The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the Salesforce platform is reshaping how businesses operate, offering new opportunities for automation, efficiency, and personalized customer experiences. At the heart of this transformation is Salesforce Agentforce, an AI-powered platform that enables agents to reason, plan, and execute complex tasks autonomously. These agents go beyond traditional chatbots to function as virtual employees, revolutionizing the way businesses engage with customers and streamline internal operations. 

In this blog, we’ll explore how AI-powered agents are transforming Salesforce processes, dive into the practicalities of implementation, and provide insights on how tools like Elements.cloud accelerate the development of agents that are accurate and consistent. 

What sets AI Agents apart? 

AI agents distinguish themselves from conventional chatbots by combining conversational capabilities with the ability to execute complex workflows. While chatbots often frustrate users with their reliance on static decision trees, agent reasoning can take instructions, leverage real-time data, and deliver data-driven actions directly addressing the user’s query. Furthermore, agents provide accurate outcomes and increase customer service efficiency. 

Consider the scenario of a customer service agent handling customer queries about product orders. An AI agent can retrieve order details, process refunds, reschedule deliveries, and escalate issues to human employees when necessary. This blend of 

automation and human intervention, when needed, ensures that tasks are completed effectively while maintaining a positive customer experience. 

For businesses, the benefits extend beyond efficiency. AI agents serve as brand ambassadors, creating consistent and professional customer interactions that enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty while aligning with broader business goals and delivering valuable insight. This allows organizations to optimize operations and refine growth strategies.

Understanding Agentforce 

Salesforce Agentforce is a comprehensive platform for building and deploying AI agents. It integrates deeply with Salesforce’s existing tools and infrastructure, including Data Cloud, enabling seamless access to organizational data. This foundation allows AI agents to operate across sales, service, and internal operations and support various business functions. 

The platform is built around the concept of metadata reuse. Each agent is structured as a collection of topics, with each topic representing a job to be done (JTBD). By focusing on clearly defined topics, organizations can start small and expand their agents’ core capabilities over time. This iterative approach reduces implementation risks while delivering measurable value at every stage. 

Building an AI Agent with Agentforce 

Creating an AI agent requires a systematic, step-by-step approach. The process begins with identifying a clear use case—such as automating routine customer service inquiries or streamlining an internal HR process—and designing a process that addresses this need. 

To ensure success, it’s critical to document processes thoroughly. Universal Process Notation (UPN), a streamlined process-mapping methodology, is a valuable tool for this stage. UPN diagrams provide a clear, hierarchical view of workflows, making it easy to identify bottlenecks and automatically generate the instructions for the agent to succeed, and the user utterances for testing. 

Once the design phase is complete, Agentforce’s low-code tools, such as Agent Builder and Prompt Builder, enable quick development and deployment of the agent. By leveraging existing metadata—such as Flows, Apex, and Prompt 

Templates—organizations can accelerate implementation and ensure consistency across their Salesforce environment. 

Here’s an example.  

• From idea to live in production in under a week. 

• Agent is working reliably. 

• Version controlled. 

• It's an internal agent so it isn't $2/conversation, but covered by Einstein add-on license.

• Built by Elliot Parker who's been at Elements.cloud 3 months, straight out of college with a degree in "International Business".

This 26-step 5-action Agent has it all: Record retrieval. Validation. Unstructured text analysis. Role playing. Coaching. Results scoring. Record creation.  

How we built it is in this 4min video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2uTGom5lZE&feature=youtu.be 

Why metadata matters 

Metadata is the backbone of any Salesforce implementation, defining how objects, fields, and processes interconnect. For AI agents, metadata serves as the blueprint that dictates what actions an agent can perform, how it interacts with other systems, and how it delivers value to the business. 

Clean, well-documented metadata is critical for successful agent implementation. Poorly managed data or undocumented changes can lead to inefficiencies, errors, and system failures. Tools like Elements.cloud help organizations maintain metadata quality by providing a centralized platform for documentation, dependency mapping, and impact analysis. 

Accelerating Agentforce with Elements.cloud 

Elements.cloud is the only tool that supports the entire Agentforce lifecycle, ensuring they are well-documented and scalable. 

By offering features like process mapping with control, and metadata dependency tracking we enable teams to manage changes confidently. For example, UPN diagrams created within Elements during the design phase are the design for agent workflows, by automatically generating the agent instructions and test scenarios. Additionally, we allow organizations to assess the impact of proposed metadata changes, ensuring that modifications align with business goals and set a standard for business efficiency without disrupting existing functionality. 

Use cases and business impact

AI-powered agents offer immense potential across a wide range of domains. Autonomous agents have advanced reasoning abilities, which help them understand the customer’s query and provide accurate outcomes. In customer service, they can automate routine inquiries, providing quicker responses and freeing human agents to focus on complex issues. Internally, AI agents can streamline HR tasks such as employee onboarding or leave management. In sales, they can provide real-time insights, helping representatives tailor their pitches to individual prospects. 

The modular nature of Salesforce Agentforce ensures scalability. Organizations can start with narrowly defined tasks and expand their agents’ capabilities over time to provide always-on support. This iterative approach reduces risk and ensures that the solution evolves alongside business needs. 

Getting started with AI Agents 

Implementing AI agents may seem daunting, but a structured approach can make the process straightforward and effective. Below is a detailed guide to help you get started: 

Assessing readiness 

Before diving into implementation, evaluate your organization’s readiness. This includes ensuring that you have: 

• Well-documented business processes that clearly define the workflows the agent will support. 

• High-quality, clean data. Poor data can undermine agent performance, leading to inaccuracies and end user dissatisfaction. 

• Robust metadata management practices. Understanding how metadata elements are structured is essential for designing effective agents. 

Selecting a use case 

Choose a simple, high-impact use case for your first AI agent. This could be a routine customer service task, such as handling customer inquiries about order statuses, or an internal process like employee leave management. Starting small allows you to test the waters, learn from the experience, and refine your approach before scaling up. 

Designing the agent 

The design phase is crucial for minimizing risks and ensuring success. Use UPN to map out workflows and define the agent’s actions. UPN diagrams provide a clear visual representation of the process, making it easier to understand how to build and test the agent.

Elements AI can accelerate the design phase. It can: 

• Map the UPN process diagram from org metadata, a sketch, diagram, or document 

• Validate the UPN process diagram and suggest improvements 

• Write the agent instructions and guardrails 

• Create user stories for actions 

• Identify existing metadata to support actions or suggest new metadata

• Take a snapshot to build the change log 

• Create test utterances for the potential paths through the process 

Building and deploying 

With the design in place, Salesforce’s low-code builder tools can be used to create and deploy the agent. Based on the output from the design phase this is quick and easy. Start with a single topic and focus on delivering measurable outcomes. By linking the agent to existing metadata, such as Flows or Prompt Templates, you can accelerate development while maintaining consistency. 

The process diagrams assist troubleshooting during testing, and changes can be quickly made to the diagram and then reimplemented in the agent. This accelerates deployment and improves agent accuracy. 

Monitoring and iterating 

Once the agent is live, monitor its performance closely. Analyze interaction data to identify areas for improvement and refine the agent’s capabilities. Use user and customer feedback to guide future enhancements that are implemented in the diagram. 

As you gain confidence in your AI agent’s performance, begin scaling its capabilities. Introduce new topics to address additional tasks or extend the agent’s reach to other areas of the business. By building on a solid foundation, you can ensure that your AI agents continue to deliver value as your organization’s needs evolve. 

Download the ebook 

• Understand What AI Agents Can Do: Explore how AI Agents enhance workflows, handle complex tasks, and deliver better user experiences. 

• Learn How to Build Effective AI Agents: Follow a step-by-step guide to designing, deploying, and scaling agents that align with your business needs. ● Implement with Confidence and Control: Adopt proven strategies for process design, data governance, and iterative development to ensure success at scale.

Download ebook  

https://elements.cloud/whitepapers-ebooks/ultimate-guide-to-creating agents/ 

In summary 

AI agents in Salesforce are more than a technological innovation—they are a strategic advantage. By combining the power of Agentforce with tools like Elements.cloud, organizations can accelerate the deployment of agents. These will streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and unlock new opportunities for growth. 

The path to successful AI agent implementation begins with thoughtful planning, robust documentation, and a willingness to iterate and improve. With the right approach, your organization can embrace the future of intelligent automation and achieve transformative results. 

The future is here, and AI powers it. Start building more innovative processes and creating transformative experiences with Agentforce and Elements.cloud today.

Author: Ian Gotts

Speakers

Have you checked out this year’s speaker lineup?! The Agenda is packed with lots of great workshops and sessions. Bring your laptops! Thursday is an afternoon of workshops, hands-on training sessions. Friday, we’re starting the day with Agentforce for Developers!

Talks were selected based on their educational value to attendees. Sponsored talks include product details along with take-aways or learning. Talks often show off an org, or working through code in an IDE. Speakers love to show how and why they designed and built their solutions. 

Live Stream

Friday sessions will be recorded and available for free access after the event. Thursday workshops are exclusively for in-person attendees and will not be recorded.

For sessions in Building 1, simple setup is required to stream session. Speakers will need to join the SteamYard Live Stream for their session. Cactus Crew members will be on hand and volunteer Room Monitors will assist with:

Have you heard of Agentforce?

Thanks to the wonderful employees who are bringing us three (3) 90-minute hands-on workshops!

Already registered?

Make sure you download or sign into Whova to interact with fellow attendees, sponsors, and speakers. Interact with speakers using the Chat feature or respond to session polls. Join discussions on the community board.
 

Schedule

1. Registration opens at 11:00 AM on and 8:00 AM on Friday

2. Welcome Celebration is from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM Thursday in Building 3, Synergy II

3. Closing Reception is from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM

4. Agentforce workshops are 90 minutes. Sessions are 50 minutes. You’ll have 10 minutes between sessions for session setup. 

