Agency and insurance management system data security has always been a top priority for us at SIS. We built our Partner Platform agency management system suite with data safety and cybersecurity in mind, and it continues to be a topic we follow.

This past May, agency data security was one of our key topics at our annual Partner National User Conference, where we heard from industry expert Brad Ruben on how to prevent and prepare for security attacks.

One of the reasons we asked Brad to speak is we know security takes teamwork. Though we are confident we’re providing the most secure system to our partner agencies, they are still at risk if they’re not equipping their staff to watch for cyber-attacks.

This summer, we encourage you to take the time to look at your data security measures and re-commit as a staff to protect your customers. Here’s a little advice to get you started.

Get a full re-cap on our National User Conference from SIS President Michael Doran here

Advice from Experts: Equip and Educate

Archway Computer CEO Brad Ruben’s presentation at our National User Conference had quite an impact on attendees. Multiple agency representatives walked away with practical, actionable advice on how they could better manage and protect their data. Highlights from his presentation included:

• There is cause for concern. Over 33,000 phishing attacks and 4,000 successful ransomware attacks occur each day.
• Anti-virus protection is a must. Programs like Webroot and Malware Bytes are essential to keeping you safe.
• Cloud services are the future of security. Data hosting services like Amazon Web Services have 24/7 data surveillance, redundant backups, and multi-character encryption to keep your data safer than you can on your own.

Find out why you should be moving your agency data to the cloud

The most significant takeaway was the emphasis on educating staff on data security. Some of Brad’s tips included:

• Delete suspicious emails. Never click on links from unfamiliar senders. Delete emails from unknown sources and report them to your IT team.
• Password protect sensitive files. When moving files to a USB, sending through email, or saving on a laptop, add password protection to keep them safe.
• Use complex passwords. Employ number, letter, and punctuation combinations, including using different cases for letters. And be sure to use multiple passwords, so you don’t have just one tied to all accounts.
• Don’t install programs you don’t know. Even something as harmless looking as a computer game or unknown anti-virus software can be hiding as malicious programs. Ensure staff consult with IT before installing anything.

SIS Partner Platform agencies can access the full presentation on PartnerNet

Read more ways to minimize agency data security risks

Mandates from States: Staying Up to Standards

Though you should be keeping your agency data safe no matter what, some agencies are legally obligated to do so by their state. States like New York, Ohio, and South Carolina have individual regulations agencies should know.

We keep our standards in line with the strictest state regulations, ensuring Partner Platform is up to standard throughout the U.S. Some of the measures we use include:

• Restricted admin access limiting only a few select persons to accessing data.
• Multi-factor authentication and complex passwords to access restricted data.
• End-to-end data encryption to ensure information is continually protected.
• Safe and swift disposal of nonpublic information the moment it’s no longer needed.
• Redundant back-ups and disaster recovery plan to safeguard against power outages or security breaches.

Discover more on our commitment to data security here

Get the Right Data Security Partner in SIS

We make a commitment to our partner agencies to uphold the highest security standards, ensuring they can trust us with their data. We’re partners in security with our clients, working with and for them to create and support sustainable, secure infrastructure.

Hear what our clients have to say about their experience with Partner Platform and SIS on our Client Stories page.

Want to find out more? Get in touch at [email protected] or 800.747.7005, Option 6.

Alex Deak

Alex is one of the founders of NuGrowth Solutions and CEO of Strategic Insurance Software, acquired by NuGrowth in 2009. He has held a variety of leadership roles in technology-oriented software and services businesses from the early days of the Internet to today’s cloud environment. Over the course of his career, he has earned recognition from a variety of sources, including a PCWeek cover article where he was recognized as one of the “New Breed” of innovative, creative CIO’s, and a “Forty Under 40” award by Business First Magazine of Columbus, Ohio.