On today’s episode, Kunle is joined by Mike Potter, Co-Founder and CEO of REWIND, an Ottawa based software company founded in 2015 that provides easy and convenient backup solutions for businesses using SaaS platforms. Rewind is a spotify-plus certified app and helps secure over 20,000 businesses across 3 platforms.

2020 has already been a year where eCommerce has grown rapidly in our post-covid world. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner, and it’s anyone’s guess as to how big they will be this year. At a time like this, eCommerce and DTC businesses are undoubtedly focused on being ready for what looks like a bumper sale. But what if the functionality or security of your store is compromised at the eleventh hour? Having a malfunctioning store could have huge ramifications this year more than ever.

In today’s episode, Kunle and Mike bust some myths and lay out some security best practices that every online store owner should follow. You will get answers to questions like why SaaS services don’t provide account-level backups? How should you vet app companies and developers? You will also get a store security checklist which you can implement for the upcoming sales and beyond. Whatever the size of your online business, you don’t want to miss this one!

Here is a summary of some of the most important points made,

• Saas platforms don’t back up account-level data
• If you can remember your password, it’s not strong enough!
• Grant access to your store on a need-only basis
• Be diligent about the apps you install and the permissions they require
• You can restore your store to any point point in the last 365 days using Rewind
• Human error in website management is inevitable
• Building your own app vs licensing established ones is rarely viable

Covered Topics:

On today’s interview Kunle and Mike discuss,

• Difference between CSV exports and Rewind backups
• REWIND’s functionality
• Store security checklist
• App auditing guidelines
• Best practices for Black Friday

Timestamp:

• 02:10 – Is your store truly secure?
• 08:00 – A bit about Mike and REWIND
  • Currently backing up Shopify, BigCommerce, Quickbooks
  • Protecting over 10,000 businesses on Shopify
  • Early experience in eCommerce led to building REWIND
• 11:40 – Why don’t SaaS platforms have automatic backups?
  • Shopify backs up Data of their system as a whole
  • Their back-up is not account level
• 13:32 – What scenarios can REWIND protect you against?
  • Human error
  • Integration bugs
  • Malicious intent
• 16:50 – The modern day online store security checklist
  • Grant access on a need-only basis
  • Use a password manager
  • Use 2-factor authentication to login
  • Due-diligence on permissions required on installed apps (pro tip: try calling their contact number)
  • Check reviews of apps you install
• 23:30 – App security audit
  • Building your own app is not a good option
  • Ask questions to the app developers
  • “The lowest price doesn’t always equal the best quality”
  • Stick to apps with good reputations
• 28:40 – Security advice for Black Friday & Cyber Monday
  • Limit last-minute changes to your store
  • Avoid installing new apps
  • Have a staging environment for testing
• 33:10 – How to apps become Shopify-plus certified
  • Quality of customer support
  • How well does an app scale
  • Security protocols
• 35:05 – Rewind’s team and resources
  • Team of 40 (growing to 60 soon)
  • 8 pods of servers globally
• 37:45 – How far back can one Rewind their store to? 365 days!
• 39:00 – Actual stories of security lapses
• 44:00 – Final recommendations:
  • Password manager
  • 2FA
  • Vet your apps closely
  • Limit access
  • Backup your data!

Takeaways:

• A CSV export is not a backup of your store
• Verifying permissions and reputation of your apps is critical
• Having a staging environment let’s you test your changes effectively

Links & Resources

• 1Password
• REWIND’s Security protocols
• REWIND Copy

Tweetable Quotes:

“If you can remember your shopify store password, it is not a secure password.”

———–

SPONSORS:

This episode is brought to you by: