Data breaches are the modern day digital equivalent of a broken pipe – disruptive, messy, and all too common. It seems every week there is major headline news about a huge data breach or some ransomware attack against a major corporation. And these events are only becoming more frequent.
According to a recent Statista survey, there were more than 3,205 data compromises in the United States last year, affecting over 350 million people. That’s definitely nothing to be ignored.
Source: Statista
For companies like HiBob, which handles extremely sensitive employee data (salaries, payroll, performance reviews) for over 3500 customers, rock solid security against these rising threats is absolutely essential. For them, it’s not just about showing off their features and usability, they must actively maintain and demonstrate that they are to be trusted with such valuable data.
Preventing a HiBob Security Breach: Building a Fortress
The good news is: HiBob gets this. From day one, they have made security the foundation and bedrock of their entire platform. They know that seeing a HiBob security breach plastered all over the news would be nothing short of disaster for their operations and business relationships.
As such, they have invested serious time, money, and resources into building a high-tech fortress for their customer’s most sensitive data. Let’s dive into the details to see how they make this possible.
Security: It’s Not an Add-On, It’s the Foundation
From day one, HiBob has understood that security is not just some shiny coat of paint that can be applied at the end – it needs to be baked into the platform and considered at every step. With this in mind, the HR platform has enhanced encryption protocols whenever customer and employee data is being handled. In essence, this turns all readable data into
garbled code that’s worthless to anyone that illegally gains access to it.
But encryption is just the start. HiBob enforces strict “need-to-know” access controls with its employees. Employees only get to access data if they need it. It’s as simple as that. This drastically reduces the risk of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands – even if that means people that are already within the company itself.
To add to this, HiBob has monitoring systems in place (a bit more on this later) that allow the team to react quickly – investigating, identifying, and neutralizing threats as they appear in real time. This, along with the rigorous training and cyber security awareness programs that employees undertake demonstrate that HiBob has developed a culture where security is one of the very core ingredients.
Compliance: More Than Just Checking Boxes
Let’s be honest, many companies talk a strong game when it comes to security. But when you get down to the details, it is easy to see that they are all talk and no action. This is far from the case with HiBob. Simple limp service will not pay them any dividends – they need to back up their claims with hard evidence if their clients are to trust them.
As such, HiBob has gained some hard-earned certifications, such as ISO 27001 and 27018. In layman’s terms, this means that HiBob has proved that it adheres to internationally recognized information security and cloud privacy standards, not just their own internal benchmarks.
Those demanding SOC 1 and SOC 2 audits? HiBob has acquired them too, proving their controls for handling sensitive data are up to par with the industry best practices. In a way, these audits and certifications give clients and potential customers the green light that HiBob’s systems are kosher and do what they claim to do.
When picking an HR partner, it’s reassuring to know they operate within proven frameworks, and they are not just winging it.
Security Doesn’t Stop at the Platform
Securing the platform is crucial, of course. After all, this is the bread and butter of HiBob’s offerings. However, it’s just one part of the equation. Just as important are network defenses, adding an additional layer of protection to stop threats before they even reach the application.
HiBob’s security pros aren’t just twiddling their thumbs waiting for something to happen so they can react – they’re actively monitoring the network 24/7 for suspicious behavior. By using threat intelligence software, they can keep an eye on and block known malicious traffic patterns before trouble reaches the doorstep.
Meanwhile, they segment the network, quarantining the most sensitive systems in heavily fortified zones. This containment strategy prevents hackers from accessing the crown jewels if they somehow breach initial defenses.
Shared Data? Shared Responsibility
In order to provide the most value for its customers, HiBob integrates with a variety of third party applications that help to enrich the user experience. However, introducing more connections always introduces more weak spots. It’s all well and good taking care of your own defenses, but as soon as you partner with another technology provider, then you are at the mercy of their security practices since their networks become an endpoint to your own.
As you can imagine, HiBob takes this seriously – they don’t just let any old software plug into their systems. Potential partners go through thorough vetting first to ensure that they meet their high standards and that they won’t weaken the overall defenses.
We’re taking extensive background checks, mandating strong encryption methods, and ensuring those partners actually do what they say they will when it comes to cybersecurity. It’s about closing gaps and promoting shared commitment to data integrity across the whole technology ecosystem.
The Bottom Line
The truth is, nobody can promise 100 percent breach proof systems. With new advances in technology and ever evolving hacking techniques, cyber security is a never ending duel. Yet, HiBob put up a good a fight as anyone.
They understand that trust is hard-earned, and they do everything within their power to maintain that trust between themselves, their customers, and their customer’s employees. Does it require extra energy, time, and resources? No doubt. But being proactive and building a cyber security fortress is much less costly than dealing with the aftermath of a devastating data breach.
