#8. Who has access to my data? How secure is my data at your site?

Be sure to ask what the security policy is for your payroll data. There are many types of security you need to know about.

1. Physical security – Know how the facility is secured; what types of alarm systems are used; what happens if a disaster occurs – find out if they can get your payroll out even if the facility is damaged or destroyed; find out how the service handles your data once it’s inside the building.
2. Data security – Find out what type of systems are used and what security procedures are in place to safe-guard against hackers; find out if they perform backups offsite and how frequently; if data is stored off-site, how it is transported.
3. System security – Find out who has access to your data and what procedures are in place to prevent fraud or theft of your employee’s social security numbers or other payroll data.

How does Payroll Masters™ compare to others on this question?

1. Physical security – At Payroll Masters™ only five people have keys to the facility. There is an active alarm system that notifies police and Payroll Masters™ officers when there is a facility alarm for any reason.
2. Data security – We have off-site backups of our system data in a secure facility and is transported to that facility by bonded employees or contractors to guarantee security. We have availability of computer systems hardware off-site so that we can process payroll within 4 hours of a disaster causing total loss of our facility.
3. System security – Our systems run on SCO UNIX, which is the most secure operating system on the market. All data transferred over networks is protected by SSL 128-bit encryption to assure your employees financial data is kept out of the hands of hackers.