Robotic process automation, or RPA, has undoubtedly revolutionised organisational efficiency. It accomplishes tasks that would otherwise take thousands of hours in a matter of seconds. For instance, employees spend a considerable time of their daily work hours compiling reports for higher management.
It mainly involves taking data from one source and then entering it into the report. Undoubtedly, not only is this task time-consuming, but it creates no real value. Instead, the employee feels burnt out for performing the same work repeatedly. An RPA bot can perform the same work without error or break.
Meanwhile, you can assign the employee to more rewarding and value-addition tasks. The adoption of RPA continues to increase due to its time-saving and operational streamlining benefits. You don’t have to worry about RPA costs as well. Numerous organisations are offering RPA as a Service in Dubai and worldwide.
It means there are no upfront costs associated with RPA. All you need to do is pay the upfront costs and nothing else. However, this increasing adoption also attracts the attention of cybercriminals seeking vulnerabilities to exploit for their gain. It means businesses need to take precautionary steps.
To safeguard your organisation and ensure that your RPA solutions don’t contribute to data breaches, it is crucial to address security concerns. RPA security ensures that your automated solutions remain shielded from malicious activities. Here are the top questions to ask yourself if you have RPA solutions in place.
RPA Security Questions for 2023
1. What does the RPA solution have access to?
If you cannot answer this question definitively, you risk falling prey to cybersecurity breaches. Identifying the systems and data the RPA solution can access is vital for implementing robust protective measures. For example, most organisations implement RPA solutions for customer service.
The RPA bot has access to the customer data. As soon as a customer query come through, the bot accesses the data to send a personalised response. Suppose that you did not know a bot can access customer data. What would happen in such a scenario?
Unknowingly exposing customer data to cybercriminals can severely damage your organisation’s reputation, erode customer trust, and lead to hefty regulatory fines. For example, the GDPR levies a fine of €10 million or 2% of a firm’s annual revenue from the preceding financial year (whichever amount is higher).
2. What is the process for retiring RPA bots?
Retiring an RPA bot is just the initial step. Ensuring a secure retirement process is equally critical. Neglecting to revoke access to data and systems upon bot retirement can lead to catastrophic consequences.
3. What security-related aspects were compromised during RPA implementation?
Regrettably, this scenario is quite common. The pressure to meet deadlines and budget constraints often leads to corners being cut, including compromising on essential cybersecurity aspects. Assessing the solution for potential security lapses is crucial for a robust and secure RPA implementation.
For this purpose, you can set up an internal team. They can act as the quality assurance team and monitor all apps (bots). The other option is to use a third-party service provider to conduct a comprehensive security audit. As they have expertise in the cybersecurity field, they can identify issues your in-house team cannot.
4. Are the RPA solutions and technologies up-to-date?
Having up-to-date tools, technologies, and updates is essential for bolstering your RPA solutions’ security. Legacy systems may lack the necessary support from developers, making them susceptible to exploitation by cybercriminals.
5. Who can access the RPA solution?
Knowing who has access to your RPA solutions allows you to establish stringent security protocols, including two-factor authentication. Assigning each bot a unique identity and controlling access becomes essential to safeguard sensitive information and monitor user activity effectively.
Conclusion
If you can answer these questions without any hassle, your RPA solutions are secure. Even then, we recommend conducting routine security audits to ensure everything is in order.
