REASONS TO PROTECT YOUR SAAS DATA

 

The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) industry continues to grow in leaps and bounds — predictions suggesting that the market could grow to $157 billion in 2020.

SAAS MARKET GROWTH (BILLION U.S. DOLLAR)

“Software as a Service (SaaS) Market Worldwide 2008-2020.” Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/510333/worldwide-public-cloud-software-as-a-service/.

While SaaS empowers companies to move smarter and faster at affordable prices, it also leaves data prone to cyber-attacks that could result in lost data.

Is Your Data Safe?

Estimates suggest that at least  80% of businesses using SaaS have lost their data at some point. It’s expected that by 2021, 3 out of 4 companies will use SaaS to power up their critical applications — these numbers are symbolic of the growing need to protect Saas data.

Many SaaS vendors don’t provide protection for your data  — Salesforce, Microsoft and Google all provide limited (or no) support for data recovery, as evidenced in their company statements:

1.   Salesforce no longer to provide data recovery

2.   Microsoft Services Agreement claims no liability for any disruptions or losses

Microsoft Services Agreement. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2020,
from https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/servicesagreement/

3.   Google claims no recovery if customers delete the data

Data Processing and Security Terms (Customers). (n.d.). Google Cloud. Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://cloud.google.com/terms/data-processing-terms

How Can You Lose Data?

There are many ways in which a data loss incident can torpify your business.

1.Human Errors

Inevitably, the biggest cause of data loss is a human error — as high as 64%, according to some estimates. The figures and example below illustrate the threat:

The biggest causes of data loss

Source: Aberdeen group

The benefit of a replication solution is that it can help you compare your data before and after errors are noticed and see all of the changes that have been made. Thus, you can quickly check mistakes and rectify them, recovering all lost data. Replication is used for data recovery to ensure accurate and adequate security exists to ward against system breaches or software/hardware failure where data is compromised.

2. Hackers

As noted earlier, the SaaS market is forecasted to see $157 billion in revenue in 2020 — these numbers have caught the interest of hackers, as illustrated below by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA) incident below:

The CPA disclosed that a cyberattack against its website allowed unauthorized third parties to access the personal information of over 329,000 members and other stakeholders.

CPA Canada discloses data breach affecting 329,000 individuals. (n.d.). BleepingComputer. Retrieved September 8, 2020,
from https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cpa-canada-discloses-data-breach-affecting-329-000-individuals/

Archiving your data with Cloud Replication helps you comply with regulations and requirements. The “snapshot-based tracking” can help you to maintain data compliance regulations.

3.System failure

Just as humans are prone to errors, so are systems. While machines can greatly reduce the risk of individual human error, data can still be compromised/corrupted without warning, potentially leading to all your vital data vanishing at once. The consequences are beyond imagination!

Data replication stores your data on multiple sites or nodes which increases the availability of data even in adverse situations like system failure. By moving your data to different sources, you can make sure that your data is continuously available.  Thus, even in a “system crash” scenario, you will have access to all of your relevant data and can keep going.

Backup vs Replication

Backups copy and restore data to ensure original data is not lost in the case of human/system error. Even if backups are run hourly, they cannot ensure the continuity of business at a time of data loss,  as it may take hours, even days, to recover the data because it is stored offsite.

Replication copies and moves data to different sources/sites, making recovery faster, as data is retrieved quickly and at a granular level, allowing organizations to back on track in half of the time or less than backup solutions.

Because we live in an increasingly data-centric world, businesses cannot afford to compromise on the availability of data nor the level of security required to protect it.  Today’s business model requires an “always-on” level of service which cannot be delivered by a backup solution.

What Exactly is Replication?

Data replication is the process of keeping data at different locations, creating multiple copies of it that can be stored at various sources to make certain it is protected from loss or theft. Replication increases the accessibility of data by giving access to all users at the same time, irrespective of their location.

Depending on need, replication can be done once or on an ongoing basis. The dynamic nature of data necessitates flexibility and convenience, making replication even more vital in today’s business world where information must be shared instantly and globally to multiple audiences.