5. 602 Lightning Talk session slots are at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM

6. Demo Jam will be held during lunch from 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM

Learn about new AppExchange apps

We love to show-off our sponsors lots of love! This event is not possible without their generous support. Make sure to stop by and learn about their products.

Dedicated Expo time will be in Building 3 - Synergy II during registration from 11 AM - 12:30 PM on Thursday. Friday, during breakfast, at lunch, and during the closing Reception. The virtual expo will be available throughout the day so remote attendees can peruse the virtual booths.

Trailblazer Community

We were a community long before we were a conference. Cactusforce is a community-led conference for Salesforce developers, architects, and admins. Our primary audience is experienced Salesforce professionals who have worked designing, developing, coding, configuring, and performing similar roles for several years. Most attendees are advanced in their respective areas and looking to engage with peers.

Architect Dreamin’

We pulled a seat up to the table for our friends, ’ for their U.S. inaugural event. Check out their speakers, agenda and CTA-count!

Thank you for helping us continue our tradition: awesome content and an awesome tee! Spread the word and tell your friends about Cactusforce. Help us bring some of our desert southwest sunshine to the world. 

Follow us and share on LinkedIn!

#Cactusforce25

Introduction

Keeping the custom Salesforce application stable and functional is critical to any organization as they heavily rely on it for crucial business operations. And rigorous testing is the only way to ensure that the application is working as expected.

In this blog, we will discuss how to create Salesforce test cases using Testsigma to automate Salesforce testing, ensuring the application is functional and bug-free.

Testsigma - 10x Faster Codeless Test Automation Built For

Salesforce Testsigma is a no-code GenAI-powered test automation platform that allows testers to automate Salesforce testing without writing any code. So, how do you create tests without code scripts?

With Testsigma, you can create Salesforce test cases using plain English statements using Debug & Record or the NLP engine. Yes, it is as simple as that. All you have to do is connect your Salesforce instance with Testsigma.

Testsigma is a unified testing platform that supports web, mobile, desktop, API, and Salesforce testing in the same platform. You can automate the end-to-end of any application type using codeless testing powered by GenAI for faster and more efficient testing.

The next obvious question is, 'How do we create automated Salesforce test cases with Testsigma?'

How To Create Salesforce Tests Using Testsigma

You can quickly create reliable Salesforce test cases using Smart NLPs or Debug & Record. A quick overview of how to automate Salesforce tests using Testsigma,

Step 1: Create a free Testsigma account to access the cloud platform here: https://testsigma.com/signup

Step 2: Create a new project by navigating to Project -> New Project on the platform.

Step 3: Enter the project details and select Salesforce from the application type.

Step 4: You will now be directed to the Salesforce connections page, where you can securely connect Testsigma with your Salesforce instance using Salesforce Metadata and APIs.

Note: You can edit or refresh your Metadata connection later. Also, you can add users by using the User Connection prompt.

Step 5: Once the sync is complete, you can start creating test cases using Create Test Case. You can use the NLPs or Debug & Record to create test cases.

How to create Salesforce test cases with Testsigma

Step 6: Once test cases are created, execute them using the Run button.

Automated Salesforce testing with Testsigma

Note: You can easily manage Salesforce element repositories before or after test case creation.

What Makes Testsigma The Best Platform For Salesforce Testing?

Be agile and automate your entire testing lifecycle from development to production. With Testsigma, you can scale and enhance your Salesforce testing. How? Let's break down the key features,

No-code test creation: Create reliable Salesforce test cases using plain English statements.

Zero setup: Connect Testsigma with your Salesforce instance with just a few clicks using Salesforce Metadata and APIs.

Special NLPs: Testsigma supports special NLPs that are specific to Salesforce applications that help reduce test authoring time by 50%. These NLPs were precisely developed to address the challenges in Salesforce testing by leveraging Salesforce's synced Metadata.

Salesforce test automation

Error Handling: With Metadata refresh, the platform identifies the potential causes of the test failures due to Salesforce organization structure updates

Test across environments: Test across different Salesforce Developer Sandbox - Developer Pro, Partial Copy, and Full Sandbox

10x faster: Create and run automated tests 10x faster on the cloud infrastructure.

AI-driven maintenance: Auto-healing automatically adapts to any element changes whenever the application undergoes updates.

Parallel testing: Run multiple tests on various test environments for faster releases and shorter test cycles.

Real device cloud: Automate your tests across 3000+ real device/browser/OS combinations on the cloud.

Key Takeaways

Leverage Testsigma to:

1. Enhance and scale your Salesforce testing process from development to production.

2. Make Salesforce testing accessible to testers, developers, Salesforce platform managers, stakeholders, and everyone involved in the project using codeless automation.

3. Save time, effort, resources, and costs involved in testing.

Salesforce is a global leader in CRM due to its extensive features, functionality, integrations, and reliability. Ever wonder what would happen to your sales, marketing operations, or customer lifecycle if your Salesforce application crashes? No business wants that nightmare.

So, how do you ensure your Salesforce application is intact without having to worry if it crashes? By robust testing. How do you perform testing efficiently? Using the right Salesforce testing tools. Let's discuss.

Testsigma - A codeless test automation platform built for Salesforce

Testsigma is a robust no-code GenAI-powered test automation platform that allows testers to automate Salesforce applications on the cloud without writing any code scripts.

Test automation for Salesforce has always been a daunting task for Salesforce testers due to the complex nature of the Salesforce ecosystem, such as shadow DOM, dynamic elements, frequent updates, etc.

Testsigma simplifies Salesforce test automation with codeless and GenAI-powered testing. QA testers can easily create, run, and maintain automated Salesforce tests using plain English statements with the help of Testsigma Recorder or NLP engine. Let's break down why Testsigma can be the right choice for automating your Salesforce testing.

Why Testsigma Can Be A Perfect Tool For Automated Salesforce Testing

Using Testsigma, you can efficiently validate your Salesforce customizations,

integrations, and configurations. It provides a simple and intuitive user interface to test Salesforce apps. Let's discuss its key features in detail.

Codeless Salesforce test automation

• Firstly, testers do not have to code. This would save a lot of time, effort, and cost.

• Use no/low-code techniques to create Salesforce test cases

• Salesforce testing is made inclusive by making it accessible for everyone, including technical and non-technical people such as testers, developers, Salesforce platform managers, stakeholders, and everyone else involved in the project.

Salesforce Test Automation Using Testsigma

AI-Driven test maintenance

• Auto-heals all standard and LWC elements to prevent false test failures.

• Automatically adapts to element changes whenever the Salesforce undergoes updates

• Handles changes by identifying Salesforce components using reliable locators 10x Faster Testing

• Makes your overall test automation process 10x faster in terms of test creation and execution.

• Effortlessly run Salesforce regression tests in a single click by rerunning the regression test suites.

• Create, run, and manage test cases on the cloud without spending time on setup or infrastructure.

• Supports parallel testing for faster test execution, thereby speeding up release cycles.

• Test continuously by integrating your automated Salesforce tests into your existing CI/CD and DevOps pipeline.

Get Significant Test Coverage

• Use Testsigma Copilot, a GenAI assistant for Quality Engineering teams that generates automated test cases and test scenario suggestions based on user prompts.

• Test your Salesforce apps on 3000+ real devices/browsers/platform combinations on the cloud.

• Test using real data using automated data-driven testing by using multiple real-time auto-generated data.

• Test across multiple Salesforce Developer Sandbox - Developer Pro, Partial Copy, and Full Sandbox.

Key Takeaways

A balance of human and automated testing is required to ensure your Salesforce application is stable and error-free. That said, for automated testing - choosing the right test automation tool is essential. By automating the right tests (repetitive and time-consuming ones), testers can then focus on more critical tasks that need manual intervention.

Salesforce, which is known for its complexity and frequent updates, makes Salesforce testing a crucial yet daunting task for Salesforce testers when done manually. However, automation can make the work easier, more efficient, and faster. Here, we will discuss how Testsigma, a no-code test automation tool, is revolutionizing Salesforce automated testing.

The Evolution of Salesforce Testing

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the product, let's discuss how Salesforce testing has evolved these days and the need for automation,

Shift to automation

Test automation is crucial to any testing strategy. What makes organizations shift towards automation? Let’s see:

• Complexity of Salesforce use

• Increase in customizations

• Seasonal updates every year (Three major releases - Spring, Summer, and Winter)

• Complex DOM structure

• To maximize test coverage

• Too many test cases and scenarios

Embracing Salesforce testing tools allows organizations to test their Salesforce customizations and integrations with increased test efficiency and speed.

Automation also eliminates the risk of manual errors and helps ship applications that are high in quality.

Increasing complexity

With the increase in the number of customizations and integrations Salesforce offers its users - the number and complexity of test cases have also increased, making Salesforce tests more complicated for QA people.

Test coverage gaps

Automation helps you cover a wide variety of scenarios, including edge case scenarios, unlike manual testing. This helps you identify bugs at the earliest before it impacts the end user.

Continuous testing

Integrate your automated tests into your existing CI/CD and DevOps pipeline. Continuously testing after every build allows developers and testers to share feedback on code faster and speeds up the bug-fixing process as well. Ultimately, the time-to-market is significantly reduced.

Faster regression testing

Salesforce regression testing is one of the most crucial testing that must be performed after every official update, release, code change, bug fix, new customization addition, etc. This helps ensure the Salesforce instance remains intact even after any change is done in the code.

Automated Salesforce regression testing automates this process by rerunning the test cases every time there is a change. This hugely saves manual efforts, time, cost, and resources.

Using realistic test data

It is not possible to test the product manually with several test data. However, automated data-driven testing is a technique that allows business to test their applications using auto-generated test data, thereby helping cover most scenarios with valid and invalid data.

As discussed above, Salesforce testing has evolved in so many ways with the rise of automation and AI. Here, we will discuss how Testsigma, an automated Salesforce test automation tool, is breaking the traditional barriers by making Salesforce testing simple, efficient, and accessible for everyone.

