Trust me, I have heard that question before. It’s totally valid to wonder. After all, your ERP hosts a world of valuable and sensitive information, such as customer data. If your e-commerce solution is directly integrated into your ERP, you would want to make sure that your ERP information is secure and not vulnerable to exposure.
E-commerce contains a wealth of valuable and sensitive data – data like payment information or sensitive customer data that you don’t want getting into the hands of bad actors.
With ERP-integrated e-commerce, e-commerce that directly syncs to your ERP, there is the added question of how is the ERP data secured? As your ERP hosts even more proprietary and sensitive data, it is critical that an integrated e-commerce solution is as secure as possible, to prevent any theft of sensitive data.
Without a secure e-commerce solution, you open yourself up to losing customer data, hacked payment information, and theft of internal data. The fallout from these breaches is severe; the average data breach in the United States costs $5.09 million.
Can your business afford to pay out 5 million dollars to cover liabilities and repair damage in the fallout of a data breach?
Choosing a secure e-commerce solution saves you money by reducing the likelihood of an expensive security breach. Invest now to avoid paying more in the long run.
What are the security threats to e-commerce sites?
Malware, phishing, and exploits – Oh MY
Seriously – the threats to e-commerce sites are growing. Not to mention, the more you grow online, the more susceptible you become to cyberattacks.
Here are some of the main ones you need to look out for.
Phishing – fraudulent, yet believable emails that entice a user into clicking an infected link
Malware – malicious programs that infect your computer and compromise reliability
Ransomware – malware that renders your computer unusable until you pay a ransom
Zero-day exploits – unknown security flaws that a hacker takes advantage of
E-skimming – stealing electronic payment information
MTM – a third party steals data being transferred between two parties
SQL attack – using malicious code to access a sensitive database
XSS – adding malicious code to a legitimate website
I don’t mean the literal coding language; I mean whether the code is open source or closed source.
Open source software is based on code that is accessible to everyone. Anybody has access to the code, can review it, and modify it. This can be quite beneficial, as it allows a community to quickly patch potential security flaws.
However, this comes with a major drawback. As anyone can review the code (and edit it), some bad actors can take advantage of security issues very quickly. Transparency has its ups and downs!
Closed source software is different. The code is only accessible to the developers. Since the code isn’t visible, it is more difficult for hackers to break into. However, the downside is that it is reviewed less intensely, as there isn’t a community of users reviewing it like an open source software.
The result? The private community carries out more checks, but hackers can’t watch.
What are the two most important security elements for ERP-integrated e-commerce?
There are two security elements that are the most critical for erp-integrated e-commerce:
Protecting the source code and application
Protecting the internet connection
Think of it like this: The source code and application are valuable resources – like a quarry, a diamond mine, or a gold vault! The internet connection is the road that traders travel on to ferry the resource from vault to buyer.
You need to protect the resource, and you need to protect the road so that the resource can safely get to its destination.
ERP-integrated e-commerce security, therefore, focuses on protecting these two components.
Protecting the source code and application
Let’s start with the diamond mine. The application (and the source code on which it’s built) needs to be secured.
How does ERP-integrated e-commerce secure the source code and application?
For Sana Commerce, all of our data and application information is securely stored in Microsoft Azure servers. This is our first line of defense.
From there, we have the following security measures.
Use of SonarQube to continuously inspect code and perform automatic reviews of code quality
Compliance with latest security standards as per OWASP
Test application with host of security tools such as Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, and Security Code Scan
3rd party testing
Protecting the internet connection
That’s how we keep our application safe. But how do we ensure that the data makes it safely from your ERP to your web store (and back)? We secure the internet connection.
Here are the security measures that Sana Commerce uses (or can use) to provide a secure internet connection for erp-integrated e-commerce.
Firewalls
Firewalls are used in two places: between the client’s computer and the Sana Commerce web server, and between the Sana Commerce web server and the ERP. A firewall determines who is allowed in and out, and furthermore, keeps unwanted individuals, viruses and worms locked out.
