Two: The Challenge of Keeping Critical Data Secure

In the last part, you learned the importance of keeping your branding intact in embedded reporting, and how it becomes a challenge for some people.

The security of an organization’s data is of paramount importance, and your customers want to know that you can manage and maintain data security at all levels. Not all users should have access to every piece of information that they would like to have, but creating the proper protocols to keep that information secure can be a challenge in some embedded reporting environments.

If the application is multi-tenant, and users are logging in to a single source, the database must be structured accordingly. In some embedded reporting applications, it is difficult to isolate the data on a per-tenant basis. Parsing this out can be difficult, because not all users fit into a single profile where they would only need to access specific silos of information. Additionally, role-rules must apply across all areas of the application. If users can backdoor their way to sensitive data, or if they are accessing incorrect or improper databases in certain areas of the application, it can lead to significant security breaches.

Information security must be considered before committing to an embedded reporting tool. Not every solution will be able to meet the challenge of allowing users access to mission-critical data while keeping sensitive information secure. Decision makers must understand the tool’s built-in security features, but they must also know how much work their own development team can and should do in order to give users what they need – no more, no less, keeping in mind that not all users will fit neatly into pre-determined profiles.

Technology and its fast evolution is indeed impressive, but when you cannot keep up with the flow, it becomes a challenge.

Find out more on the next part.