A guide to Salesforce Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Data Classification

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems like Salesforce are critical business software tools and have reached a new level of SaaS ubiquity. However, CRMs store critical customer data, making them prime targets for data breaches and accidental leaks. 

Effective CRM Data Loss Prevention (DLP) ensures this sensitive information remains secure, mitigating risks associated with data exposure. 

What are the causes of data risk for Salesforce?

Various factors can contribute to data exposure risk in Salesforce. The most prominent risk is insufficient access controls, which means some employees will have rights to access data they shouldn’t see, often leading to unauthorized access. Along the same lines, misconfigured sharing settings may inadvertently expose sensitive information.  

Third-party integrations can also introduce new vulnerabilities if they’re not properly assessed for security, while human error always remains a significant risk.  

What are the costs of not protecting Salesforce data?

The consequences of data exposure risks in Salesforce can be severe. When a company is victimized by a data breach, the costs go well beyond the financial (which can be massive depending on the scale of the breach. If a company’s Salesforce data is breached, the incident can tarnish its reputation, diminish customer trust, and even subject it to significant regulatory fines.  

Legal ramifications must also be considered, as non-compliance with data protection laws can result in harsh penalties.   

A disruption to the business’s operations is also inevitable, as resources are diverted to address the breach, which can affect the core business activities.  

What are some best practices for protecting sensitive data in Salesforce?

Protecting sensitive data in Salesforce requires implementing strong access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel can access critical information.  

Here are a few best practices to consider:  

• Conduct regular audits of data access to help identify potential issues early.  

• Use data encryption, both at rest and in transit, to add an additional layer of security.  

• Train employees in data protection best practices to minimize human error and risk.  

• Deploy advanced DLP solutions to boost data protection by continuously monitoring and securing sensitive information. 

What is Data Loss Prevention (DLP)?

The term Data Loss Prevention (DLP) was coined to describe the tools created to prevent data loss. DLP tools are designed to monitor and protect data as it moves through an organization. They can be used to monitor for the unauthorized transfer of data, to prevent data from being copied or downloaded without permission, and to encrypt data so that it cannot be read if it falls into the wrong hands.  

Typically, data loss prevention tools are deployed to protect sensitive and confidential information.  

One example of a DLP tool in action is if an employee forwards a confidential business email outside the corporate domain or uploads a file containing sensitive data to a company-wide Salesforce record. With a DLP deployed, these actions would be denied. 

DLP solutions continuously monitor data, detect potential breaches, and respond in real-time to mitigate risks, providing comprehensive protection for sensitive information. 

How can Salesforce benefit from DLP?

With DLP, Salesforce’s data security gets a significant bump, as unauthorized access and potential breaches can be minimized. DLP solutions can also help meet regulatory compliance requirements. Especially when data protection processes through DLP are automated, the burden on IT teams is dramatically reduced to boost operational efficiency.  

Plus, when companies demonstrate a commitment to data security by deploying an effective DLP solution, it can build customer trust and confidence. 

Does Salesforce have its own built-in DLP functionality?

No. While Salesforce offers some built-in security features, it doesn’t have any comprehensive DLP functionality.  

Integrating Concentric AI’s DLP solution bridges the gap, providing advanced protection and monitoring capabilities essential for effectively protecting Salesforce data. With Concentric AI,  sensitive information within Salesforce remains protected against a wide range of data exposure risks. 

Can Concentric AI protect Salesforce data?

Concentric AI’s DLP solution offers robust protection for CRM data by leveraging advanced AI-driven strategies. By understanding the unique risks and contexts of your data, Concentric AI is an essential tool for any business using Salesforce.  

Concentric AI identifies, classifies, and remediates all of a company’s sensitive data for risk. 

Why is data classification important for protecting Salesforce data?

Data classification helps companies identify high-value data in their enterprise by categorizing it into an agreed set of specific and meaningful categories.   

Data classification drives multiple use cases, such as data labelling, sensitive data identification, automating protection, compliance, security, access control, and data retention.   

Basically speaking, data classification is the ability to label data.  

How does Concentric AI protect sensitive Salesforce data?

Autonomous, semantic-based data discovery 

Concentric AI’s leverages advanced AI techniques to automatically discover and identify sensitive data — wherever it resides — without the need for predefined rules or policies. This semantic-based approach provides context to the data, resulting in accurate classification and comprehensive protection. 

Automated risk identification and remediation 

The platform employs Risk Distance™ analysis to detect security threats in real-time. By analyzing the context and relationships of data, Concentric AI can identify risks and automate the remediation process, significantly reducing the burden of manual data review and boosting overall efficiency. 

Easy deployment  

Concentric AI’s DLP solution is designed for seamless integration across cloud and on-premises environments. Our agentless, API-based architecture allows for rapid deployment with minimal operational overhead. This means organizations can quickly implement robust data protection measures and realize value without extensive configuration or maintenance efforts. 

What are the benefits of using Concentric AI DLP for Salesforce data protection?

Better security 

Concentric AI’s enhances data security by preventing unauthorized access and breaches. By continuously monitoring and protecting sensitive Salesforce data, it ensures that only authorized individuals can access critical information. 

Maintain regulatory compliance 

Our solution helps organizations meet regulatory requirements by providing robust data protection measures. This ensures compliance with laws such as GDPR, HIPAA, SOX and others, reducing the risk of legal penalties. 

Plus, Concentric AI’s compliance dashboard breaks down each regulation and standard into its specific controls and rules, then maps them to specific data security requirements and status within an organization. Concentric AI identifies relevant rules for each regulation, maps controls under each rule to specific data security requirements, monitors and reports on current status, provides actionable insights, remediates issues, and tracks the organization’s progress. 

Boost operational efficiency 

By automating data protection processes, Concentric AI reduces the workload on IT teams. This means organizations can focus on core business activities while maintaining strong data security.  

Reduce costs   

With better data protection comes reduced costs associated with data breach responses and regulatory fines. By preventing breaches and ensuring compliance, Concentric AI helps organizations avoid the financial and reputational damage that can result from data exposure incidents.  

How can organizations deploy Concentric AI for Salesforce data protection today?

Contact us to book a demo today to see — with your own Salesforce data — how you can boost your data security posture within minutes, enforce better protection strategies, and maintain regulatory compliance with best-of-breed ease and efficiency.