SSL/TLS
SSL/TLS stands for Secure Socket Layer.
It is the de facto standard in the field of security. Encryption is used to ensure that data traffic between the web server and browser remains secure and private.
VPN
VPN or Virtual Private Network can be seen as a secure, private connection over the internet. It provides users with secure access to a private network and they send data over the public internet. A VPN protects the data online in the same way that a firewall protects the data on your computer. With Sana Commerce, security can be improved using IP restrictions and a DMZ.
IP Restriction
IP restriction ensures that you can only log in from previously specified IP addresses. Attackers trying to penetrate the system from outside the specified set of IP addresses are denied access.
DMZ
A DMZ or demilitarized zone is an additional subnet between the Sana Commerce web server and the ERP server. The DMZ thus adds an extra security layer to the ERP system. It keeps a very close eye on what type of data is allowed to access the ERP system from external servers.
What security measures does Sana Commerce take to make ERP-integrated e-commerce safe?
At Sana Commerce, we think carefully and strategically about how we can ensure and maintain a secure site for your ERP-integrated web store. Sana Commerce’s B2B e-commerce security protects the application and its own source code in multiple different ways for strong protection against any external threats.
Hybrid source
Sana Commerce’s B2B e-commerce security is unique in combining the advantages of open and closed source with “secured open source code.” Sana Commerce’s source code is based on closed source, which is shared only with a strict selection of partners and clients. This way, an internal community is created and the benefits of both open and closed source are combined, while the weaknesses of each eliminated.
Tested and certified security
Sana Commerce B2B e-commerce security is evaluated, tested and certified by Lion Bridge, Microsoft and SAP.
Security audits
Sana Commerce conducts security audits on a frequent basis. During these audits, the system is ethically hacked in search of security cracks, which are then immediately fixed. As part of the selection process, a number of large clients tested Sana Commerce via automated static, dynamic, and manual security analysis techniques. The results confirmed the quality of the security and prompted these clients to do business with Sana Commerce.
Best practices
In the area of software security, Sana Commerce applies the best practices defined by the OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project). On this open source project, individuals and organizations share information and techniques toward identifying and rooting out unsafe software and its causes.
Secure hosting
Sana proudly offers Microsoft Azure hosting – one of the most secure and reliable hosting systems in the world. Collaboration with a dedicated Microsoft Azure Architect means we’ve been able to create optimal architecture for hosting Sana Commerce web stores. Your data is protected in the data center closest to your ERP environment and stored via an encrypted storage service. The databases are hosted on SQL Azure servers, and this data is also encrypted. Microsoft provides its data centers with the latest hardware technology.
How does SaaS make ERP-integrated e-commerce safe?
SaaS makes ERP-integrated e-commerce even safer in three simple ways.
1. Automatic upgrades
With SaaS you get new features and add-ons on a regular basis, so your web store is ready for new developments and changes in the e-commerce industry. That means no more additional upgrade costs or time investments because Sana Commerce takes care of your upgrades.
2. Always have the latest security fixes
Your installation will always be up to date and protected against vulnerabilities like downtime, data loss, and hacks. Daily geo-redundant backups of your installation will be created and safely stored in different locations around the world.
3. Installations run in Microsoft Azure
Sana Commerce Cloud (our SaaS solution) installations run in a highly secure, high-performing cloud environment based on Microsoft Azure – one of the most secure and reliable hosting systems in the world
Final thoughts on security in ERP-integrated e-commerce
When done right, ERP-integrated e-commerce is safe and secure. Sana Commerce provides highly secure ERP-integrated e-commerce that protects both the application/source code and the connection between your ERP and the web store.
The result? E-commerce that you can trust.
…But security isn’t the only great reason to choose integrated e-commerce. In fact, we have a list of 46 amazing benefits that integrated e-commerce can bring your organization. Learn all the benefits of ERP-integrated e-commerce in our whitepaper below.
Discover all the benefits of ERP-integrated e-commerce
