Lately, my focus has been on cybersecurity and recognizing risk. When it comes to marketing applications, typically risk is considered fairly low. However, once you find a vulnerability that could expose confidential information, all of a sudden you become very introspective.
Hearing all the horror stories of major brands unintentionally (or intentionally) leaking customer data or trade secrets can make you become paranoid.
Are all access privileges properly configured? Can you trust your team members? Can you trust your suppliers & partners?
End of the day, I recognize that it is my responsibility to make sure the right processes and safeguards are in-place.
I find there are 5 critical elements that must be in place to help ensure marketing processes are managed effectively and help you sleep better at night.
- Ensure roles & access are managed closely
- Validate that all actions in systems are logged & recorded
- Follow a release process that requires review, sign-off, and accountability
- Require reviews by technically competent teams and technology to evaluate and validate all interactions that will be released publicly are fully understood.
- Be clear with the teams about the need for strict processes and security measures.
The last point is critical. Sometimes it can feel like security reviews and processes are bottlenecks that slow down someones ability to execute quickly.
Be sure the teams understand this is not the intention. The risks are too great to rush. Ensuring all leaders and team members are on the same page in terms of understanding risk potential and having solid understanding of the processes being followed.
Clear communication helps an organization remember they are all on the same team pulling in the same direction.