BasicGov / BLOG

SaaS and Privacy Policy

What’s the difference between privacy and security?  Security is all about who can access your data.  Privacy is about what people can do with the data they do have access to.   How do SaaS providers ensure privacy?

Because personal data is handled and stored by your SaaS application provider, you would want to know that they hold your data in as high or higher regard than you do. What governs and restricts how, when, what can be done with your own contact data and your municipalities’ constituent data (it is your data) is referred to as the privacy policy.

As a SaaS provider with a Salesforce.com partnership, local government software subscribers, not only have their privacy policy aligned with those of TRUSTe, the internet privacy giant boasting the strongest and most trusted privacy policy model in the business, but with Salesforce.com it is actually certified by TRUSTe.  This ensures that subscribers enjoy privacy protections in accordance with TRUSTe’s strict privacy principles, and that all customer information is respectively treated as though it were sensitive and not made available to 3rd parties for their own use.  Data is managed responsibly, while ownership of the  data remains firmly assigned to the municipality.

Click here to read last week’s post about SaaS and security.

 The key to success for your SaaS implementation is to start from your desired outcome.  What is it that you want the system to do for you?  Are you clear about what you currently do, and when or how you do it now?  The clearer you are about your current and desired process the better outcome you’ll achieve.

Where to start? Concisely, thoroughly describe and document your current workflow. Understand that your processes may change slightly in order to take full advantage of the solution you’ve chosen. Be open to your vendor’s advice on how to streamline the process and accept that there may be gaps in what can be provided.  Expect a 80-20 solution: the system should automate the tasks that take up 80% of your time.  Focus on these tasks and understand that if you want 100% automation – you’ll likely have to pay for significant customization.  

 Once you’re through the “Business Analysis” portion of the installation, the real advantages of SaaS come into play. Saas is easier to configure.  No software installation and no IT headaches.  Time to rollout is reduced.  Users are up and running faster – and in a familiar “browser” environment.