Real-time event monitoring is an essential aspect of Salesforce cloud security for its ability to guard critical processes and provide compliance assistance.
Why It Matters: You can’t fix a problem if you don’t know it exists. And when it comes to data security vulnerabilities, they aren’t going to make themselves known until it’s too late.
- In 2024, the average cost of a data breach reached a staggering $4.88 million.
- Breaches often go unnoticed for months, compounding the negative consequences.
Here are six reasons you need real-time event monitoring to support Salesforce cloud security:
1. Breaches Don’t Announce Themselves
Unless you have an automatic scanner set to support Salesforce cloud security, data breaches can occur in the background.
In fact, a 2023 study found that, on average, it took companies 204 days to identify a breach and an additional 73 days to contain it.
Monitoring frequently targeted parts of your Salesforce environment like login screens and export logs gives your team the information they need to find and flag breaches before they get out of control.
2. Improper Actions Create Vulnerabilities
Data breaches, corruptions, and leaks don’t only occur when external factors exploit vulnerabilities. A simple error can lead to data exposures that knock businesses out of compliance and have huge financial ramifications.
Scanning your environment for adherence to Salesforce cloud security best practices raises red flags when improper actions threaten your data.
Not all threats are malicious; sometimes they’re innocent mistakes. But when it comes to protecting your data, the resulting breach is all that really matters.
3. Permissions Are Easily Overlooked
Team members move into new roles all the time. New team members are hired while others transition out of the company. But if you aren’t updating user permissions each time an individual moves into a new role, you’re opening yourself up to security failures.
Automatically monitoring your permission settings across your organization reduces the chance of accidental deletions or exposures.
The strongest Salesforce cloud security strategies block risks from multiple directions. Ensuring proper permission settings eliminates potential vulnerabilities before they have a chance to threaten data.
4. Compliance Requires Clear Audit Trails
Data security regulations cover organizations across the globe. The industry you work in and the location of your organization determine the exact regulations that apply to your data, but maintaining detailed audit trails of how your data is handled is critical to proving compliance no matter where you are.
Real-time event monitoring maintains detailed logs of critical compliance considerations, which can be used in the event of an audit.
Regulatory compliance and Salesforce cloud security go hand in hand. Monitoring tools support success in both ventures.
5. Clues to Security Issues Exist—If You Can Find Them
Even though data breaches won’t announce themselves, they will leave breadcrumbs your team can follow to find and fix issues before they get out of hand. The difficult part is simply knowing where to look.
Automated security scanners extend the reach of your team to find the clues that lead to security vulnerabilities before they negatively impact your Salesforce environment.
This includes:
- Unauthorized Access
- Excessive Data Exports
- Malicious Automation
- API Abuse
- Privilege Misuse
- And More
6. Configuration Changes Are Prone to Error
Salesforce configurations are complex. Their customizability makes them able to serve specific uses, but it also makes them prone to error. A single mistake—such as granting excessive permissions, disabling multifactor authentication, or misconfiguring role hierarchies—can unintentionally expose sensitive data or weaken security controls.
Real-time event monitoring helps detect unexpected configuration changes, allowing security teams to review and correct misconfigurations before they create serious vulnerabilities.
Misconfigurations can go unnoticed for long periods of time, leaving organizations vulnerable to insider threats, external attacks, and compliance violations. Automated scans reduce the risk of data exposure and unauthorized access.
Next Step…
Accidents happen. A key aspect of a complete Salesforce cloud security strategy is to plan for worst-case scenarios with a reliable backup and recovery plan.
Read our blog, How to Build a Reliable Salesforce Data Recovery Strategy, to learn the essential considerations for properly protecting your data.