to embarrass an organisation seem just as common a motivation as does monetary gain.
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems are the cream of the crop when it comes to software for construction companies. They facilitate the flow of information across your entire enterprise, integrate and streamline business processes, and therefore make your organisation more efficient, accurate and competitive. These systems however also usually have some impressive security abilities to help ensure that your data is not compromised, that people can access data only as prescribed, reduce the opportunity for fraud and facilitate forensics – i.e. assist you in identifying the culprit should something happen.
Here are four ways a good ERP system will help protect your organisation.
- Built in security permissions system: This kind of system should be at the very foundation of your ERP software system. It enables you to be in control of the access / permissions for each system user and, as each function within the ERP will have a permission level assigned, this means you choose what each user can access.
- Limited access users: If your ERP system offers you this capability, it means you have the ability to set clearly defined profiles for users based around job roles. For example, the CFO might have access to all of the ERP’s modules in use at your organisation, whereas another role might have access to only that person’s jobs and their daily timesheets. This means both heightened security and increased ease-of-use for your people.
- Parameter settings: These are used to control software behaviours. For example, you might permit those over a certain security level to access, use and alter parts of the system while not allowing those with a security level below the said point.
- Audit stamping: This is a powerful functionality that should take place in the background of any good ERP software system. When programs are opened and closed and when records are created and edited, the user ID, the date, the time and what occurred is recorded in the background of your system. This information can then be accessed through audit reporting. This means that, should something happen, you know what’s happened, when it happened, and who to talk to.
On top of these things, it is also extremely important that you have a rehearsed disaster recovery plan that you are comfortable with. Having fantastic systems that capture important information is great, but if you cannot get back up and going after a fire, flood or theft, it’s back to square one. While most ERP software systems will not have a recovery process built into them, a good ERP software vendor should be able to provide you with a solution that suits your organisation’s needs.
So in an age where guard dogs and security guards may not cut it when it comes to protecting your business, it may be worthwhile to turn to your software provider and ask them what they are doing to protect your organisation.
