A recent report by IBM states that the global average cost of a data breach in 2023 was USD 4.45 million, showing a 15% increase over 3 years.

When customer security is not taken seriously, businesses risk data breaches, identity theft, and financial losses. These incidents can severely damage a company's reputation, erode customer loyalty, and lead to regulatory penalties. Moreover, compromised customer data can be used for fraudulent activities, further tarnishing the brand's image and undermining its marketing efforts.

Thus, marketers must consider themselves equally responsible to maintain robust security and serve their customers with a secure and satisfying Digital Experience (DX).

The impact of neglecting security and compliance comes to light at some point across all industries. For instance, financial institutions that fail to protect customer financial data face potential lawsuits, regulatory fines, and reputational damage that can drive away customers. Similarly, healthcare providers that neglect patient data security risk violating privacy laws and jeopardizing patient trust, leading to a decline in patient satisfaction and overall business performance. In the retail sector, where online transactions have become commonplace, neglecting security can lead to credit card fraud, customer identity theft, and loss of sales.

Acquia DXP is a leading platform that is designed to help businesses achieve their DX goals while maintaining robust security and compliance like the European Union’s GDPR or California's CCPA. Acquia DXP has several features and tools that make it a secure and compliant platform. Let’s explore!

The Importance of Security and Compliance in DX

Security and compliance are paramount to foster a positive and trustworthy digital experience. Data breaches and non-compliance can have devastating consequences for organizations, not only in terms of financial losses but also in terms of reputational damage, customer erosion, and legal ramifications.

Given these potential consequences, organizations must prioritize the implementation of robust security measures. This includes:

• Encryption and access controls: Implement robust encryption mechanisms to protect data both in transit and at rest. Establish stringent access controls to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to sensitive information.


• Regular security audits and assessments: Conduct regular security audits and assessments to identify vulnerabilities and proactively address potential security risks before they can be exploited.


• Compliance with data protection regulations: Stay informed about and compliant with relevant data protection regulations CCPA or GDPR. This involves understanding the data protection landscape, implementing necessary measures data encryption, minimization or user authentication and regularly reviewing and updating security practices to align with changing requirements.


• Employee training and awareness: Educate employees about security best practices string passwords, multi-factor authentication, phishing awareness or remote work security. Also, raise awareness about the potential consequences of security breaches. Human error is a common factor in many breaches, and a well-informed workforce can be a critical line of defense.


• Incident response planning: Develop and regularly test an incident response plan like scenario-based drills, documentation review, incident debriefs or evaluate detection and response time. This practice helps to ensure a swift and effective response in the event of a security incident and can minimize the impact of a breach and help in the recovery process.

How Acquia DXP elevates DX with robust security and compliance?

Acquia is a dedicated, secure and compliant DXP. It is strictly compliant with all necessary regulatory requirements and provides its users what a platform that fosters digital success and curates exceptional digital experience. Here are some of it’s the top security features that make Acquia digital experience platform secure:

• Layered firewalls: Acquia DXP typically includes robust access control mechanisms to manage user permissions and access to different parts of the platform. This ensures that only authorized individuals have the necessary rights to view, edit, or manage specific aspects of the digital experience.


• Data masking: Acquia DXP provides data masking capabilities, allowing organizations to mask sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII) during development and testing environments. This prevents unauthorized exposure of sensitive data while preserving data integrity for development and testing purposes.


• Complying with Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs): Acquia cloud platform facilitates compliance with data subject access requests (DSARs) by providing tools to securely erase customer data upon request. This capability ensures that organizations comply with data privacy regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA, which grant individuals the right to have their data erased under certain circumstances.


• Compliance with standards: Acquia platform is compliant with a wide range of data privacy regulations, including GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA. The platform's built-in security and compliance features, along with its data governance capabilities, enable organizations to collect, use, and store customer data in a compliant manner.


• DDoS mitigation: Protection against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks is critical for ensuring the availability and performance of digital experience. Acquia DXP has incorporated DDoS mitigation measures to help organizations withstand and mitigate the impact of such attacks.


• Authentication and authorization: Acquia DXP typically supports various authentication methods, including Single Sign-On (SSO) and multi-factor authentication. This ensures that only authenticated and authorized users can access and interact with the digital experience platform.


• Continuous monitoring: Acquia DXP provides continuous security monitoring, constantly analyzing system activity for suspicious behavior and potential threats. In the event of a security incident, Acquia DXP's incident response capabilities enable organizations to quickly identify, investigate, and remediate security breaches, minimizing the impact and protecting sensitive data.


• Regular updates and patches: To address newly discovered vulnerabilities, Acquia DXP has typically provided regular updates and patches. Keeping the platform up to date with the latest security fixes is essential for maintaining a secure digital environment.