Democratize Salesforce Testing With Testsigma

Testsigma is a robust cloud-based, unified, no-code GenAI-powered test automation platform that allows QAs to automate Salesforce testing in plain English without requiring any coding expertise. Not just Salesforce apps, you can automate web, mobile, API, and desktop apps in the same place. How Testsigma simplifies Salesforce test automation,

• No coding required: Use NLP-driven testing or Recorder to create Salesforce test cases.

Salesforce automation testing using Testsigma

• Zero setup time: Create a free account by signing up for Testsigma Cloud and start creating automated Salesforce tests. No infrastructure setup is required.

• Faster testing: Makes your entire test automation process 10x faster.

• Actionable test insights: Get real-time test insights after every test run.

• Test across Salesforce environments: Run your automated tests across Salesforce Developer Sandbox - Developer Pro, Partial Copy, and Full Sandbox.

• Gen-AI powered testing: With Copilot, a GenAI test assistant for QA teams, you can get automated test cases and scenario suggestions using prompts.

• Reduced maintenance: AI-powered auto-healing to prevent false test failures and reduce test maintenance challenges by up to 70%.

Testing isn't just for developers anymore. With the rise of low/no-code testing tools, testing can be made accessible for everyone by empowering them to automate testing.

With Testsigma, you can break the silos between developers, automation engineers, manual testers, product owners, stakeholders, and clients by making automated Salesforce testing accessible and inclusive for all in the same platform.

With FormAssembly’s flexibility and robust Salesforce integration, users can streamline complex workflows while saving time, money, and resources. In this blog post, you’ll discover three innovative ways to use FormAssembly so that you can get more out of your CRM and easily get important data where it needs to go.

Use case #1: custom list options & buttons that load web forms

This use case provides a more efficient way to gather prospect and customer information in Salesforce while on calls. You can create custom buttons and list options in Lightning that pull up web forms so you can quickly take notes from your calls directly in your CRM.

→ See all of our top FormAssembly + Salesforce tutorials in one eBook!

The buttons and list options are easy to access by staff, which effectively streamlines internal processes. In Salesforce Classic, the form can be loaded in an iFrame so you (the user) can stay in Salesforce. Customized dynamic web forms prompt users to ask all the right questions, making it easy to follow a phone script and collect necessary information. In addition, Salesforce-integrated web forms can be prefilled with data from Salesforce to eliminate duplicate data entry and save time for staff. Web forms can also update multiple objects when submitted, which means staff members won’t have to manually update information in multiple locations in Salesforce.

Use case #2: embed dynamic web forms in Salesforce Cloud

If you already use Salesforce Experience Cloud to collaborate with customers and prospects, implementing forms within your Community can streamline processes organization-wide. FormAssembly allows Salesforce users to embed their Salesforce-connected web forms directly into Salesforce Experience Cloud for a secure, integrated process.

With FormAssembly, Salesforce users can achieve powerful, web-to-anything integration with multiple records for any standard or custom object all in one form. Salesforce users can even prefill embedded web forms with Salesforce data to simplify the user experience even further, while customization capabilities help organizations design forms that are attractive and on-brand.

This use case comes in handy for:

• Event registration

• Creating portals/dashboards

• Registrations

• Evaluations

• Payments

Use case #3: insert dynamic web forms into workflows

Ideally, you want to give your prospects and customers a full-service experience when communicating with you, while automating backend processes simultaneously. It’s possible—to do this, insert your web forms into Salesforce workflows. This automatically sends out a survey after the case is closed.

By automating this process, you’ll be able to decrease manual work and save major hassle for staff, customers, and prospects. Include Salesforce-connected web forms in emails to give your prospects and customers an easy way to share feedback that will be stored in Salesforce for future reference.

Here are some of the ways you can implement this use case:

• Follow-ups and requests for additional information

• Thank you emails

• Contact information update requests

All of the use cases outlined in this blog post use the power of Salesforce-integrated web forms to automate processes and eliminate tedious manual data entry, which will ultimately drive success for your organization as a whole.

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Salesforce + FormAssembly

FormAssembly is an easy-to-use yet powerful online form builder and data collection platform with robust Salesforce integration capabilities. Salesforce users in all industries benefit from the flexibility, simplicity, and security FormAssembly offers. Be sure to check us out on the Salesforce AppExchange!

For more helpful information about FormAssembly and Salesforce, check out our FormAssembly + Salesforce Tutorial Roundup eBook.

Salesforce touches on pretty much every aspect a Customer Relationship Management solution can. For lead acquisition, Salesforce provides their own form solution, called ‘Web-To-Lead’. So where do we come in?

FormAssembly can replace a touch with a firm grasp when it comes to gathering data on your prospective clients. Here are 5 reasons why FormAssembly can be a better choice for web-to-lead form processing.

1. Smarter lead creation: avoid duplicates, handle existing accounts

A Web-to-Lead form, once submitted, automatically generates a new lead in Salesforce. But what if the company already exists in your system as an account? Wouldn’t it be better to create a new contact and an opportunity instead of a lead? With FormAssembly’s Salesforce integration, not only you can create a lead, but you can search existing records for a specific field then update an existing lead, create a new lead, or create a different object altogether.

→ eBook: Learn more about FormAssembly’s integration with Salesforce

2. Record more data: not just a lead. add notes, attachments, tasks

Every business has different needs and flexibility is key. A FormAssembly web-to-lead form can collect more data, using custom fields and attachments if needed. You can also create other objects at the same time, like tasks or notes. Something that would require coding a trigger in Salesforce can be done quickly and easily in FormAssembly.

3. Simple setup: zero to collecting data in minutes

Forms created with FormAssembly work immediately. You can test them without having to mess with your website and HTML. Of course, if you want to, you can place the form on your own website when you’re ready. For more information, read how you can get your form up and running in seconds, or watch the video below.

4. Customize your form: look & feel, layout, anything

No need to know HTML, Javascript, or CSS. Our web-based Form Builder and Theme Editor make it very easy to customize the layout and the look & feel of your forms to match your organization’s branding. Check out our documentation to learn more about building and customizing forms.

5. Work with any object: go beyond leads

Do you need to handle a relationship between your lead and another Salesforce record? Like a campaign, or a custom object? With FormAssembly, you can use custom links and hidden fields to store references, lookups to find records, and field mapping to set relationships. Your form can update or create any type of object and handle any dependencies.

Ready to see it for yourself? Sign up today to create your own Salesforce-integrated form, or check out our FormAssembly + Salesforce eBook below.

At some point in your career, you will realize there aren’t enough hours in the workday to check everything off your list. Your best option is process improvement—finding ways to work smarter, not harder, and identifying key areas of improvement at work.

This is where process improvement methods, online workflow software, and business process optimizations come into play. Nearly every task at work benefits from a well-defined process and many of these processes… involve web forms. The result? Time savings reduced manual work, and forward progress with new initiatives—all essential for getting more done with less time.

Here are four ways to accelerate business processes with web forms:

1. Simplify customer onboarding

Are you gaining customers faster than your onboarding process can handle? It’s time to explore areas of improvement at work. Evaluate your onboarding process for unnecessary steps that don’t contribute to customer satisfaction or understanding. Can some tasks be automated? Are you still relying on legacy systems or spreadsheets instead of online workflow software?

Streamlining the onboarding process through business process optimizations ensures you’re collecting the right information efficiently. Ask yourself:

• What essential data do I need from the customer?

• Who on my team needs this information?

• How can I gather and distribute it most effectively?

• Could a web form replace manual tasks like phone calls or in-person meetings?

Real-world use case: When Promontory Interfinancial Network (now IntraFi) implemented FormAssembly, they streamlined their onboarding process, drastically reducing manual steps and improving client satisfaction.

2. Streamline internal processes

It’s often the internal processes, not client work, that slow you down. At FormAssembly, we use form-based workflows and Salesforce integrations to deliver process improvement, freeing up time for strategic work. Whether onboarding new hires, planning activities, or managing expense reimbursements, optimized processes reduce task inefficiencies.

3. Customize web-to-anything Salesforce forms

Driving leads and improving customer lifecycle management requires seamless integration between systems. Our Web-to-Anything forms, integrated with Salesforce, are prime examples of process improvement methods in action. From routing contact forms to automating demo requests, these forms improve accuracy with real-time data population, allowing for more meaningful customer interactions that capture every detail.

4. Connect systems for automated workflows

Disconnected systems can create significant operational delays. Using FormAssembly with Salesforce, organizations like the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) closed communication gaps, streamlined event management, and reduced manual work by connecting previously siloed systems into a powerful bidirectional solution. This kind of business process optimization is crucial for staying competitive.

The answer to process improvement: FormAssembly

If outdated, inefficient data collection processes are dragging you down, consider using powerful form-based workflow automation. With FormAssembly’s online workflow software, your team can improve business processes, reduce unnecessary work, and drive leads—ultimately making every workday more productive.

Explore how FormAssembly can improve your business process optimization efforts and accelerate workflows across your organization. Download our eBook, 4 Problems that Limit Productivity in the Workplace and How to Solve Them with Better Data Collection.

Cactusforce is excited to announce the launch of its Innovator of the year Award, a celebration dedicated to recognizing groundbreaking ideas and solutions within the Trailblazer Community. This award aims to spotlight people who have demonstrated exceptional creativity and problem-solving skills on Salesforce platform.

Why Participate in the Innovation Award Contest?

1. Recognition Within the Community: Winning or being nominated for the Innovation Award elevates your profile within the Trailblazer Community. It's an opportunity to showcase your contributions and be acknowledged by peers and industry leaders.

2. Inspire and Be Inspired: Sharing your innovative solutions can motivate others to think creatively and approach challenges from new angles. Similarly, learning about others' achievements can provide fresh perspectives and ideas for your own projects.

3. Professional Growth: Participating in the contest allows you to reflect on your work, articulate your achievements, and receive constructive feedback. This process can enhance your professional development and open doors to new opportunities.