Types of Data Replication

• Transactional replication

In a transactional replication, the software makes a complete copy of the original data and updates it as it changes. Data is replicated in real time from its origin to the receiver database. This type of replication guarantees transactional consistency. This is most significant as the number of rows copied each time is smaller.

• Snapshot replication

When the snapshot replication method is used, data is replicated exactly as it appears originally and is not monitored for updates.  The entire snapshot is generated and sent to the user. This method is generally preferred when data changes only occasionally, because it requires the slower process of moving multiple records from one end to the other.

• Merge Replication

Merge replication allows publisher and subscriber to change data dynamically. It is the most complex form of replication as data from two or more databases is merged together to form one database. It allows users to send changes from publisher to multiple subscribers.

• Key-based Incremental Replication

This type of replication is also referred to as “key-based data capture,” as it only copies data changed from the last update. In this method, keys can be seen as elements that exist within the database and trigger data replication. Only a few rows are copied at a time, which makes it the most cost-effective replication method of all.

Advantages of Data Replication

Replication not only protects your data from a variety of threats but also provides a number of advantages:

• Better Reliability and Availability: Since data is present at different locations, if one system fails, data can easily be recovered from another location.
• Lower Data Access Latency:  As data is available at multiple locations, the required data can be accessed from a closer location to where the transaction is being executed.
• Power Analytic Support: Making data from different sources available to a data warehouse empowers different teams to work together on a common project for business intelligence.
• Enhance Test System Performance: Because replication simplifies the synchronization and distribution of data, it creates quick access to data for testing, which allows for faster decision making.

What We Do at DBSync

At DBSync, we provide you with a simple and cost-effective way to replicate your Salesforce data. Our cloud replication can automatically create Salesforce object schemas, replicate objects in real-time, and create or update Salesforce records from your database irrespective of platforms like AWS, Windows, Azure, Docker, or Linux. Further, our product:

• Fulfills All Compliance and Security Requirements
  Archiving your cloud application data with Cloud Replication helps you comply with FINRA and other regulations/requirements. Snapshot-based tracking means you stay on top of the latest regulatory requirements (i.e. versioning).
• Requires Zero Administration – Set It and Forget It
  Automatic schema creation and adjustment means zero effort on mapping schemas. The ability to run database queries on Salesforce data reduces API usage and query latency.
• It is Easy to Use
  No API experience? No Problem! Download the data directly and manipulate it from the database to see updates right in your CRM.

• Can Be Deployed and Run Anywhere
  Support for the cloud (AWS) and on-premise database backup (Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, Snowflake, etc), allows you to run data replication in batches or in real-time increments.
• Allows for Adoption of Salesforce With Your AWS and Big Data
  Cloud Replication’s support for Cassandra, Amazon Redshift, MongoDB, and S3 helps you to harness the power of Big Data for your business.

Conclusion

It is easy to see the valuable impact SaaS has and continues to have, on the way we currently do business. However, as shown, this brings with it the increased risk of data loss — either by employee error, system failure, or malicious intent — that can hamper the flow and productivity of any business.  The best defense: DBsync’s Cloud Replication tool. Be safe, not sorry! Arm yourself against data loss and sleep soundly at night knowing you are well-protected.

TWO WAYS: HOW TO CONNECT SALESFORCE TO SQL DATABASES

 

Today’s Salesforce users have more options than ever when integrating customer data with eCommerce, accounting, customer service and marketing SaaS apps. Companies quickly see the advantage as they reduce duplicate entries, helping to optimize the order-to-cash cycle. They can also gain that 360-degree view of customers, putting them heads and shoulders above the competition.

Even with all these options, dataops still hit Salesforce data workflow limitations due to inflexible integration templates and untracked changes to Salesforce metadata. This is especially true when working with SQL and NoSQL databases.

The challenges of cloud-to-SQL or other on-premise connections can have a company looking to devops and APIs for their integration solution. A third option is to leverage commercially available Salesforce data replication apps. These apps can keep your customer experience, operational and/or ERP systems up-to-date without having to pull on your devops resources or APIS.

