Is EHS software secure?

EHS software is an extremely effective way to keep safety, environmental, and risk data organized and up to date (learn more about environmental data in The Growing Importance of E in EHS). The shift from spreadsheets to software means data can be more easily collected, stored, and analyzed. As with any sensitive data, it is appropriate to question just how secure EHS software is.

There are two things to look for in terms of keeping your EHS software secure:

1. You want to make sure you don't lose information, and

2. You don't want anyone accessing the information who isn't supposed to.

How can I make sure I don't lose my safety data?

Just like you wouldn't just want one paper copy of any important information, you don’t want to have all of your safety data on one hard drive. If that hard drive breaks down or gets lost, all of your data will be gone as well.

EHS software is a definite improvement over pen and paper copies in this aspect, because it can be easily (and automatically) copied and backed up. You may want to have the original files on your own system, but then have them backed up to a cloud-based system as well (read about the Top 3 Objections to EHS Software and What They Get Wrong).

How can I make sure my data isn't breached?

EHS software will contain sensitive information about your company and employees. It is important to ensure this data can’t be accessed by anyone besides the employees you want to access it.

When choosing a company from whom to purchase your EHS software, do some research into the company's security measures. Be sure the information on the software cannot be accessed by unauthorized users. Also, be sure you can set up the system so that the employees that should have access to the system can be authenticated and assigned passwords, for secure access.

Summary

EHS software is an effective way to manage, store, and analyze your company's safety data. Just as with all software, it has the potential to be vulnerable. As long as you partner up with a reputable company and follow proper procedures, EHS software is a secure way to manage all of your safety-related data.