Increasingly, organisations are implementing open systems to aid sales by enabling customers to see options, pricing and other relevant details quickly. Some organisations are also opening up systems to allow controlled access to their own supply chain partners. This has led to an increase in sensitive data being accessed via the internet, through an organisation’s website, with the associated risks of this sensitive data being accessed by unauthorised people.

Static passwords provide the minimum of protection in such a system, but a secure website solution also needs :

• Strong authentication into the website

• Encrypted communications

• Ease of use

• Ease of management

• A robust and proven recovery/continuity capability

So, by all means make it easy for your business partners to do business with you, but do make sure you’re not making it easy for less desirable “associates” to get at your sensitive data.