Salesforce to SQL Database Integration Using iPaaS (Connectors)

The benefits of many data workflow solutions are they are no code and templated solutions. This empowers users to create data workflows with little to no coding knowledge quickly. The downside is the templated workflows usually are limited to the objects and fields included in those templates by the app provider.

Have custom objects or fields? Some Salesforce integration data workflow apps will allow you to create your own template. So the problem is solved. Right? Not necessarily. Even if you are diligent in keeping your templates up to date, that doesn’t mean your SQL database is up-to-date. You will need to understand how to keep your SQL database synced to include any changes to your structure/metadata.

Salesforce to SQL Database Integration Using Replication Apps

An easier way and more reliable way to connect Salesforce data to your SQL database is through a commercially available Salesforce data replication app. These commercially available apps let you skip the API and coding to replicate your Salesforce data to an SQL or NoSQL database.

DBSync’s Salesforce Replication app takes the experience one step further by offering an SQL interface that makes it an intuitive experience for SQL data admins. This app provides the peace of mind that data is replicated reliably with minimal upkeep.

If you are working on a data lake or warehouse project that leverages Salesforce data, download our SaaS brief that highlights how to overcome the challenges.

HOW SEC, FINRA AND FINANCIAL COMPLIANCE IMPACTS DATA BACKUP AND RETENTION

 

Public companies and financial organizations face many compliance requirements driven by external regulations or internal requirements. These have far-reaching impacts on IT’s data management and record retention strategies.

To meet these mandates, publicly traded companies, their audit firms, wealth management firms and brokers need to keep abreast of requirements while minimizing the impact on DataOps and DevOps. The following delves into some of these data management challenges.

[Download our financial and privacy compliance guide.]

Data and Record Retention for Corporations and Auditors, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act Compliance

Not a new regulation but one that changed how businesses operate, SOX was enacted in 2002 in the aftermath of Enron and many other financial scandals of the era. The scandals called into question how much investors could trust companies and their independent auditors. The act sought to reinstil this trust.

The impact on IT groups? IT leaders of the day were challenged with reimagining their systems to meet the new controls and record retention requirements. Like any major regulatory change, the murmurs of the day centered cost and resources needed to implement the changes for both corporations and independent audit firms. What follows are a few ways that the regulations impact data management and record retention.

For corporations, sections 103 and 104 require companies to retain records related to audits of their financial statements for seven years. SOX section 404 requires companies to retain records that support their annual internal control report.

For auditors, section 802 requires them to keep records for seven years after concluding an audit or review. What type of records? Work papers and other documents that formed the basis of the audit or review plus memorandums, correspondence, communications, other documents and records (including electronic records) should be retained.

What are the fines? Download our guide.

Data and Record Retention for Wealth Management Firms

Wealth management firms that manage over $110 million in client assets need to adhere to SEC rules for record management and retention. Unless they are in New York or Wyoming, those under that threshold need to consider their state’s rules. What follows is a summary of some essential data and record retention rules.

Most records need to be retained for at least 5 years, with at least 2 of the most recent years located in the adviser’s office (see Title 17 CFR Part 275.204-2). Types of records that need to be retained is extensive including customer records, advisor records, financial and transactional records, agreements, communications and promotional materials. As technology has advanced, even the communication through SaaS apps such as chat is at stake.

How do SaaS chat apps impact data retention? Download our guide.

Data and Record Retention for Financial Dealers and Brokers

FINRA is the organization responsible for supervising broker-dealers and is overseen by the SEC. They also adopt rules to supplement those of the SEC, which include data and record retention rules.

Like wealth management firms, broker and dealer firms need to retain records for at least 6 years and need to have the last 2 years of records “easily accessible” with some exceptions. Generally, daily records and financial ledgers need to be retained for 6 years with some records, such as memorandums, only need to be kept for 3 years (see Title 17 CFR Part 240.17a).

How does FINRA impact business continuity plans?

Download our financial and privacy guide.

SALESFORCE BACKUP BEST PRACTICES

 

Learn how to leverage native and third-party apps to meet your compliance, operational and business continuity goals

Like all platforms, your Salesforce instance is not immune to data loss. Many SaaS providers do not provide data recovery services. Currently, Salesforce falls into that group but has indicated that it will reintroduce a service during the summer of 2021. Under these conditions, what should companies do to ensure their Salesforce backups meet their compliance, operational and business continuity goals?