4. Networking Opportunities: Submitting a nomination connects you with other Salesforce technical professionals at Cactusforce and beyond.

5. Contribute to the Ecosystem: By sharing your solutions, you contribute to the collective knowledge of the Trailblazer Community, helping others overcome challenges and driving the platform's evolution.
   
   

How to Submit a Nomination

Nominating yourself or a colleague is easy:

• Prepare Your Submission: Clearly describe the solution. What critical business problem were you trying to solve? What made this challenge particularly complex? What unique approach did you take? What was the? Supporting materials such as screenshots, videos, or testimonials can strengthen your nomination.

• Submit Online: Visit us online Cactusforce website and navigate to the Innovation Award page. Complete the nomination form, providing all required information and attachments.

• Deadline: Ensure your submission is completed before the January 17th deadline to be considered for the award.
  
  

What Happens Next?

After the submission period closes, nominations will be reviewed by our experts. They will evaluate submissions for on criteria such as creativity, impact, and scalability. Finalists will be announced ahead of the Cactusforce conference, where the winners will be honored.

Join Us at Cactusforce 2025

The Innovator of the Year Award is a new highlight for Cactusforce. This year’s event is scheduled for Thursday, January 23rd and Friday, January 24th at the Arizona State University site, SkySong Innovation Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. Cactusforce is a community-led conference brings together Salesforce developers, architects, and configurators for two days of advanced content, networking, and collaboration. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting your Salesforce journey, Cactusforce offers valuable insights and connections.

Final Thoughts

Innovation is the driving force behind progress in the Salesforce ecosystem. The Innovation Award contest is your chance to share your groundbreaking work, gain recognition, and inspire others in the community. Don't miss this opportunity to highlight the solutions that make a difference.

For more information on the Innovator of the Year Award and to submit your nomination, visit the us online. We look forward to celebrating the ingenuity and dedication of the Trailblazer Community at Cactusforce 2025!

For organizations searching for business solutions, Salesforce can be a changemaker. Salesforce helps organizations transform their processes — streamlining operations, elevating customer experiences, and driving growth.

As an organization grows more reliant upon Salesforce, the need for reliable and robust testing becomes evident. While manual testing has merits, it can cause even the best testing teams to fall behind as an organization scales and requires more complexity.

If your organization still relies on manual processes to test your Salesforce org, it may be time to transition to an automated testing solution.

In this blog, we’ll talk about the five signs that tell you it’s time to switch to automated testing and touch on how Provar’s suite of quality solutions can help.

Sign 1: Your team is overwhelmed by repetitive and time-consuming tasks.

Organizational growth is excellent. However, growing businesses can quickly become overwhelmed by increasingly time-consuming tasks. If your team is overwhelmed by repetitive, labor-intensive tasks, it’s a clear sign that automation could improve efficiency. Automated testing tools can quickly and concurrently execute test cases across applications and browsers, generate reports, and identify issues. With an automated testing tool like Provar Automation, organizations can take their time back while enhancing test coverage and accelerating development.

Sign 2: Your application ecosystem is becoming increasingly complex.

Salesforce is known for its ability to adapt and scale to meet an organization’s evolving needs. But often, this adaptability leads to increasingly complex configurations, customizations, and application stacks. As the complexity of your Salesforce ecosystem grows with your business, manual testing teams can easily fall behind, resulting in undetected issues, longer testing cycles, decreased customer satisfaction, and potentially costly errors. Automated testing can address these challenges, efficiently handling the intricacies of complex software stacks, ensuring thorough testing, and reducing the likelihood of critical issues evading detection.

Sign 3: Your team has trouble keeping up with Salesforce releases and updates.

Salesforce regularly releases mandatory software updates and enhancements; for organizations that still rely on manual testing, updates, and new releases can cause existing tests to stop working if their teams don’t take the proper precautions. Transitioning to automated testing can take the stress off your team’s shoulders and help your organization leave broken and out-of-date tests in the past. Automating your testing can help your team stay current with Salesforce’s release cadence, preventing breakage and maintaining quality.

Sign 4: You are getting errors and inconsistent test results.

Manual testing relies entirely on humans; therein lies its greatest strength and its biggest weakness. Even when organizations are small, and Salesforce testing is simple, human testers inevitably will make mistakes. With the inherent risk of human error that comes with manual testing, it can be challenging to trust your quality. If you’re noticing increasingly inconsistent test results and more errors from your team, it may be time to switch to automated testing. Automated testing empowers teams to create consistent and repeatable tests, reducing human error and enhancing quality.

Sign 5: You’re missing deadlines and watching costs rise. 

If your organization is in a rapid growth phase, so is your Salesforce ecosystem. But with new functionality comes more complex and time-consuming testing — and more pressure on your teams to deliver high-quality results on time and within budget. Suppose you’re finding that your testing teams are missing deadlines and exceeding budgets as you expand your Salesforce implementation. In that case, it may be time to seek an automated testing solution like Provar Automation. Automated testing can help your organization leverage its Salesforce investment, optimize testing processes, reduce costs, and accelerate project cycles.

Conclusion

At Provar, we build solutions that make Salesforce testing and quality management easier, faster, and more effective. However, we understand that transitioning to automated testing can be intimidating. That’s why the Provar team released a new white paper to help organizations switch!

Transitioning from Manual to Automated Salesforce Testing: Your Complete Guide is a step-by-step guide to help evolving organizations move from manual to automated testing, and it gives you everything you need to learn to transform your testing. Be sure to download the guide for free today, as it has something for testers at every stage!

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On behalf of the Cactus Crew, thank you for attending Cactusforce 2024, the 6th Annual community conference for Salesforce Developers and Architects.

We appreciate you helping to make Cactusforce 2024 a success! We are immensely thankful for the sponsors, speakers, and volunteers who made this event possible. Cactusforce would not be possible without your contributions. We are especially grateful for the additional effort in helping keep us hybrid for another year.

We strive to offer a worthwhile and informative conference that brings Salesforce professionals from all over the globe together to share their knowledge through talks, workshops, and presentations, to assist each other in becoming more effective in their careers and organizations. In gathering a dynamic group of speakers to talk about challenges they face, solutions they’ve implemented, and strategies they’ve employed, we hope attendees can gain in-depth insight, cross-disciplinary solutions, and actionable and practical tools for working in and around the Salesforce platform. 

Your presence helped to make this event a great success and your enthusiasm and positive spirit helped make our time together both productive and fun.  We wish you all the best and hope that you continue to be engaged with the Trailblazer community and Community Conferences around the world.  

Photos

Help us make memories and contribute photos from the event at Cactusforce/photos 

Feedback

What did you think of Cactusforce 2024, our 6th Annual event? Let us know! Survey:

https://whova.com/portal/webapp/cactu_202401/Surveys

We rely on your feedback to make Cactusforce successful and if you have not yet provided your feedback, please fill out event and session surveys, in Whova under Resources > Surveys. We welcome your comments and suggestions as we plan future conferences. 

Recordings Are Ready!

Videos are finally ready! Check out the Demo Jam and view the 2024 session recordings on our Vimeo Showcase for the lineup of sessions.

We closed Cactusforce 2024 in a big way!

Don’t take our word for it, here is what other leaders had to say:

“Honestly, I thought it was perfect the way it was. :-) I loved the location, speakers, food, etc!”

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“Keep the ability to attend virtually!! There were some glitches this time, but was still happy that I was able to attend one session as it was great.”

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“More hands-on sessions”

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“Cactusforce is my go-to event! It’s the hybrid event developers can trust”

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We hope that you enjoyed connecting with each other and found the Cactusforce experience informative and worthwhile! The workshop takeaways were tremendous thanks to a hands-on Data Cloud workshop by Trailhead Academy and Well-Architected sessions by Salesforce Architects. 

Salesforce managers, if you're grappling with the frustrating question, "Why is my Salesforce so slow?" you're in the right place.

A sluggish Salesforce can impede productivity and hinder your team's potential. Sure, a slow internet connection (or having 50 open tabs) may be the culprit, however there are certain steps all Salesforce Admins and Managers should be taking to ensure their org is optimized and efficient. In this article, we'll unpack our top tips for diagnosing a slow Salesforce org and provide actionable solutions to optimize its speed and efficiency.

1. Efficient data management: Speed starts with clean data

Efficient Salesforce performance begins with data management. Regularly audit and clean your data, eliminating duplicates and outdated records. Streamline your database to ensure that your team is working with relevant, high-quality information. A clutter-free database translates to faster data access and improved Salesforce speed.

Here are some tips for efficient data management in Salesforce:

• Conduct regular data audits: Schedule regular data audits to identify and eliminate duplicates, outdated, or irrelevant records. Automate this process where possible to ensure continuous data cleanliness.

• Implement validation rules: Create validation rules to enforce data accuracy. These rules can prevent users from entering incorrect or incomplete information, ensuring that your database maintains its integrity.

• Implement data governance policies: Develop and enforce data governance policies. Clearly define who is responsible for data quality and what the standards are. Regularly review and update these policies.

• Refine data access permissions: Monitor and refine who has access to your data. Not only is this important for efficient data management, but also security and compliance regulations. Recent research shows the average Salesforce org has 24 ‘Modify All Data’ permissions and 20 data export permissions. The implications of these access levels are far-reaching, impacting the core of your organization's integrity. Review your profiles and permission sets for free with Hubbl Diagnostics.

• Streamline custom sharing rules: Complex sharing rules can significantly slow down report generation as each rule has to be evaluated during data retrieval. Simplification can be achieved by consolidating user permissions within a minimum number of permission sets, reducing the complexity of assignments.

2. Field health: Identifying and removing empty custom fields

Empty custom fields might seem like a minor issue, but they can cause significant problems in your Salesforce org. Not only do they complicate report-building by cluttering dropdown menus and increasing user confusion, but they also contribute to technical debt, making your org harder to maintain and optimize, ultimately slowing down your team.

According to a recent study, approximately 10% of all custom fields on the most important objects in most orgs (Account, Opportunity, Case) are empty. This means that a field was created but never used.

