Scale Salesforce Safely: Tips to Reduce Risk of Data Loss

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Thousands of organizations leverage Salesforce for mission-critical operations

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and couldn't run their business without their critical Salesforce data.

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Follow these steps to recover quickly from data loss or corruption

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and continuously mitigate risk as your Salesforce org grows.

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First, define your recovery goals, analyze downtime tolerance,

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define your recovery time objective or RTO by estimating the maximum downtime

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your business can handle

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before experiencing a significant financial loss or operational disruption.

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This could range from hours to days.

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Assess data loss tolerance.

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Identify the most critical data objects and fields in Salesforce.

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This could include active customer accounts, current sales opportunities, and

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financial records.

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Then define your recovery point objective or RPO by determining the maximum

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data loss for these critical elements.

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Second, inventory your Salesforce data.

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Create a complete list of all data objects, accounts, contacts, opportunities,

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stored in your Salesforce instance.

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Include any custom objects and fields that you've created.

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Map data flows.

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Document the processes that generate data in Salesforce and how data flows

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through the different stages in the lifecycle.

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This will help you identify potential bottlenecks or areas where data

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redundancy might occur.

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Evaluate existing security measures.

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Assess your current data protection measures.

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Review things like backup procedures, data encryption practices, and user

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access controls.

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Third, reduce your risk of data loss and corruption.

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Monitor data anomalies.

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Get a tool that notifies you about unusual changes to your data.

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Archive inactive data. Move data that is no longer actively used but needs to

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be retained for compliance purposes outside of production.

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Doing so will free up storage space in your org and reduce the risk of

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accidental deletion or corruption of actively used data.

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Fourth, have a data recovery plan in place.

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Choose a backup and recovery solution. Since it's your responsibility to

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protect your Salesforce data, select a reliable solution that means your RPO

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and RTO requirements.

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Features you may consider include backup frequency, backup coverage, data loss

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detection, time to restore, and customer support.

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Test your recovery process.

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Regular testing should be conducted to confirm that your RPO and RTO values are

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still being met.

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Simulate data loss scenarios and practice restoring data to your production

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environment.

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Document your plan.

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Create a clear and concise disaster recovery that outlines the steps to be

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taken in case of a data loss event.

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This plan should include roles, responsibilities, communication protocols, and

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a detailed recovery procedure.

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Fifth, train your team and stakeholders. Educate users.

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Train your Salesforce users on data security best practices.

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Include topics like password hygiene, avoiding suspicious links, and reporting

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unusual activity.

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Inform stakeholders. Inform key stakeholders from different departments about

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the disaster recovery plan.

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Make sure everyone understands their role in data recovery efforts and the

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implications of a breach such as lost revenue, trust, or fines.

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Sixth, continuously improve and adapt. Review and update.

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Regularly review and update your processes to reflect changes in your Sales

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force environment, data security best practices, or regulatory requirements.

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Stay current.

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Stay informed and vigilant about Salesforce's latest data protection threats

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and vulnerabilities.

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Participate in relevant training to stay ahead of the curve.

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To learn more, download our CRM Growth Survival Guide.

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