A Summary of Popular Salesforce Backup Methods

Notably missing from this list are data downloads. We’ve omitted this from the list since it will not capture metadata and it would be time consuming to use this method to download files and other assets.

What we are highlighting are these popular methods:

• Copy your Salesforce production to a Salesforce sandbox
• Backup Salesforce data using APIs
• Backup Salesforce data to any contemporary on-premise database like SQL Server, DB2, Oracle, or a Big Data database, such as Mongo, Casandra, etc.
• Use 3rd-party backup apps

Native Salesforce Data and Metadata Backup Options

Although Salesforce offers many native backup tools, they recommend looking at 3rd-party offering since: “Some of these are more comprehensive in that they allow you to automate backups of both your data AND your
metadata and provide a mechanism by which to restore that data easily.”

3rd-Party Salesforce Data & Metadata Backup Options

While Salesforce provides its own (native) data export features to prevent permanent data loss, they also recommend customers use partner backup solutions. The main reason is that 3rd-party Salesforce backup options give users the features that make backups easier to manage. They can also make the process more reliable and secure.

What benefits are there to 3rd-party backup services?

Below is a summary of the benefit. Download our guide for more detail.

• Own your data
• Automated backups
• Better protection
• Better data recovery
• Analytical support
• Save time and money
  

Want to learn more? Download our guide. Want to understand the difference between SaaS data backup and replication? Read this article.

Automating Email Reports from QuickBooks

An accounting system is essential for every business to track funds flowing in and out of their business processes. In the not so distant past, bookkeeping was handled through files and registers. File stacks were bundled on office shelves like debris for years, and it was a Herculean task for bookkeepers to check closed accounts. Moreover, keeping papers for such long periods was not practical. The integrity of bookkeeping methods was debated in the early 2000s when instances of massive financial fraud came to light.  Then, the idea of digital bookkeeping was thought to be a myth. Technology birthed the Accounting Renaissance, where digital applications, on premise and cloud replaced papers and files. QuickBooks is one such example, known to small and medium scale businesses across the globe.

Turn the Pages Back

An accounting system developed and managed by Intuit in the early 2000s, QuickBooks started with an on premise DOC version that was installed on either a personal machine or a hosted server. The Digital Wave helped QuickBooks claim a large chunk of small-scale customers, but left gaps in the standard aspects of traditional accounting standards. Then, a series of version updates and patch releases enhanced the product and turned it into a cohesive accounting system. Intuit has integrated QuickBooks with a handful of tools and web applications.

Every Penny Counts

When you are beginning a business, every penny counts. You have to accomplish more with less and ensure you pick the correct tools to operate your business. Most stakeholders need to see reports daily to ensure projects are on schedule.  Accounting tools have different templates for reporting, which can be customized and sent across as pdfs or excel sheets.  The following are some major QuickBooks reports that stakeholders see as critical to their SMB:

·         Profit & Loss Report

·         Balance Sheet

·         A/R Aging Summary

·         A/P Aging Summary

·         General Ledger

Detailing accounting data is complicated. Customers and bookkeepers spend an innumerable amount of hours capturing information and then spend additional hours building out customized reports. To address the restrictions of their product, Intuit created advanced reporting, which is incorporated with QuickBooks Enterprise 14 R6P and higher for those with a functioning Full-Service Plan.

Email the Reports Out

This module helps customers set up a schedule to email reports at the needed frequency (i.e., daily business reports to staff, weekly money-related reports to managers, monthly budget reports to customers).  Generally, not everyone in the company has login access to Accounting systems to view financial statuses, particularly Account Receivables. In this case, scheduled reports are convenient, and can save a ton of time and provide an understanding of the organization's budgetary execution to date. Scheduled reports eventually influence better business choices that can add to future development and achievement. The key benefits of implementing QuickBooks Email Report Automation are:

·         Custom reports

·         Improved productivity

·         Better communication

·         Report compliance

·         Secured accessibility

Automate the Process in a Controlled Way

QuickBooks schedules predefined report templates that contain sensitive financial data that cannot be exposed. Stakeholders and the Accounting Department face the dilemma of segregating the data, so as not to send full reports to all team members. 