Use Hubbl Diagnostics’ free solution to identify your empty custom fields on your most important objects (Account, Opportunity, and Case).

3. Code review and optimization: Streamlining customizations

Custom code can be a double-edged sword. While it tailors Salesforce to your needs, inefficient code can slow down your org. Collaborate with your development team to review and optimize Apex code, triggers, and workflows. Efficient, streamlined code directly translates to improved Salesforce speed.

Here are some tips for reviewing and optimizing your custom code in Salesforce:

• Static Code Analysis: Static code analysis is a software testing technique used to evaluate the source code of a program without executing it. It's an essential practice in software development for ensuring code quality, adherence to coding standards, and identifying security vulnerabilities. Utilize static code analysis tools, such as PMD or ESLint, to scan your codebase for issues and identify areas for optimization.

• Review API versions: While API versions themselves don't directly impact the speed of your Salesforce org's user interface, they play a vital role in the efficiency and performance of your integrations, custom code, and data processing operations. Staying current with the latest API versions allows you to leverage improved functionality, performance optimizations, and security enhancements, ultimately contributing to a more efficient and responsive Salesforce environment.

Hubbl Diagnostics automatically scans your Salesforce org, using both PMD and ESLint, to identify code issues and identify older API versions.

4. Field indexing: Accelerating data retrieval

The proper use of field indexing is pivotal for speeding up data retrieval. Work closely with your technical team to identify frequently accessed fields and ensure they are properly indexed. Proper indexing reduces search times significantly, enhancing overall user experience and Salesforce responsiveness.

You can check whether a field is indexed through the Salesforce Schema Builder or the Object Manager.

5. Modernization: Migrating to Salesforce Flow

It’s clear to everyone in the ecosystem that Flow is the automation tool of the future, and with Salesforce having blocked the ability to create new workflow rules and processes, migrating to Flow is no longer an option, but a necessity.

Migration effort aside, flows and triggers can significantly speed up your Salesforce org. In fact, our data shows that over 50% of Salesforce orgs could save more than 100 hours per year by migrating away from workflow and process builder. 6% of orgs would save over 1000 hours!

Here are some recommendations to help you get started in your migration to Salesforce Flow:

1. Build your case using ROI metrics: Demonstrating the value of migrating to Flow can help you secure the resources and support you need to make the move. Hubbl Diagnostics automatically calculates your hours of lost productivity due to legacy code.

2. Upgrade installed packages: Upgrading your installed packages can help you speed up your org, as 8% of active workflow rules are from installed packages.

3. Create a migration plan: Build an understanding of how much declarative automation you need to migrate to Flow with Hubbl Diagnostics. Tabulate the legacy automation on all your objects and note which are firing on the same events.

4. Gamify your modernization: Get some motivation by seeing how you compare against the rest of the ecosystem and celebrate once your legacy automation counts go to zero.

6. Continuous monitoring: Empowering your team with metadata insights

If you have one takeaway from this article, let this be it: Continuous monitoring stands as the cornerstone of a high-performing Salesforce org. Empowering your team with comprehensive metadata insights is not just a practice—it's a strategic advantage. These insights provide a real-time pulse on your Salesforce environment, ensuring that any issues hindering speed and efficiency are promptly addressed.

Hubbl Diagnostics is a free Salesforce metadata analysis solution that allows you to scan your Salesforce org monthly and monitor:

• Org complexity: Review your org’s complexity compared to the rest of the Salesforce ecosystem.

• Object automation: Explore the amount and complexity of automation across your Salesforce org.

• Custom code: Pinpoint custom code issues and identify opportunities for optimization.

• Installed packages: Monitor packages and identify out-of-date or risky installed packages.

• Field utilization: Review field usage and identify underutilized fields.

• Profiles and permission sets: Monitor and assess data access permissions across your Salesforce org.

Embracing continuous monitoring and leveraging metadata insights empowers your team not just to react to challenges but to anticipate them. This proactive approach transforms slowdowns into opportunities for growth, making your Salesforce environment agile, efficient, and truly optimized.

Don't live with a slow Salesforce

Don't let slow Salesforce days persist—empower your team with insights and take the first step toward a faster, more productive Salesforce org with Hubbl Diagnostics.

AUTHOR: Mike Bogan, Director of Product Strategy, Hubbl Diagnostics

If you’re reading this article, chances are you write your own code for Salesforce, or work in an org that utilizes custom code. Which (according to the latest data) means there’s a good chance your Salesforce org has security vulnerabilities that could expose sensitive information, or even provide malicious users the opportunity to infiltrate your system.

Custom code is the most powerful type of metadata. Whether it’s Aura, Lightning Web Components (LWC), Visualforce, Apex, or triggers, custom code provides superpowers to your users. However, with those superpowers comes some risk that must be managed.

You are responsible for the security of your custom code, not Salesforce. It’s time to get your security issues prioritized by severity and level of effort to address.

Is my Salesforce org at risk?

The simple answer: most likely, yes. According to the 2023 Benchmark Report on Salesforce Optimization, on average, we found that:

• The average org has ~2000 custom code security issues.

• Visualforce pages have at least one security issue.

• 33% of Apex classes have a security issue.

• 20% of Visualforce components and triggers have security issues.

• Approximately 10% of custom code in Salesforce orgs is running on API versions >10 years old. Of this, 61% come from installed packages.

“Brand loyalty is based on trust. The health of your Salesforce org is crucial to enhancing the constituent experience and protecting their data. Ineffective and vulnerable orgs can erode constituent confidence, decreasing committed supporters. Ensuring a healthy and efficient org demonstrates respect for constituent time and data, strengthening relationships and increasing revenue and impact.”  —John Vega, Nonprofit Portfolio Delivery Lead, Huron Consulting Group

What are the risks to my organization?

Custom code can be an unintended insecure entry point for malicious abuse. The impact of these vulnerabilities can range from the wrong staff gaining access to sensitive data to external leaks of regulated information that can be an existential threat to an organization.

They can take on many forms, these are some of the most critical:

• SOQL Injections: This vulnerability in code allows hackers to manipulate the SOQL query to execute any command they want to run. This is critical to address as it can provide hackers unauthorized access to your data.

• Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities: XSS occurs when a hacker can inject malicious scripts into a web page viewed by others. Uncovering XSS vulnerabilities from URL parameters in your Apex code is critical to reduce your site vulnerabilities.

• Improper Authorization: Apex code that grants excessive privileges to users, or code, does not properly validate user inputs. Highlighting these issues in your code reduces potential authorization issues.

How to identify Salesforce custom code issues

You wouldn’t be wrong for thinking that manually reviewing all past development for custom code issues would be time consuming.

That’s why we built Hubbl Diagnostics, a free monthly org monitoring solution that allows you to scan all the custom code in your org to identify security risks as defined by source code analyzers, PMD, and ESLint. It also helps you identify out-of-date installed packages that may be contributing to your security risks.

Automate prioritization of your risks

Where do I start? Hubbl Diagnostics not only identifies your security risks, it automatically categorizes your risks by severity and level of effort to address. This means that you can quickly filter down to the highest risk/lowest effort issues and get them addressed right away. Recommended solutions for each issue are also provided.

Mitigate the risks of Salesforce custom code

So, you’ve come to the realization that you may have some security risks. Now what? We recommend the following:

1. Review development best practices: Work with your Admin and Development teams to ensure they’re following the Salesforce Well-Architected best practices for custom development.

2. Review past development: With that framework in mind, review past development to understand whether critical security risks exist. Leverage Hubbl Diagnostics to kickstart your review.

3. Update out-of-date installed packages: These updates should address and help reduce the significant amount of code that remains at risk for containing security issues.

4. Track your progress: Hubbl Diagnostics allows you to monitor your org monthly. Show up at your next review with executive-level visuals that quickly explain the progress you’ve made.

How secure is your Salesforce org?

Custom code is a powerful tool that can provide significant benefits to your users. However, it also comes with significant risks that must be managed. By following the best practices outlined above and leveraging tools like Hubbl Diagnostics, you can help ensure that your custom code is secure and your organization is protected from potential security breaches.

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, organizations constantly seek ways to optimize their processes and deliver software solutions quickly. Time to value is perhaps the most important consideration when deploying an application. Companies want to make the best of their time to deliver value to their customers quickly – nothing is worse than their competitors beating them to the punch.

Testing their Salesforce org is vital in delivering value for those using Salesforce. Testing for bugs before they become an organization-wide issue is paramount, but risk mitigation isn’t all that test automation solutions tout. A good test automation solution will also help an organization offer exceptional time to value, but be warned. Not all solutions are created equal.

This blog post will discuss how Provar Automation, a leading test automation solution designed specifically for Salesforce applications, stands out with its intelligent automation capabilities that save valuable time for testers and organizations. We will explore how these capabilities empower teams to achieve rapid time to value and drive efficiency in their testing efforts. We will also explore why Provar Automation is the only test automation solution on the market that hits the target.

Streamlining Test Automation with Provar

Provar Automation is built to enhance productivity and maximize the end user’s value as quickly as possible. Here are its critical, intelligent automation capabilities that result in exceptional time to value.

Low-Code Test Automation

Provar Automation takes a low-code approach to test automation, enabling testers with varying technical backgrounds to build and execute tests without extensive programming knowledge. Its intuitive interface and visual, user-friendly test builder empower testers – even those with limited technical knowledge – to create robust test scenarios quickly and efficiently. By eliminating the time spent on coding and opening up the ability to test to all members of an organization using Salesforce, Provar Automation accelerates the test creation process and reduces the learning curve for new team members. Provar Automation is the only test automation solution designed by Salesforce experts to work precisely like Salesforce does – with minimal coding experience necessary, a user-friendly interface, and point-and-click functionality – making it the obvious choice for companies executing within Salesforce.

