An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is often the spine of any business. It helps control many operations, manage business and customer data, and ensure the smooth functioning of the entire business. A business’s reliance on the system makes it vital to protect it from cyberattacks.
According to Cisco, 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses, which may not always have the best systems, technologies, and protocols in place to deter these attacks.
This is precisely why businesses must protect their ERP systems in every possible way to keep these attackers at bay.
This blog discusses five actionable ERP cybersecurity best practices for 2025 that ERP users can implement to protect their data and business.
Also Read: The Future of ERP: How Artificial Intelligence Is Redefining Business Processes
Why Is ERP Cybersecurity Important for Businesses?
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems store and manage a business’s most critical data. These data sets include finance, HR, operations, customer info, supply chain details, and more.
Here are a few crucial reasons why ensuring the security of ERP systems is essential for businesses:
- Protect sensitive data: ERP systems store critical business, employee, and customer information.
- Ensure operational continuity: Cyberattacks can halt core business functions managed by ERP.
- Meet regulatory compliance: Secure data to meet industry-specific legal and compliance standards.
- Prevent financial loss: Avoid costs from data breaches, downtime, and ransomware attacks.
- Safeguard reputation: Help build trust by keeping customer and partner data secure.
- Secure expanding IT infrastructure: Protect cloud-based and integrated ERP systems from evolving threats.
Adopting these best practices helps build a robust ERP security framework that protects against evolving cyber threats and ensures stakeholder trust.
It is also important to revisit and update these practices regularly as technology and cyber risks evolve.
The Five Top ERP Cybersecurity Best Practices for 2025
Protecting ERP systems from cyber threats is crucial for a business’s smooth and secure functioning. It is also a matter of trust among customers and brand value.
Here are the five best practices and data security tips for ERP users to ensure the security of their ERP systems.
1. Implement Strong Access Controls
One of the best ways to protect ERP systems from cyberattacks is to have strong ERP user access and security protocols.
This can be achieved in several ways:
- Role-based access control: This method allows regulated access to data based on user roles.
- Multi-factor authentication: Users must provide two types of verification to access the data.
- Rule-based access control: Limit access to IT infrastructure and ERP by adding rules on who and when can access them.
One thing to keep in mind while setting up these ERP user access and security protocols and restrictions for protecting ERP systems from cyber threats is to enforce the idea of least privilege.
2. Regularly Update and Patch ERP Software
Most of the time, cyberattackers exploit the security vulnerabilities of outdated software solutions and ERP systems. According to Sophos, 32% of all cyberattacks start with exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities.
This makes it vital to update ERP systems with the latest updates and patches released by the service provider. It will ensure the tool is equipped with the latest technologies and safeguards to prevent cyberattacks.
It is also possible to automate patch management with reliable tools, such as ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus, Vicarius, NinjaOne, etc.
Be sure to test the patches in a controlled environment to reduce disruptions before full deployment.
3. Conduct Regular Security Audits and Penetration Testing
Cybercriminals often target businesses with security vulnerabilities. Hence, it is vital to understand these risks and address them.
Two of the best ways to do this are:
- Security audits: Conduct regular audits of the ERP and other IT systems to identify areas that attackers may exploit.
- Penetration testing: Penetration tests trigger controlled cyberattacks to understand hidden weaknesses and areas of concern that may be used to target the business.
Both of these methods are highly effective in uncovering what may not be visible otherwise.
When auditing and running pen tests, ensure to work with expert netsuite ERP consultants with experience in ERP cybersecurity for the best results.
Also Read: Common ERP Challenges in 2025 and How to Overcome Them
4. Integrate AI Into Cybersecurity Efforts
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has started playing a huge role in ensuring the security of ERP data and operations.
In a report published by Bugcrowd in 2024, 74% of ethical hackers say that AI makes cyberattacks easier. There are several benefits of using AI for cyberattacks, such as lower cost, faster attacks, automation, and more.
Implementing AI to counter these attacks targeting ERP systems and data, as a cybersecurity team can:
—Analyze historical and current data
—Automate security tasks
—Identify security vulnerabilities
This will help improve cybersecurity efforts and understand vulnerabilities before they even happen.
5. Proper Employee Training
Research conducted by Stanford University and a top cybersecurity agency found that 88% of all cyberattacks are caused by an employee mistake.
While this may paint a very gloomy picture for most businesses, it also has a silver lining—empowering employees can help prevent most cyberattacks.
Proper employee training in ERP user access and security protocols has become essential in a world where remote work is quickly becoming the norm.
There are several ways to train employees:
- Regular training should be conducted to raise awareness about security issues like phishing and social engineering.
- Emphasize strong password practices and the handling of sensitive information.
- Offer role-based training, especially for workers who regularly use and access the ERP system
Training employees in cybersecurity is also the most effective and cost-effective way to protect ERP systems from attacks.
Also Read: Top 4 Process Improvements with NetSuite AP Automation
Implement The ERP Cybersecurity Best Practices with the Help of an Expert
Implementing and monitoring these data security tips for ERP users in a business can protect the ERP system from being exploited by attackers. It will also help safeguard the business and customer data. However, it is best practice to work with an experienced and established ERP system implementation agency like Big Bang.
Big Bang has been helping small, medium, and large businesses with implementing, maintaining, and optimizing ERP systems for many years. Its team has extensive experience in setting up these best practices to protect their ERP systems with the proper practices and protocols to keep their data safe and secure.
To know more about data security tips for ERP users in 2025 and learn how Big Bang can help, book a free consultation call with their experts.
