Data Systems that are Built for Convenience and Security

By Adam Cabrera. 

In a world where data breaches are becoming more common, the roofing industry is not immune. 

What do things like access security and data governance have to do with nailing shingles? In a recent Roofing Road Trips episode, host Heidi J. Ellsworth brought on Dan Mihai and Dennis Keglovits from Jobba, a company specializing in software solutions for the industry, to explain how data is used, or sometimes misused, in roofing. 

Data security is more than just locking things up. Dan explained the delicate balance between convenience and security: "There is a continuum that goes through from 100% security but not being able to accomplish anything on one end of the spectrum and then being completely open and doing great things but being completely exposed at the other end of the spectrum." 

But this isn't just a game of keeping the bad guys out, access security is about ensuring that the right people have correct access. Dan explained Jobba's role-based access security, which enables users to control who can access different data elements based on permissions.  

“Most people shouldn't even know about what things are happening in the other parts of the roofing organization. If you're in the back office, you may not care that much about inspections and going up on a roof, taking pictures, stuff like that. But it's really up to the administrator of the roofing company to decide who gets access to what and to what extent.” Dan said. 

Data governance is about maintaining data integrity. Dennis emphasized the importance of having a triple validation layer that ensures data consistency. "Your data's not literally floating around up in air. There is a physical location somewhere with that data stored... We have it in a location, backups and recovery, and procedures are in place,” he said. 

Privacy is also a concern, especially with laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act. "Sometimes it's not just about security. It's about privacy," Dennis said. "If you think about your house, I'm not worried about somebody stealing something. You typically have locks on doors for privacy purposes." 

In an industry that's all about shelter, proper data security should be a priority. Whether you’re already familiar with the subject or are just learning of it, educating yourself about data security is a necessity for doing business in the digital age.  

Listen to the full Roofing Road Trips podcast to learn more about data security and what you can do to prevent data breaches in the future.