Putting guests first should be the foundation of your business strategy — however, protecting your data is equally important. It can impact your business reputation, bookings, and revenue if you fall victim to malware or other cybersecurity concerns. 

Ensuring your reservation management system secures your sensitive data — such as private customer information — can help protect your visitors, staff, and brand from becoming victims of cybercrime. 

Here are four ways an efficient, cloud-based reservation management system can help you increase your security and reduce threats.

Increased Data Security in the Cloud

With a reservation system that stores data on your computer or external hard drives, there are significant security risks should your device become compromised, corrupted, or destroyed in any way. 

One of the major security benefits of a cloud-based reservation system is that all data is stored and secured in the cloud — not on your local devices. Your data is therefore protected in a number of ways, which may include:

• Encrypted connections
• Guidelines created by cloud technology security experts and organizations
• Adherence to online security standards within the industry
• Regular backups and updates to reduce errors and data threats
• Servers created to store data with no need to rely on an in-house IT team

Since your data is stored in the cloud, your private information is still secure, even if any devices you use to access your cloud based reservation management software are damaged, lost, or stolen.

Secure Logins With a Cloud-Based Reservation System

If your data is stored locally, it may be easy for hackers to crack the login password and gain access to your reservation system. 

Two-Factor Authentication

You can utilize two-factor authentication (2FA) to verify your employees’ identities in two ways before they are granted access to your cloud-based system. Typically, this means using a password and then receiving a time-sensitive security key to complete the login process. 

IP Restrictions

A cloud-based system may be able to restrict IP addresses by range or region. If your staff is located in specific areas, you can use their locations to set restrictions and prevent unauthorized access from other areas, further protecting your business. 

Password Management

A cloud-based system may offer unique credentials for each of your employees who sign in to perform daily operations, answer guest questions, and respond to requests. System admins can also set up a policy for these users, highlighting the steps they must follow when choosing a password, including expiration options.

Total Access and Permissions Control

One key element to reservation system security is the option to manage roles and permissions for your staff. This includes controlling who has access to certain data stored in the cloud. You can restrict access to sensitive information, such as customer data or financial reports, by only granting those permissions to admins or managers. 

Controlling permissions can help prevent accidental sharing of sensitive information. This can help keep the private information of your guests private. 

Secure Online Payment System

Cloud-based systems can help you achieve payment card industry data security standard (PCI DSS) compliance to ensure a secure payment process for your visitors’ information. This may include the ability of the reservation system to tokenize credit card information to protect the transaction from cyber criminals. 

Encryption keys may be provided to parties on both sides of the transaction so that the payment can be processed successfully and securely, as a part of end-to-end encryption. 

The Right Reservation System Leads to Operational Excellence

Unsecure data could lead to a halt in operations, theft of sensitive information, and even lawsuits. When your private data is secure, your organization can focus on daily operations to enhance the experience for each camper or boater who books with you. Plus, your guests will feel confident in booking with your property knowing that their information is secure. 

This is why a cloud-based reservation management system can help lead your business to operational success and efficiency. 

Discover how to achieve excellence using the right reservation software by downloading our free guide today!