QuickBooks doesn’t allow the creation of custom reports or scheduled emails; thus, an intermediary database can do the job. QuickBooks has open APIs for different entities including reports. We at DBSync help our customers integrate QuickBooks with databases and various other cloud and on premise applications. The database, integrated with QuickBooks, can be in line with QuickBooks reports, and required information can be sent across the recipients based on business preferences. DBSync has email connectors that can be used to send emails based on the defined trigger criteria. Your QuickBooks database and email connector can be knitted together in an integration platform for controlled automation of email reporting. This helps when sending QuickBooks reports to selected recipients only.

Conclusion

Data is a crucial factor in driving business decisions. Decision-makers at different levels need to have access to customized reports that save time and effort. Automation of reporting distribution helps make for a sustainable organizational environment where stakeholders can focus on developing the business. 

An accounting system is essential for every business to track funds flowing in and out of their business processes. Technology birthed the Accounting Renaissance, where digital applications, on premise and cloud replaced papers and files. There are many benefits to automate parts of the process like emails..

Choosing the Right Point of Sale (POS) System for your Retail Business

Point-of-Sale systems (POS) have become a “must-have” for any retail store trying to reach the next level in their Line-of-Business. More than twenty (20) years ago, cash registers were used to manage sales. Increasing customer choices and product varieties over the past several decades have demanded more sophisticated electronic options to allow stores to reconcile their stock and transactions automatically.

With the technology boom, Electronic Cash Registers (ECR) -- later termed Point-of-Sale systems -- have become this option, expanding beyond the transaction register to cloud-based POS applications that allow complete control over multiple global retail lines.  Product inventory and sales can be controlled and monitored from any location seamlessly and with full transparency. A simple POS terminal can increase sales exponentially for any retail business by processing customers fast and providing multiple payment options.

For every retailer, selecting the best POS system for their business is a top priority. A few features that every POS should have are:

●     Stock Visibility -- keeping track of product movement can help retailers avoid stock-outs or dead stocks and thus improve customer relationships. A right POS should also keep track of inventory at other branches and provide continuous insights on product sales.

●     Routing the Branch -- keeping customers happy with an eCommerce POS option to process a sale at a different branch (if the product is not available in one department) is an excellent customer satisfaction strategy.

●     Real-time reporting -- the option to generate real-time business reports, based on product sales and inventory data, is one of the key features that every multi-store retailer needs. These reports can also help businesses get rid of extraneous costs.

●     Multichannel Customer Experience -- retailers who manage online stores along with physical stores should have the option in their POS system to provide the same consistent product and pricing information to their customers, whether online or onsite.

●     Integration with 3rd Party Apps -- businesses using POS systems need to make their data available to their ERP and accounting applications. With open API’s, these POS systems can allow integration platforms like DBSync to share the data with various other apps securely, thus avoiding double data entry.

●     Loyalty Programs -- with the smartphone era, modern POS systems are implementing loyalty programs more than ever to keep customers engaged. Customers can download the app instead of swiping or punching cards, to keep track of their purchases and earn reward points. This helps retailers keep track of their customers’ purchases and allow them to serve them better.

●     Data security -- data must be kept secure at all ends. Customer buying patterns and personal info is much more of a concern nowadays. A proper compliance POS system allows retailers to protect customers’ privileges and gain their trust and loyalty.

Several additional factors to consider when selecting a POS are cost, ease of use, and longevity. For multi-channel retailers who sell online and in physical spaces, applications like Shopify POS and Vend meet the above criteria. These POS applications not only allow retailers to manage sales, they even help in doing multichannel eCommerce by connecting to various eCommerce channels like Amazon, Big Commerce, and Walmart, thus increasing their presence around the globe. Moreover, these applications allow integration with various 3rd party applications for shipping and accounting process with the help of open API's. DBSync, a pioneer in the field, allows for seamless integration, providing complete control over the business and optimizing sales. 

