Salesforce is the world’s leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform, trusted by businesses of all sizes (and I’ve been using it almost every single day since 2012, I think Tim has been using it since 2006? He might need to correct me, but oh boy, it’s been a while…). But let’s get my mind back to the topic since I miss my Internal Audit days…. (not). Ensuring compliance, security, and uptime is critical for organizations leveraging Salesforce to manage sensitive customer data. I want to share a little bit how I see Salesforce addressing these areas and what businesses can do to enhance their own security posture. Here’s the breakdown (and how SAASTEPS extends this stuff so you can sell and allow your customers to buy from you online, securely):
Compliance: Meeting Industry Standards
Salesforce is designed to meet global compliance standards, making it a trusted choice for businesses in highly regulated industries such as healthcare, finance, and government.
Key Compliance Certifications:
- ISO 27001, 27017, and 27018 – International standards for information security and cloud security.
- SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 – Assurance reports that validate Salesforce’s internal security controls.
- HIPAA – Compliance for handling protected health information (PHI).
- GDPR – Data protection and privacy compliance for users in the European Union.
- FedRAMP – Certification for handling U.S. federal government data.
Best Practices for Your Organization:
- Implement role-based access controls (RBAC) to restrict access to sensitive data.
- Regularly review and update security settings in Salesforce Security Health Check.
- Ensure data retention and privacy policies align with GDPR and CCPA requirements.
Security: Protecting Your Data and Users
Salesforce employs a multi-layered security approach to protect customer data from threats.
Salesforce Security Features:
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – Adds an extra layer of security for user logins.
- Shield Platform Encryption – Encrypts data at rest to protect sensitive information.
- Event Monitoring – Tracks user activity and anomalies in real time.
- IP Whitelisting & Login Restrictions – Limits access to trusted locations and devices.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP) – Prevents unauthorized data transfers or leaks.
Security Best Practices for Your Business:
- Enforce MFA for all users to prevent unauthorized access.
- Regularly audit user permissions and remove unnecessary access.
- Leverage Salesforce Shield for encryption and event monitoring.
- Train employees on phishing attacks and cybersecurity awareness.
Uptime: Ensuring Reliability and Business Continuity
Salesforce operates on a robust cloud infrastructure designed for high availability.
How Salesforce Ensures Uptime:
- 99.99% SLA (Service Level Agreement) – Salesforce guarantees near-perfect uptime for customers.
- Real-Time System Status Monitoring – Users can check service availability on Salesforce Trust .
- Disaster Recovery & Redundancy – Data centers are globally distributed to prevent downtime.
- Auto-Scaling & Load Balancing – Ensures smooth performance even during peak usage.
Steps to Improve Uptime for Your Salesforce Instance:
- Monitor Salesforce performance using Salesforce Trust Site.
- Set up automated alerts for potential system issues.
- Optimize custom development & integrations to prevent performance bottlenecks.
- Have a business continuity plan (BCP) for Salesforce outages.
(now here’s the really cool stuff we build internally at SAASTEPS)
Extending Salesforce Security with SAASPAY and Accessibility Compliance
Salesforce’s robust security framework lays the groundwork for compliance and reliability, but businesses often need to go a step further. That’s where solutions like SAASPAY come in. As a native Salesforce payment integration, SAASPAY builds on Salesforce’s security and compliance foundation while offering direct provider connections. By eliminating intermediaries, businesses can achieve better payment rates without sacrificing compliance.
Beyond payments, security isn’t just about safeguarding data. It’s also about making systems accessible to all users. That’s why our extended solutions are WCAG compliant and VPAT certified, ensuring visually impaired users have a seamless experience interacting with Salesforce applications. By integrating these additional layers of compliance and accessibility, businesses can enhance their Salesforce environment without introducing unnecessary complexity.
Conclusion
Salesforce provides a robust framework for compliance, security, and uptime, but businesses must take proactive steps to optimize their own security posture. By leveraging Salesforce’s built-in tools and adopting best practices, organizations can enhance data protection, ensure regulatory compliance, and maintain business continuity.
Need Help with Salesforce Security & Compliance (or selling online using Salesforce in less than 1 hour)?
If you need expert guidance on securing your Salesforce environment, reach out to our team for a demo!