If you work in digital marketing, it’s almost guaranteed that you have access to the digital channels and ad tech platforms of companies that you stopped working for ages ago.
Have you ever wondered how this happens? It would seem that we have been living with the legacy access problem for so long that we have become absolutely brilliant at ignoring it.
Most brands wrongly believe that their internal processes and systems would deal with this external ecosystem. The best thing to do is leave them in their blissful ignorance because when they discover what a hacker or a bad actor could access or sabotage, all of the colour drains from their face and it messes up their whole day.
The reputation damage from espionage, sabotage or GDPR violations could cost them an eye-watering amount of money, but the best policy is to bury our heads in the sand and pretend it’s not a problem.
Imagine the time and effort involved in accessing every individual platform and cleaning it up. It’s a never-ending challenge, like Hercules fighting the mythical hydra – if you chop one head off, it grows two more. You could argue that onboarding and off-boarding are part of our professional responsibility, but everyone is making a mess of it, so why should you care?
The security services company G4S reported that marketing information is one of the main focuses for spies, but what do they know eh?
It’s probably best not to think about it. 1.4 billion social media accounts are hacked monthly, and the year-on-year increase in highjacking is 1,000%, but if it hasn’t happened to you in the past, perhaps you can feel secure that it won’t happen in the future?
A common example of hacking through social is targeting an individual, finding a business account they have access to, deleting all of the other admin users for that business and then diverting the entire monthly ad spend. The business won’t see it happen until the money has left their bank account.
Imagine having to explain that to a client or a boss…. Awkward!
It’s not just hackers that pose a threat. Incredibly, a recent survey of 1,000 staff and 178 managers in the tech industry found that 85% of recently laid-off workers have attempted to sabotage their previous employer. 85%! But I’m sure this won’t apply to you as all your people are lovely humans who don’t do silly things when angry.
For the more forward-looking digital teams, these vulnerabilities provide an opportunity to set a new digital security standard.
HYDRA is a new SaaS platform that addresses the problem:
Imagine managing access to the main social and ad tech platforms quickly and easily in one window.
You could onboard users quickly and manage the whole ecosystem with complete visibility.
Most businesses have had the horrible experience of being locked out of their ad accounts. You could be the hero who can eliminate legacy access problems and ensure businesses never lose access to their digital platforms again.
HiHydra.com will partner with BIMA this year to help digital professionals clean up their digital ecosystems before the unthinkable happens. You will receive 25% off your monthly subscription as a BIMA Member.
If this article echos your experience, we would love to hear your personal stories of onboarding difficulties, security mishaps and legacy access issues.