Cemeterians have many responsibilities. Key among them is making sure cemetery records are safely maintained and can be passed from generation to generation.
Before you take your cemetery software recommendation to your board of directors, ask one question: Is it safe? Because an investment in cemetery software is an investment in protecting your cemetery maps, records, and data from unforeseen disasters.
In this post, we get practical about cemetery safety. We outline non-negotiable security features for cemetery software and provide a list of security questions for you to take to every software demo. With these security tools and best practices, you’ll be able to recommend a software solution to your board (and your IT Director) with confidence.
Is cloud-based cemetery software secure?
Yes. Cloud-based cemetery software provides significantly stronger security than on-premise cemetery applications through active maintenance and continuous monitoring, data encryption, and rigorous compliance standards.
“The cloud” may seem like an abstract concept. But in reality, cloud-based software has a physical presence. Cemetery data is stored in professionally managed data centers. These centers are designed to safeguard sensitive information. Facilities have multiple layers of physical security, including controlled access, continuous monitoring, extra power systems, and operational compliance standards. They also actively maintain data, providing real-time security patches to keep your records safe.
North American cemeteries simply do not have the resources or staffing to provide this level of security themselves. That’s why cloud-based software matters: it lets cemeteries access the best security measures without paying to build out the security infrastructure.
The security risks of storing cemetery data locally
Many cemeteries still rely on local servers, spreadsheets, or paper records that are vulnerable to fire, flooding, theft, or hardware failure. Storing records locally, however, opens up cemeteries to unnecessary risk. One disaster or accidental deletion could wipe out generations of community records. Cloud-based data storage, on the other hand, guarantees that your data is always backed up—even in the case of an unforeseen emergency.
Cloud platforms replicate your cemetery records across multiple geographically distributed data centers. If one data center has an outage, your records are safe in other locations. Redundancy is one measure cloud providers use to protect data. They also implement robust backup and disaster recovery mechanisms to ensure rapid data restoration in case of emergencies, reducing downtime and minimizing the risk of permanent data loss.
Cemetery software security features to look for
The best cemetery software programs offer access control and role-based user permissions, multi-factor authentication and password policies, regular data backups and redundant storage, encryption at rest and in transit, and advanced hosting and compliance measures. These features protect cemetery managers from malicious actors and preserve records in the event of an outage.
Access control and role-based permissions
Managing cemetery records often involves multiple stakeholders, including cemetery administrators, staff, families, and genealogists. Cemetery management software deployed on the cloud allows you to assign granular access permissions, ensuring that only authorized individuals can view, edit, or delete specific records.This means cemetery administrators can determine who needs access to different features.
Multi-factor authentication and password policies
Password policies and authentication standards play a critical role in security. Requiring strong passwords and enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA/2FA) helps prevent unauthorized access caused by weak credentials.
Data backups and redundancy
Data loss can be devastating for cemeteries. Secure, cloud-based systems perform automatic backups and store copies of data in multiple locations. This redundancy ensures records remain safe and accessible even during hardware failures, natural disasters, or regional outages.
Encryption at rest and in transit
Data encryption scrambles your data and records into an unreadable code to prevent outside parties from snooping on your information. Cemetery software should provide encryption in transit and at rest using proven encryption protocols to reduce the risk of data exposure.
Audit logs and activity tracking
Strong cemetery software security includes audit logs that track system activity. These logs help cemeteries monitor changes, promote accountability, and quickly investigate any unusual behavior.
Secure hosting and compliance standards (SOC 2)
Cloud hosts should be SOC 2 compliant or follow equivalent compliance standards. Software providers should also comply with any privacy and hosting regulations related to server location and redundant storage.
Cemetery-specific data protections
Cemetery software should offer built-in protections against accidental deletions of interment or plot records and validation to prevent double-selling available plots.
Cemetery software security questions to ask every provider
As you evaluate cemetery software, ask pointed questions about data security. If a prospective provider doesn’t have clear answers, that’s a red flag. Don’t know what to ask? Start here with these five questions.
Cemetery software should come with access control and role-based user permissions, multi-factor authentication and password policies, regular data backups and redundant storage, encryption at rest and in transit, and advanced hosting and compliance measures. If any of these security features aren’t included in the standard package, consider different providers.
Many security breaches can be traced back to one compromised password. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) gives your cemetery a frontline of defense against bad actors. Similarly, access controls allow you to decide which employees need access to different features, limiting your risk of individual errors affecting your entire cemetery database. In short, strong log-in protection and access controls aren’t nice-to-haves. They’re essential security measures.
Leading cemetery software providers conduct daily data backups to account for changes to your maps, records, and documents and preserve your most recent cemetery information in case of emergency. As you review providers, ask how regularly they back up your records and if you can access previous data backups.
Cloud-based software providers should be able to share results of independent security reviews during the sales process. If they can’t, that’s a red flag. Ask how often they conduct annual reviews and if they’ve reported any security breaches or violations in the past five years.
Cemeteries invest in software to protect their data and streamline their record-keeping. It’s a long-term commitment that starts with record migration, then continues with years of new data entry. Before you commit to a provider, make sure that you retain ownership of your cemetery data. You should be able to export 100% of your cemetery data in a usable format at any given time. No exceptions.
How CIMS protects cemetery records
CIMS Cemetery Software invests in layered data protections for cemeteries across North America. Our standard security protections include:
- Enforcing strict password controls and multi-factor authentication for users to combat malicious actors.
- Encrypting cemetery data in transit and at rest to keep your records secure.
- Partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide secure storage, nightly data backups, and redundant storage.
- Maintaining audit logs that track key system activity, helping cemeteries identify irregular behavior.
- Publishing regular security updates to keep CIMS customers safe.
- Conducting an annual third-party review of security measures.
If you want to learn more about CIMS’s security practices, schedule a call with a Customer Success Specialist today.