Retailers must adhere to specific standards when selecting POS systems, keeping in mind that the perfect marriage of POS with eCommerce is the key to running a successful retail business in the future.

Multichannel Ecommerce – Benefits, Challenges and Opportunities

Shopping online is one of the most popular activities on the Web. A person can shop anytime or anywhere–even in pajamas! Webpages are built to promote specific goods and services that can be purchased online and delivered to a personal/professional setting. Over the past ten (10) years, eCommerce has grown in leaps and bounds, particularly with the rise of companies that allow electronic transactions, such as eBay and Amazon. 

Nowadays, it is common for companies to have a significant online presence, mainly “brick and mortar” stores, where multichannel eCommerce gives customers the ability to: 

• Search through an extensive database of products and services and build their orders over several days
• Compare pricing for the same product over dozens of channels and choose the best one. 

An eCommerce multichannel is where different groups of people sell goods/services in different ways at different times. The goal is to satisfy as many people as possible while continually scaling to increasing traffic. There can be several challenges with this approach: 

To avoid such hurdles, businesses often choose a single platform to publish and manage their product and service lines, such as Shopify, ChannelAdvisor, and Seller Active. This platform provides a central place to trade products, reach out to more communities all over the world, and receive revenue in common currency. Often these platforms are used to sell and manage products/services, but additional applications can be added to process shipping and backorders. Apps like Shipstation and Ecomdash allow vendors to fulfill their orders by direct shipping and order processing options, or using shipping gateways like UPS and FedEx. 

Based on the product and service verticals, these sellers can be divided into two categories: 

B2C merchants have direct reach to customers and thus have to strictly maintain their product portfolio, as customer buying patterns are based on product reviews and past experiences with the seller. B2B merchants, on the other hand, have to provide merchants’ orders on time and thus have to maintain their delivery portfolio diligently. ECommerce platforms for both types of sellers are the same, but utilization is different. Most of the B2C and B2B merchants use an integrated web of applications to manage their day-to-day operations. A typical example would be:

The applications vary from merchant to merchant — B2C often go for the cheaper option while B2B go for ERP’s, which have all of the above capabilities. These applications provide an efficient way to complete operations on multichannel eCommerce platforms, as the integrated platform automates data sharing and reduces manual intervention to maintain product stock.

DBSync, a pioneer iPaas for a multichannel eCommerce, provides actionable information towards customer and product repletion statuses. Most IPaaS’ fail when it comes to a full cycle integration, and thus B2B merchants tend to go with fully optimized and integrated ERP. However, not all ERP’s support of all channels, so merchants end up with a simplified, integrated solution. 

DBSync is a leading player in this vertical, as its’ pre-built connectors for applications like ChannelAdvisor, Shopify and Shipstation, can be used to build connections to other similar domain apps using the Swagger framework. 

CSEs (Comparison Shopping Engines)

The battle for most retailers today is to create brand awareness for their product/service. Comparison Shopping Engines (CSEs) like Google Shopping, Nextag and Connexity allow customers to compare product lines over multiple eCommerce channels. NOTE: A fee is required to have a product appear in top search results. 

Most retailers struggle to set their multichannel strategies and thus fail to reach their target audience. Some companies like ChannelAdvisor and GoDataFeed have options to simplify this process. They provide Feed Campaign Management and optimize product listing ads for digital marketers, providing them with a centralized platform to enhance their product content, overcome unprofitable products automatically and provide actionable insights to grow their product line bidding.

Conclusion:

The fast-growing eCommerce industry is trending towards growing the customer base rather than the number of channels. Hence, retailers/sellers have to focus their Multichannel Marketing Strategy to ensure repeat customers. 

The ability to “tag” products based on user preferences (via Web and mobile browsing) and make them available on social media has been a game-changer, as customers no longer have to leave social media channels to purchase a product/service. Retailers can also invest in CSEs to ensure their product/service reaches its targeted community. This can increase search listings and allow movement towards Omni channel marketing.

DBSync, as a unified integration platform, can play a crucial role in making B2B sellers’ businesses grow beyond their expectations by optimizing order processing and fulfillment and exposing them to the global eCommerce web.