• Encryption: Acquia DXP encrypts data at rest and in transit, employing industry-standard encryption algorithms to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access. Data at rest, stored within Acquia DXP's infrastructure, is encrypted using AES-256, while data in transit, transmitted between users and Acquia DXP, is encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher.

Security with Acquia DXP

Here are the Acquia security products to help businesses keep their digital experience consistent and secure throughout the customer journey:

• Acquia Cloud Edge Protect

Acquia Cloud Edge Protect is a web application firewall (WAF) that helps businesses protect their websites from common web attacks, such as SQL injections, cross-site scripting (XSS), and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Acquia Cloud Edge Protect is deployed at the edge of the network, providing a first line of defense against cyberattacks.

• Acquia Cloud Edge CDN

Acquia Cloud Edge CDN helps businesses secure content distribution by preventing Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. As these attacks have become cheaper and easier to mount, the frequency of attacks has increased. By ensuring that users can access content from various locations, Acquia Cloud Edge CDN helps brands overcome latency with seamless content management and enjoy a positive customer experience despite cyberattacks.

• Acquia Cloud Shield

Acquia Cloud Shield is a dedicated cloud environment that provides an additional layer of security for sensitive data. It is isolated from the rest of the Acquia cloud, and it is subject to additional security controls, such as enhanced access controls and network segmentation. Acquia Cloud Shield is ideal for businesses that need to build internal applications faster and securely connect to private data.

• Acquia Cloud VPC Family

The Acquia Cloud VPC Family is a suite of virtual private cloud (VPC) products that provide businesses with a secure and compliant platform for deploying their digital user experience. Acquia Cloud VPCs are ideal for businesses that need to comply with strict data privacy regulations, such as GDPR or HIPAA.

Compliance with Acquia DXP

Regulatory frameworks are set up by the government to safeguard customers’ privacy and create a secure experience and is mandatory for organizations to mitigate cyber risks on a global level. Acquia platform is committed to helping businesses comply with data privacy regulations, such as HIIPA, CCPA, GDPR and much more.

Here’s a consolidated list of regulatory frameworks and policies that Acquia is compliant with:

What are the Benefits of using Acquia DXP for Secure and Complaint DX?

Using Acquia DXP for secure and compliant user experience enables brands to channelize their efforts to curate better experiences, focus on innovation and building a favorable reputation. Here are some key advantages of secure digital experiences:

• Improved customer trust and loyalty: Acquia DXP's robust security features, including access controls, encryption, and compliance management, contribute to creating a secure digital environment. By safeguarding sensitive data and adhering to data privacy regulations, organizations demonstrate their commitment to protect customer information, building trust and fostering long-lasting customer relationships.
• Reduced risk of data breaches and financial penalties: Acquia DXP's robust security features, including access controls, encryption, and compliance management, contribute to creating a secure digital environment compliant with the security norms.
• Increased agility and innovation in digital initiatives: Acquia DXP has an array of features that enable businesses to craft superior CX. With secure technology like Acquia, businesses can be agile to cater to the ever-evolving customer needs. Real-time personalization, data-driven marketing, and omnichannel customer interaction are some of the top KPIs that brands can reach with the help of a secure DXP.

Acquia is designed to provide a scalable and flexible platform for customer experience. The security features are integrated in a way that doesn't hinder agility and innovation. Organizations can confidently pursue digital initiatives, knowing that security measures are in place to protect against potential risks. This balance between security and agility is crucial for staying competitive and responsive to market demands.

• Enhanced brand reputation and customer satisfaction: A secure and compliant digital experience, powered by Acquia DXP, contributes to an organization's positive brand image. Customers are more likely to engage with a brand that prioritizes their privacy and security. A Salesforce report states that 84% of customers say that data security is important to them when choosing a company to do business with. Therefore, enhanced brand reputation, coupled with positive customer experience, can lead to increased customer satisfaction and advocacy.
• Enhanced security with Acquia DXP partner: Partnering with Acquia DXP expert provides organizations with access to specialized knowledge and skills in implementing and optimizing the platform for enhanced security. These experts can offer tailored advice, conduct security assessments, and assist in configuring Acquia DXP to meet specific security requirements. This collaboration ensures that the platform is utilized to its full potential, maximizing security features and minimizing potential vulnerabilities.

Watch the webinar to understand why migrating your website to Acquia Cloud can yield more scalability and security.

What next?

After understanding how security is not just a part of IT hygiene but a responsibility of every department, being secure and compliant becomes paramount to digital success. Marketers are working hard to curate smooth and engaging digital journeys with the help of a scalable and flexible DXP like Acquia for customers must also ensure prioritizing security and compliance as a part of this journey.

To analyze the road ahead you must understand your current digital ecosystem, the need for implementing a digital experience platform like Acquia and how its potential to deliver a secure and robust platform can help your business in growth and being agile. Further, to make this implementation process seamless consider seeking help from Acquia and Drupal DXP experts.