What Data Security Practices Should Businesses Employ to Secure Data Collected Through Surveys?

Data is hugely important for companies; we all know that. In 2025, approximately 8 million US businesses collect data in some way, whether it’s for marketing, product improvement, business analytics, or something else entirely. If you’re a new business owner, then it’s less a question of if you should collect data, but how you should collect data. Or, even more importantly, how you can secure it. 

One of the most popular ways businesses collect data is through surveys, which is particularly helpful from a security perspective, as this kind of data can be dealt with entirely in-house, as opposed to data obtained through third-party integrations or any other external vendors. Just last year, it was reported that over 84% of businesses use customer surveys to collect data, and nearly all of them will have followed strict security practices that ensured the data was both useful and protected against those who would look to exploit it. So, how can you do the same thing?

Using Surveys for Employee Data

Let’s start by looking at your employees. While surveys can be particularly beneficial to gather data internally from your team, there is a bit of a sticking point when it comes to workplace safety. As a business owner, you’re hopefully doing everything in your power to ensure your workplace is as safe and secure as possible, whether that’s through workers’ compensation insurance, which is mandatory in several states, or regular training programs. 

But dealing with employee data can be a bit of a different challenge, especially when the data being collected can be traced back to certain individuals. In order to protect them fully, it will be important to choose platforms that encrypt responses during transmission and storage, with limited access to the survey data itself. Insurance will continue to be key, too, as it’ll help to protect both your business and employees in case of data breaches or other security incidents. On certain platforms, your workers compensation insurance cost can be tailored depending on the business itself, meaning you don’t have to pay for more coverage than you actually need, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and choose a plan sooner rather than later.

Using Surveys for Customer Data

The same will be true for customers – that is, the importance of choosing encrypted, reliable platforms, along with coverage like E&O insurance or general liability. But as well as this, you should also be looking to limit not only data access, but the kind of data you’re asking for in the first place. One of the benefits of using surveys to collect your data is that you get to decide the exact questions being asked, helping to minimise the data you collect and avoid any unnecessary risks. It’s also possible to avoid specifics, offering anonymous links or hashed identifiers to protect customer identities while still gathering all the insights you need. 

One of the most important things to do when collecting customer data, however, is to offer full transparency. Conducting a survey in-house with your employees is one thing, but spreading the net and collecting from customers carries with it a range of other responsibilities, especially when it comes to compliance with data protection regulations in the US. It’s essential, then, that you’re as transparent as possible about what you’re asking for, why you’re asking for it, and how you’re going to use and secure it. Customers need to know that they can be honest and open, without any chance of their personal information being hacked or obtained by cybercriminals, and this comes with clear communication and the commitment itself to use reliable, trustworthy security systems.

Conclusion