Test Accelerators and Pre-built Libraries

Provar Automation offers a comprehensive collection of test accelerators and pre-built libraries tailored specifically for Salesforce applications. These ready-to-use components provide a head start for test creation, significantly reducing the time and effort required to build test cases from scratch. Testers can leverage these accelerators and libraries to quickly create tests that cover a wide range of Salesforce functionalities, resulting in faster test creation and accelerated time to value – two areas a growing company should look for.

Regression Testing Made Easy

Regression testing is vital to software development, ensuring new updates and changes do not introduce unexpected issues. Provar Automation simplifies regression testing by automatically detecting and updating test steps affected by changes in the application. Through its intelligent automation capabilities, which are powered using the information within Salesforce’s metadata to create resilient tests, Provar minimizes the effort required to maintain test scripts, allowing testers to focus on validating new functionalities and reducing the time spent on regression testing. Some test automation solutions boast maintenance capabilities like innovative healing features, which can handle minor changes but require more effort and human interference with more extensive updates. This is not the case with Provar Automation, whose intelligent metadata-driven capabilities take the manual work off your hands.

Seamless Integrations and Continuous Testing

Provar Automation integrates with popular CI/CD tools and test management systems, including Jenkins, Azure DevOps, JIRA, and more. This integration enables organizations to incorporate test automation seamlessly into their DevOps workflows and execute tests continuously. By automating the test execution process and integrating it with other tools in the software development lifecycle, Provar Automation ensures rapid feedback on application quality, reduces manual intervention, and accelerates time to value.

Case Studies Highlighting Time Savings

Provar Automation’s intelligent automation capabilities have been instrumental in helping organizations save time and achieve rapid time to value. All test automation solutions on the market today note time savings as a key feature – because automated testing certainly reduces time spent maintaining tests over manual efforts – but Provar Automation has been proven time and time again to be 6 to 8 times faster than the competition.

Let’s look at some real-world case studies demonstrating the time-saving impact of Provar Automation.

By implementing Provar Automation, one risk management company automated 70% of its regression testing.

One financial company reports that after adding Provar Automation to its toolkit, its QA team saved a considerable amount of time – enabling the team to implement in-sprint automation and expand its existing library of regression tests. When the company relied solely on manual testing, it would take one month to test approximately 400 use cases, and they can now run 4,000 tests quickly.

Among many other benefits, one healthcare nonprofit created over one hundred test scripts using Provar Automation’s intuitive test-building capabilities in less than 8 months, reduced maintenance manpower during sprints from 20 people to 3 (an 85% decrease), and fully implemented Provar Automation in under four weeks, starting from no Salesforce and Provar Automation experience to successfully build out and automatically running tests.

Conclusion

Provar Automation’s intelligent automation capabilities provide a significant advantage regarding time to value for organizations. With its low-code test automation, pre-built libraries, regression testing simplification, seamless integrations, and continuous testing support, Provar Automation empowers teams to achieve rapid time to value. Through these capabilities, testers can focus on critical aspects of testing, reduce manual effort, accelerate test creation and execution, and ultimately deliver high-quality applications to market faster. Provar Automation stands out among the competition regarding time to value, and this alone is enough for companies across the globe to trust it to support their efforts.

AUTHOR: Mike Bogan, Director of Product Strategy, Hubbl Diagnostics

Security isn’t merely a requirement; it's a strategic imperative. For businesses relying on Salesforce, protecting sensitive data is non-negotiable and stands as the cornerstone of stability and trust. Unfortunately, according to recent data, it’s highly likely that your Salesforce org is at risk.

A failure to comprehend the security implications of customizations in your Salesforce org could result in disaster. These customizations impact data protection, compliance with regulations, risk mitigation, business continuity, cybersecurity defense, reputation, resource efficiency, scalability, and future-proofing. Understanding these implications is essential for safeguarding sensitive data, meeting regulatory requirements, and securing your organization's reputation and future success.

1. Updating installed packages

We all have, and update, apps on our mobile phones. If you run your business on Salesforce, you likely have installed apps (packages) to help run your business.

Installed packages can pose significant risks if not managed diligently. Recent findings indicate that 99% of Salesforce organizations have installed packages with newer versions available, highlighting the widespread prevalence of this issue. This makes sense because, before Hubbl Diagnostics, there was no way to automatically know whether your packages are out of date.

Installed packages security recommendations:

1. Incorporate package review into your business process: As a practice, identify out-of-date installed packages at least once per quarter.

2. Automate out-of-date package identification: Leverage Hubbl Diagnostics’ free solution to automatically check installed packages against a comprehensive database of package versions, ensuring you have access to the latest version of your packages.

2. Reviewing custom code

Custom code, the engine driving innovation in Salesforce, also presents significant security challenges. With an average of approximately 2000 custom code security issues affecting each Salesforce org, businesses must take a proactive stance in safeguarding their digital assets.

Custom code vulnerabilities pose severe risks to your organization.

Example threats include:

• SOQL Injections: This vulnerability in code allows hackers to manipulate the SOQL query to execute any command they want to run. This is critical to address as it can provide hackers unauthorized access to your data.

• Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities: XSS occurs when a hacker can inject malicious scripts into a web page viewed by others. Uncovering XSS vulnerabilities from URL parameters in your Apex code is critical to reduce your site vulnerabilities.

• Improper Authorization: Apex code that grants excessive privileges to users, or code, does not properly validate user inputs. Highlighting these issues in your code reduces potential authorization issues.

Custom code security recommendations:

1. Review development best practices: Work with your Admin and Development teams to ensure they’re following the Salesforce Well-Architected best practices for custom development.

2. Review past development: With that framework in mind, review past development to understand whether critical security risks exist. Leverage Hubbl Diagnostics to kickstart your review for free.

3. Auditing profile and permission sets

Today, the question isn't merely who accesses your data; it's about ensuring the right people do so, securely and with purpose.

Recent research underscores a concerning reality: the average Salesforce org grants expansive data access rights, with 24 assignments allowing users to ‘Modify All Data’ and an additional 20 assignments enabling data export. The implications of these access levels are far-reaching, impacting the core of your organization's integrity.

The ‘Modify All Data’ permission, in particular, grants users extensive powers, touching areas from lead conversions to quota overrides. It's the linchpin of your data security strategy. Salesforce's strategic shift, discontinuing permissions on profiles by Spring '26, underscores the urgency for organizations to reevaluate their data access protocols.

Data access recommendations:

1. Data access audit: Utilize Hubbl Diagnostics to conduct a thorough audit of profiles and permission sets, identifying access gaps and potential security risks.

2. Define access policies: Clearly define who within your organization should have access to critical data. Establish policies that align with both security best practices and regulatory requirements.

3. Migrate to permission sets: Transition from relying heavily on profiles to adopting permission sets. Salesforce’s impending shift emphasizes this migration, ensuring future-proof data security strategies.

Identify your top three Salesforce security risks for free

Get started with Hubbl Diagnostics, the most comprehensive Salesforce org monitoring solution, for free.

As organizations embrace digital transformation and the demand for resilient, robust software solutions grows, scalable test automation becomes paramount for any organization using Salesforce. Testing your Salesforce org is no longer a nice-to-have – it’s necessary to mitigate risk and maintain customer satisfaction. And scalability is no easy feat. Scalability ensures that test automation efforts can expand effortlessly to meet evolving business requirements and accommodate increasing application complexity. Many solutions on the market boast scalability, but their features don’t hold up as a company expands.

Provar Automation, a leading test automation solution designed by Salesforce experts for Salesforce applications, stands out with its exceptional scalability. And with a global presence, Provar is ready to support you wherever you are. In this blog post, we will explore how Provar Automation’s scalable capabilities revolutionize the world of test automation and empower organizations to scale new heights.

Understanding the Importance of Scalability in Test Automation

Test automation scalability is crucial to keep pace with the ever-changing software development landscape. As applications become more complex and business requirements evolve, test automation solutions must expand to cover a broader range of scenarios, configurations, and user profiles. A scalable test automation solution allows organizations to efficiently manage their testing efforts, reduce time-to-market, and maintain a high level of quality across their software releases.

Beware of any test automation solution that highlights its low cost as a competitive advantage. The rule of thumb is the less you pay upfront, the more you’ll have to invest on the backend, and this is particularly important when researching scalable test automation solutions. A good test automation solution will support your organization now and future-proof you as you scale with time. Ultimately, the solution you chose for its low implementation cost will make up for it tenfold in time spent on maintenance and a low-quality output.

Provar Automation’s Scalability in Action

Provar Automation takes scalability to new heights by providing organizations with the tools and capabilities to meet their growing testing needs. Here’s how Provar excels in scalability.

Flexible Test Design

Provar Automation offers a flexible and modular approach to test design. Tests can be organized into reusable components, allowing testers to build complex test suites by combining and reusing these components. They can be reused across numerous business scenarios, such as different orgs, languages, and user profiles. This modularity enables efficient test maintenance and facilitates the scalability of test suites as new functionalities and features are introduced.

Parallel Test Execution

Provar Automation empowers organizations to execute tests in parallel, significantly reducing the overall test execution time. This feature allows Provar Automation users to optimize resource utilization and gain faster feedback on application quality. This capability becomes particularly valuable when scaling up the volume of tests, ensuring that testing efforts remain efficient and time-effective.

Compatibility with Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD) Pipelines

Provar Automation seamlessly integrates with CI/CD pipelines and their tools, such as Jenkins, Azure DevOps, and Salesforce DX. This allows for streamlined test execution as part of the continuous integration and delivery processes. This integration enhances scalability by automating test runs and facilitating the rapid deployment of software updates. Provar Automation prides itself in its wide-ranging integration support and constantly seeks new expansions. While other test automation solutions offer integrations, they often focus on only one or two. Provar Automation is a clear leader in this area.

Cloud-Based Scalability

Provar Automation harnesses the power of the cloud to deliver scalable test automation solutions. Leveraging cloud infrastructure allows organizations to scale their testing resources based on demand dynamically. This elasticity ensures that test automation efforts can handle spikes in workload, accommodate growing application complexities, and scale up or down as required.

