Picture a tower crane reaching high above the burgeoning skeleton of a new building. As the operator is communicating with spotters on the ground and the heavy load is being reached for by ironworkers, you can get an impression of the different dimensions of the construction business. It is fast-paced and there are a lot of moveable parts in play. With so many logistical elements and so many people to communicate with, the right construction software can help to make any project run more efficiently and effectively. The right security features of construction software are important to avoiding security risks such as data loss, theft, fraud and compliance issues.
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What Is Construction Software?
Construction software is a means by which all aspects of a construction project can be processed in a central digital location. It assists businesses to automate important operations of the project and merges numerous applications that show critical data regarding every aspect of the project, through all the stages of the life of the project. The tower crane’s operating system, for instance, could be communicating with other software to ensure safety and efficiency, tracking the weight of loads and the wear on the wires, among other things.
What Are the Risks of Using Construction Software?
Though software can be a powerful tool, there are risks to using it. Because it is online, it is subject to malware and other cyber threats. Information about the project, the business or the client can be stolen, manipulated or destroyed. Consider, for instance, an episode in which an employee unwittingly gives a scammer permission to access private data, or malware that steals information days or weeks before anybody realises that it’s been stolen.
Denial of Service (DoS) attacks can strike the software or servers, and any kind of attack can not only damage the reputation of the business, but it can bring things to a halt. If a data breach culminates in losing access to client information, a compliance inspection could be on the horizon.
What Are the Security Features of Construction Software?
There are different dimensions to the security features of construction software. To protect client privacy, non-essential personnel identifiable information is purged from the software so that it cannot be accessed later on by another party.
Measures are taken to protect against network interruptions, malware intrusions, theft of data or the alteration of the software itself. Two-factor identification, web application firewalls and intrusion detection aim to protect against cyber-attack.
When it comes to keeping tabs on confidentiality, measures are taken to limit who accesses particular information. A client’s RFB response, for example, is only able to be viewed by members of the company that are working on the project, rather than everybody in the company. Internal firewalls, encryption and proper authentication techniques are also employed to thwart security breaches.
When you’re talking about processing integrity, you’re talking about how data arrives at the right place at the right time. If the software doesn’t have software integrity, any number of incidents could occur that could affect business. If a software update is missed, data that is not current could end up being viewed by parties and add confusion and interruption to the process.
In Conclusion
Security is an important detail in any business, and especially in the construction business. With potentially multiple projects ongoing, with different clients and lots of sensitive information floating around, construction software needs to be armed with the security features that will prevent cyber-attack or any type of questionable activity that could affect the system. When this can be counted on, construction businesses can focus on their projects.
