Salesforce Data Security Demystified in GRAX eBook 

Salesforce CRM platform is relied upon by organizations around the world to manage and strengthen customer relationships and boost revenue. However, the data users generate on the platform isn’t automatically protected by Salesforce. That’s the customers’ responsibility. Figuring out how to best safeguard your Salesforce data can be overwhelming. GRAX’s new ebook demystifies why and how to do so, and provides overviews of third-party solutions designed to ensure Salesforce data is always protected and accessible. 

Salesforce is a mission-critical platform for hundreds of thousands of organizations. It contains sensitive customer, sales, revenue, and marketing information that users rely on to run their business. Imagine if any of that data is lost, stolen or simply inaccessible. The impacts could be devastating: missed opportunities, eroded customer trust, and significant financial setbacks are likely.  

Protecting this data and ensuring its accessibility should be a top priority. However, according to ESG research, one-third of organizations think SaaS application data doesn’t need to be backed up – and 23% of Salesforce customers rely solely on Salesforce for data backup and protection. They mistakenly assume Salesforce automatically provides this as part of their core service agreement. 

The truth is, Salesforce is only responsible for keeping their platform up and running.  Like many SaaS vendors, they use a shared responsibility model. This means that esponsibility for Salesforce data protection falls squarely on the customer’s shoulders. 

GRAX has been focused on Salesforce data security since our founding and understands its inherent nuances. We commissioned an ebook called “Salesforce Backup and Restore: Considerations, Best Practices, and Solutions” to help r clarify the current state of Salesforce data protection and third-party backup and restore solutions. It is a detailed, valuable guide for helping determine the best way to ensure your Salesforce data is secure and available whenever and wherever you need it.

Read the ebook to dive into the following topics:

• Importance of backup and recovery
• The price of downtime
• Nuances and complexities of Salesforce backups
• 3rd-party backup solutions
• Best practices for Salesforce backups

The Importance of Backup and Recovery

The reality is that Salesforce, which is often used by dozens if not hundreds of people in a single business, is highly prone to data loss. We explore potential reasons for this, including: 

• Incorrect data updates
• Accidental deletions
• Unintended changes from automated processes
• The influence of bad actors, and so on

The Price of Downtime

If there is one question we can ask any organization and expect a similar answer, it’s “How long can your business survive without access to your Salesforce data?” The answer would be “not very long” since just a few hours of downtime can bring modern businesses to a standstill and result in tremendous financial losses while significantly damaging their reputation. 

The actual cost of data loss, combined with the significance of Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO), is covered in more detail in the ebook.

The Nuances and Complexities of Salesforce Backups

The complexity and multifaceted nature of the  Salesforce platform brings many challenges to the backup process. Some of the most common examples we review are:

• Limitations in terms of API calls and how it can impact backup schedules.
• The relationships between data and metadata  
• Dependencies between different types of Salesforce data 
• Regulatory compliance for standards such as HIPAA or GDPR.

Plenty of Options to Choose From

Salesforce offers its own tools for backup, however they’re typically not considered robust enough for effective backup and restore. Plus, relying on your SaaS app vendor to be the sole guardian over critical data – when that’s not their priority – can’t be risky.  That’s why data independence is so important, and Salesforce also includes a number of third-party vendors on its AppExchange site. 

Offerings on the market range from those specialized on Salesforce to those that are more general purpose and support multiple SaaS applications including Salesforce. Some provide similar base-level capabilities, while others are more comprehensive and enable greater customizations. Choosing the most appropriate solution can be very challenging  .

To simplify this process to a degree, our ebook highlights Salesforce’s backup capabilities as well as 11 different third-party backup and recovery solutions that support Salesforce environments, including:

• GRAX
• Odaseva
• Own Company, previously OwnBackup 
• Spanning
• Veeam, and more. 

To help you choose the one best suited for your organization, we include user ratings, key features, licensing approaches, and advantages/shortcomings. 

Best Practices for Salesforce Backups

Even the most versatile and powerful Salesforce backup solution could not ensure data protection unless organizations follow best practices. 

To improve upon the understanding of how backup systems should work in Salesforce environments, we present a number of best practices, including:

• Testing for backup and recovery processes
• Establishing clear and concise data retention policies
• Possibility of integrating backup  with other tools and solutions within your infrastructure
• Implementing extensive alerting and monitoring systems

Protect Your Most Valuable Assets

Salesforce data is clearly essential to everything from customer relationships and marketing efforts, to revenue building and competitive advantage. Leaving it without meaningful security measures is dangerous, at best.  

Having effective Salesforce backup and restore is critical for business continuity – and success. Customers can’t assume Salesforce will protect their data or ensure it’s readily accessible, even if they use Salesforce’s own backup tools. There are too many inherent complexities for the platform to effectively handle. 

Unfortunately, the current state of the technological industry makes data loss practically inevitable for most companies. In this context, being prepared for as many situations as possible is much smarter than hoping that a random power outage or mass-produced malware would not wipe out your business through a single data loss event. 

Understanding the state of Salesforce data vulnerability, protection and recovery, as well as popular solutions on the market, is a significant first step towards a more secure and thriving business – and true peace of mind.Read our ebook about Salesforce backup and recovery to better prepare for potential data losses and even prevent many of them from happening.