Conclusion

Provar Automation’s unrivaled scalability revolutionizes test automation by empowering organizations to scale their testing efforts effortlessly. With its flexible test design, parallel test execution, seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines, and cloud-based scalability, Provar enables organizations to meet the challenges of modern software development. By embracing Provar Automation, businesses can reduce time-to-value (which we will discuss in more detail in our next blog post) and deliver high-quality applications that meet customer expectations, regardless of how large a company scales. Whether you’re a small organization or an enterprise-level company, Provar Automation’s scalability ensures that your test automation efforts can rise to new heights, enabling you to stay ahead in the competitive digital landscape.

AUTHOR: Mike Bogan, Director of Product Strategy, Hubbl Diagnostics

Did you know that 99% of Salesforce orgs have installed packages with newer versions available? Are you aware of the potential security vulnerabilities and performance issues that can arise from neglecting to update these packages?

In this blog post, we'll delve into the impacts of out-of-date installed packages, the challenges faced by Salesforce teams in managing them, and walk you through how to effectively address these concerns.

How many out-of-date installed packages are in your Salesforce org?

Before we explore the challenges and recommendations, let's shed light on the concerning statistics related to out-of-date installed packages.

According to the 2023 Benchmark Report on Salesforce Optimization, on average:

• 99% of orgs have installed packages with newer versions available.

• Salesforce orgs have 14 installed packages with newer versions available.

• 8% of these packages are both out-of-date and haven't undergone security review.

DOWNLOAD: 7 critical org optimizations insights for high-performing Salesforce teams

Understanding Salesforce installed packages

Installed packages refer to apps or code that Salesforce admins can easily add to your Salesforce org with the click of a button. These packages can take the form of managed packages published on Salesforce AppExchange, which implies they have gone through an official Salesforce security review. However, there are also managed packages not listed on AppExchange, unlocked packages, and unmanaged packages, all of which do not ensure the same robust security review has occurred. It’s important to note that ensuring these packages are safe and secure is ultimately your responsibility.

CONTINUED READING: Out-of-date installed package risks: How many are in your Salesforce org?

The impact of out-of-date installed packages

Out-of-date installed packages can have significant consequences for your org, affecting both security and performance. Let's explore these impacts:

1. Legacy declarative automation: Out-of-date packages often contain legacy declarative automation, such as workflows and processes, which can impede productivity and hinder the efficient operation of your org. In fact, 8% of all active workflow rules are from installed packages.

2. Security vulnerabilities: 15% of all custom code security issues come from installed packages. Custom code within out-of-date packages poses potential security vulnerabilities, increasing the risks of data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive information.

3. Lack of security review: Privately listed applications, in particular, may not have undergone the rigorous AppExchange Security Review process. This lack of review further heightens the security risks associated with these packages.

How to identify out-of-date installed packages in your Salesforce org

So now you know the importance of keeping your installed packages up-to-date, but how can you effectively manage this? Unfortunately, Salesforce has never made this a simple thing for Salesforce teams to manage:

1. Manual AppExchange package version checks: While some package publishers will automatically push upgrades to your org, many do not. Even if you invest the time to manually check for newer package versions by comparing the version numbers in your org with those on the AppExchange, there's no guarantee that you'll find the latest versions. Publishers sometimes neglect to update the AppExchange version number, leaving you in the dark.

2. Lack of transparency with privately installed packages: Packages installed in your org that were not downloaded from the AppExchange will require you to reach out to the publisher to get the most up-to-date version information since there is no published list of package versions.

3. Overwhelming volume: The average Salesforce org has 40 installed packages and 14 with newer versions available. Managing this volume of packages manually is overwhelming and time-consuming, making it challenging to stay on top of updates and security requirements.

To tackle the complex task of managing out-of-date installed packages, Salesforce teams need an efficient and automated solution. That’s why we embedded installed package version tracking into Hubbl Diagnostics, to help simplify the management process.

“Keeping installed packages up-to-date is critical for Salesforce org health, security, and speed. However, identifying newer versions of public and privately listed packages can be challenging. Hubbl Diagnostics automates this process through powerful metadata audits, optimizing performance and driving speed to value while minimizing the risk of data breaches and security risks.” —Chris Conant, CEO, Zennify

How Hubbl Diagnostics identifies out-of-date installed packages

1. Custom Code Security Review: Hubbl Diagnostics is a free solution that enables a thorough review of custom code, whether unpackaged or in unlocked or unmanaged packages. It analyzes configurations and usage patterns, identifying potential compliance gaps and providing specific recommendations to address them, aligning with best practice security requirements.

2. Package Versioning: With Hubbl Diagnostics, you gain access to an aggregate view of orgs across the Salesforce ecosystem. This unique perspective allows you to check all installed packages against a comprehensive database of package versions installed in other orgs. This "crowd-sourced" data ensures better visibility and keeps your org up-to-date with the latest features, reducing security risks and removing legacy declarative automation.

Improve org security and performance with a free org scan

Scan your Salesforce org for free today with Hubbl Diagnostics and take control of your installed packages.

 In the fast-paced world of software development, automated testing has become an essential practice to ensure the quality and reliability of applications built in Salesforce. However, not all test automation solutions are created equal regarding resilience. Many solutions rely on traditional methods that are susceptible to frequent changes and require extensive maintenance. Provar Automation, on the other hand, stands out by leveraging the power of Salesforce’s metadata to build tests that are more resilient than other solutions on the market.

In this blog post, we will explore how Provar Automation’s test-building capabilities outshine its competitors regarding resilience, making it the go-to choice for Salesforce experts and organizations looking for stability in any situation.

Building Tests with Salesforce Metadata

Salesforce’s frequent updates and customizations are excellent for keeping the behemoth platform ahead of time, but this doesn’t come without challenges for test automation solutions. Tests built on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and DOM-based approaches are prone to breakage during these updates because these factors are unstable – any test automation solution that builds their tests this way relies on outdated and risky practices.

A good test automation solution will employ stable locators for elements, which they can find by leveraging Salesforce’s metadata model. Salesforce defines metadata as data that explains data, and it is this metadata that should serve as a foundation for building robust tests. However, most test automation solutions on the market today don’t work in this way, making them much less resilient than tests built with Provar Automation. Their outdated approach leads to a reliance on manual updates and increased maintenance efforts.

How Provar Automation Builds Resilient Tests

By utilizing the information found within Salesforce’s metadata, Provar Automation understands the location of elements and automatically updates its locators when Salesforce’s metadata changes. Building tests based on Salesforce’s metadata makes them more resilient to changes in the application – it’s that simple. As metadata tied to fields and layouts changes less frequently than the rendered web page source, tests have fewer opportunities to break. This reduces maintenance and ensures testing efforts can focus on the application’s functionality and logic.

Tests built-in Provar Automation are also resilient in their reusability – they stand up to the test of being reused in multiple contexts, such as across different orgs, languages, and user profiles. This reusability improves the efficiency and scalability of the testing process, enabling organizations to streamline their testing efforts and achieve faster time-to-market.

Resiliency also comes into play for tests that must work seamlessly across different Salesforce applications, such as Classic, Lightning, Flexipages, and Dynamic Forms. If tests seem resilient in one application but are not in another, they are not genuinely resilient in the first place. By leveraging the information within Salesforce’s metadata, Provar Automation ensures its tests are compatible with any page layout, org type, or application. This flexibility empowers organizations to adapt to evolving Salesforce environments without compromising test stability.

How Provar Automation Stands Above the Rest in Resiliency

Provar Automation stands out among its competitors by embracing this metadata-driven approach, ensuring resilience and adaptability. Designed explicitly for Salesforce applications by Salesforce experts, Provar Automation eliminates the need for extensive script modifications, saving time and effort. The code used to map Salesforce page elements, predict interactions, understand page layouts, and generate tests is maintained by Provar Automation, ensuring compatibility with each new Salesforce release. All of this allows testers to focus on the actual functionality and logic of their applications rather than being consumed by constant maintenance.

In automated testing, not all test-building capabilities are created equal regarding resiliency. Provar Automation sets itself apart by leveraging the power of Salesforce’s metadata to build resilient tests that stand above other outdated test automation solutions on the market. If you’re seeking a resilient, reliable, secure test automation solution, Provar Automation is the only logical choice.

With the help of Salesforce Experience Cloud, you can design branded digital interactions for sharing information and working together with individuals who are essential to your business operations, such as clients, partners, or staff. An Experience Cloud site is a fantastic location to connect with the significant people in your life, regardless of what you choose to call it—a portal, help forum, community, or something else.

It is imperative that you design a security architecture strategy when it comes to your data in Salesforce Digital Experiences and site. There are various locations where the security settings can be changed; some have an impact on all sites, while others are site-specific. The majority of settings may be accessed in three different places: the Experience Workspaces Settings tile, user permissions in your Salesforce org, and your overall Experience Cloud settings in Salesforce Setup. But have you ever considered the security implications of using static resources with Salesforce Digital Experiences?

In Salesforce, static resources act as a helpful tool for developers, allowing them to upload assets to the Salesforce org. This can include CSS, static HTML, or JavaScript, which could help your site function properly.

To begin, let’s look at open-source assets and how they could affect Salesforce security if uploaded into your static resources.

In this article, we will discuss how open-source assets in Salesforce Digital Experiences can be the entry point for attackers, and why you should care.

Almost 95% of companies are actively using open-source code, which makes it a reason to worry about. Also, a wide-reaching vulnerability was recently discovered in an open-source Java library called Log4j that impacted many Salesforce customers and AppExchange vendors.

Open source libraries have the ability to devastate a business since the code is being developed by individuals outside of an organization, and is subject to social engineering and injection of malicious code. Then why can’t companies just no use such code?

The truth is nothing is entirely secure over the internet. If it’s not open-source code, it could be something else. Also, leaving out working with open-source code can make a company miss out on many benefits. A few of these are mentioned below.

1.   Provides extended flexibility

Although it could be scary to use open-source code after reading so much about its associated vulnerabilities, you can’t deny the ease and flexibility it adds for developers to work with less familiar code to develop complex applications.

2.   Improves developer efficiency

Accessing open-source code can save time for developers in sprints while they develop using the agile methodology. This proves helpful for companies rushing to develop solutions faster to meet customers’ needs.

3.   Enables remote collaboration

We are in the age when working from home has become a trend using remote collaboration among teams. This collaboration is possible only because of open-source repositories that have enabled teams to scale up for development and down for handling maintenance.

Enough reasons to keep using open-source code? So, the only way here is to understand these attacks better and devise ways to safeguard your data while using open-source code. 

You have probably heard that in cyber security, there’s nothing that is 100% secure. This is actually true. As we develop new security tools or measures, attackers simultaneously advance how they perform their attacks. The same is true for open-source code as well.

Now the real question is how are they doing this?

• Social engineering:

Consider a developer working on an open source library such as JQuery. Before finalizing it, the code gets reviewed multiple times for any structural deficiencies, threats, etc. Initially, the review process remains stringent, but the developer earns the trust with the passing days. And sooner or later, the review process becomes more streamlined and less thorough than it was earlier, thus leaving room for errors. Suppose a hacker targets a developer who has already acquired the trust of peers and convinces them to pass their open source repository credentials to the attacker so they can “help” the developer to make updates to the open-source code. In that case, the hacker can gain access to it and exploit the loopholes that have been missed due to the review process gaps.

A Salesforce developer could end up downloading a code or library that has malicious content, and uploading it as a Salesforce static resource. It could be in the form of a trojan or a backdoor keystroke logger, opening a Salesforce Digital Experience for an attack.

• Structural Integrity:

Another potential risk that you might encounter while using an open-source code is structural integrity. Once an issue is found that can be exploited on an open-source code, it can be exploited anywhere it was used, making it a source for mass exploitation. For example, if you are using the same open-source code across multiple sites.

It can be devastating for a business to face a malware attack because of a loophole in their Salesforce static resource assets. What’s more threatening is that Salesforce Digital Experiences aren’t just used by customers but also include data about and for partners and employees. All of this sensitive data could be up for grabs because of vulnerabilities. That’s quite scary!

How to Overcome Risks Associated with Open-Source Assets

It’s pretty clear that using open-source code is essential for Salesforce developers. We can’t completely skip it even when we know its vulnerabilities. Then what else can we do?

Writing all the code in-house and altogether leaving out the open-source code isn’t a long-term solution to this problem. What’s needed here is to understand the risk and find a way to save the data from it. We’ve covered a few examples below on preventing attacks and saving your data while using static resources.

1.   Follow strict open-source protocols

The kind of flexibility open-source code adds for developers is unmatched. So when you know open-source is vital for you, you need  to scrutinize the code and ensure that the code is safe for use by running comprehensive security reviews on all open source code and approving it prior to allowing it to be uploaded to Salesforce.

2.   Implement a Strict DevOps Deployment Process

Creating a strict review process is not enough. It still is possible that a piece of code that was not reviewed makes it into a production environment. It is because of this that you must also implement strict deployment procedures with additional review gates to ensure that only code that has been properly reviewed makes it into production environments.

3.   Use trusted malware mitigation tools

As malicious actors and hackers attempt to exploit web apps and applications, technology brings us new ways to secure our systems and data. One way here is to use a trusted tool to scan and mitigate malware before it does any damage. One such tool is EzProtect, the only virus scanning application for Salesforce that supports scanning of static resources in Salesforce.

To learn more about scanning threats, learn about EzProtect, which is one such tool designed by experienced Salesforce professionals to scan threats like ransomware, virus, malware, etc., embedded in an open-source code. EzProtect is the state-of-the-art solution to enable cybersecurity in your company for your Salesforce environments, enabling developers to access open-source code while being able to detect and remove vulnerabilities from Salesforce.

If you are concerned about your data being exposed or unsafe, Book a FREE Salesforce security assessment, to see if you are at risk.

The Risks of a Salesforce Security Breach, and How to Avoid One

Today, many organizations live and breathe Salesforce, and its popularity has skyrocketed more than ever. Higher revenue, better customer satisfaction, and business growth elevate the demand for salesforce more and more. However, with its myriad advantages, the platform also has some serious security concerns that need addressing.

In 2021 alone, over 22 million records were exposed. No doubt, Salesforce comes with various control sets to protect the data stored in Org. But there are still certain errors and vulnerabilities that put sensitive information at risk. Therefore, every organization’s priority should be ensuring Salesforce's security remains intact. Now you may wonder: what are the risks of a Salesforce security breach? In this blog, you will get to know all the details, but first, let’s understand the Salesforce data security model.

What is the Model of Salesforce Data Security?

Be it personal records or Org data, Salesforce has its own model for safeguarding all that information. There are three layers of security through which the tool looks after your organization’s data.

1. Object-Level-Security:

   Salesforce by default uses a pessimistic approach when it comes to data security. It verifies whether the user has permission to view that particular type of object, and then it allows access. For managing object-level security, it uses permission sets, two types of configurations, and profiles.

2. Field-Level-Security:

   Even if a person can access objects, he or she still has to get access to individual fields. For example, administrators have the power to give read or write permission to a user, and they can also remove all access from that field.

3. Record-Level-Security:

   This type of security deals with record sharing and controls users' access to records. There are sharing rules, role hierarchy, manual sharing, and organization-wide sharing defaults to decide who can have access to the record.

Even though Salesforce offers a top-notch model to protect the data, there are certain aspects of its environment that threat actors can exploit.

Top Risks Associated with a Salesforce Security Breach

Like any other tool, Salesforce also has some blind spots that can pose a major hazard to your organization. Here are some of the security risks of a Salesforce security breach. 

1. Authorization Vulnerabilities:

As Salesforce is a multi-user environment, access control or authorization becomes a big part of the security. When used correctly, each person can access only those functions and resources that are designated to them. Unfortunately, implementing the following authorization schemas will leave your application exposed to threats.

• If a single user gives access to multiple users

• If developers have less understanding of platform operations and access controls.

• When developers lack awareness of input manipulation, hackers use exploit them

2. Connection with APIs:

APIs create interactions between different software and are used to improve the overall experience between disconnected systems. Salesforce uses APIs to enhance the user experience, but unsecure third-party apps expose users to a variety of threats. Some of them include:

• Code Injections: Attackers put a malicious code in between the API codes to extract information from Salesforce Org.

• DDoS Attacks: Here, multiple systems perform a DDoS attack on a single system, causing the system to slow down or shut down.

• Replay Attacks: In this attack, the threat actor makes a user request to get information about authorized credentials.

• Exposed cardholder data: With debugging tools, attackers can get the information of the cardholder, thus leaving it unsecure.

• URI keys having important data: Some APIs also give a URI with an access key, but the details of the URI include passwords, system logs, and many other confidential data.

Integrating with an unsecured API can create compliance problems and result in data breaches.

3. Insider Threats:

When it comes to insider threats, any Salesforce user could be one. However, it depends on the roles and the access levels they have to extract information. Most companies today allow users to access Salesforce on personal devices, which leads to more risks. Certain insider threats to look out for are:

• Ex-employees who know all essential information of the organization.

• Users who commit errors due to negligence put data at risk.

• Insiders who intentionally disclose data to hamper the organization’s reputation.

• Some users who have more rights than they need can create security threats by making configuration modifications.

4. Increased Data Exposure:

In number of ways a user can access the data of Salesforce and it is a necessity now to control those who have the power to get your Org data. With expansion of a company, evolves the data pool and keeping it secure becomes difficult. Providing improper permissions to users leads to overexposure of data, thus making them vulnerable to attacks. If you are someone who doesn’t update third-party applications more often, then that also exposes your data to new threats.

5. Risks of Coding Errors:

New application and update creation on Salesforce does produce numerous opportunities for your organization. However, a single code error may create a huge security risk. During the development process, each security issue should be checked, and the quality of codes also needs proper scrutiny so that no one can exploit the data stored in them.

Ways to Assess Salesforce Data Security Risks

Data security risks in Salesforce are quite unavoidable but knowing where the vulnerabilities may lie is a great way to overcome the danger. Take a look at these points to assess the risks present in your Salesforce environment.

• Find out Who has Access to Information: You may think of cybercriminals whenever the topic of data security comes up. But sometimes, insider threats are the worst ones. Employees often unintentionally expose your data to risk through mistakes like accidental deletion or incorrect access methods. Therefore, control the permission settings and give access to only those who directly require it.

• Categorize the types of data: First, start with separating the different types of data that have chances of exploitation. All information is important but certain data hold more importance that you would never want to be compromised. So, evaluate all data sets and group them on the basis of their sensitivity.

• Identify Potential Vulnerabilities: Hackers often go to the login screens to enter your system. Therefore, use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication to enhance security.

• Monitor Reporting Procedures: Documenting everything to know the potential threats that could create a bigger issue. Track access logs and login history to learn whether it is used by any unauthorized person.

• Consider Backup Options: It is always better to prepare for a data loss, and installing a backup system is the best way to do so. Whether it's a natural disaster or a system failure, you'll need a backup to recover your data.

• Prioritize Security Scanner: No matter how many rules you follow to protect your system, there are still some vulnerabilities that can put it in danger. Hence, prioritize using a security scanner like EzProtect that scans for viruses and safeguards your business from huge losses.

Wrapping Up

Salesforce is one of the biggest CRM platforms, but it also poses data security risks. Although it is increasing the security effort, the risks of new vulnerabilities still put your system in danger. The perfect way to mitigate these risks is by opting for a complete cybersecurity solution that prevents damage and saves you millions.

If you are concerned about your data being exposed or unsafe, Book a FREE Salesforce security assessment, to see if you are at risk.

Come visit our site today, if you would like to learn more about EzProtect, and how we can help protect you.