Security and Data Governance in ERP to eCommerce Integrations: What Manufacturers Must Control

3 min read ● Silk Team

Integration of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system with an e-commerce (eComm) platform creates an opportunity for hackers to exploit the increased attack surface created by integrating ERP and eComm platforms. While the benefits of integration include efficiency and scalability, the potential for a significant increase in the number of attacks on the ERP system presents a challenge for ERP and eComm vendors alike.

ERP systems have historically been located behind company-controlled firewalls, which limit external access to the systems. However, since eCommerce platforms are designed to be accessed over the Internet, integrating an ERP system into an eCommerce platform presents a challenge for both companies in terms of security and governance.

When an ERP system is integrated into an eCommerce platform, there will likely be additional vulnerabilities including:

  • External access to sensitive ERP data.
  • Increased API exposure.
  • Data moving across multiple systems and vendors.
  • Shared responsibility for security breaches.

In addition to the above mentioned vulnerabilities, the ERP system’s existing governance model must be extended to include governance of eCommerce data. Not all ERP data has the same level of sensitivity, nor does all data require the same level of protection.

Typically, the most sensitive data in B2B manufacturing includes:

  • Customer-specific pricing and contract details.
  • Personally identifiable customer information (PII).
  • Details about each order and invoice.
  • Credit limits and payment terms.
  • Inventory availability for key customers.

As ERP platforms such as SAP and Oracle NetSuite govern internal controls, those controls do not necessarily apply to integrated eCommerce systems.

Common security gaps in ERP-eComm integrations:

1. Over-permissive API access.

One common error made during the integration process is providing excessive ERP access to the integration “for safety”.

Excessive ERP access can potentially expose:

  • Unrelated and unnecessary tables or objects.
  • HR or Financial data unrelated to commerce.
  • Administrative functions.

Best Practice: Least Privileged Access. Only provide eCommerce with access to the necessary ERP data for commerce and nothing else.

2. Weak authentication between systems.

Using static credentials, API Keys, or Long-Lived Tokens exposes your ERP system to a higher risk of being breached.

If you have a weak authentication method, a hacker could gain:

  • Read access to Pricing and Inventory data.
  • Write access to Orders, Customers or other data.
  • Persistent access without detection.

Best Practice: Token-Based Authentication with Rotation, Expiration, and Revocation.

3. Poor separation of duties.

When integration logic is poorly governed, developers may introduce changes without proper approval, pricing logic can be inadvertently changed, and audit trails may be incomplete.

This is particularly concerning in regulated B2B and contract-heavy industries.

Data Governance: A Critical but Often Ignored Part of Security

While security protects access to data, data governance ensures the integrity of data, who owns it, and who is accountable for it.

Without a governance structure, even if an integration is secure, it can still be incorrect.

Key principles of data governance for integration:

1. Establish Clear System Ownership

Manufacturers need to define:

  • ERP = the System of Record for Pricing, Inventory, Orders and Customers.
  • eComm = the System of Experience and Self-Service.

Without clear definitions, there is ambiguity, conflict, override, and silent corruption of data.

2. Regulate Data Flow and Authority

Not all data needs to flow in both directions.

Example:

  • Price should only flow from ERP → eCommerce.
  • Orders should only flow from eCommerce → ERP.
  • Financial Adjustments should never begin in eCommerce.

Defining the direction of data flow reduces the potential for unintended data pollution.

3. Enforce Validation and Approval Rules

An integration should never bypass business controls.

Example:

  • Orders greater than Credit Limits.
  • Prices outside Contract Terms.
  • Inventory Allocations against rules.

Validation and Approval belong in the ERP Logic – regardless of digital initiation.

Platform Considerations for Secure Integration

Ecommerce Platforms like Shopify and Adobe Commerce have robust security features; however, they rely on responsible integration design.

The majority of the time security issues stem from:

  • Custom Scripts.
  • Poorly Governed Middleware.
  • Un-Monitored Background Jobs.

Security is only as good as the weakest link in your integration.

Monitoring, Auditing and Incident Response

Secure integrations must be observable.

Manufacturers should Implement:

  • Logging of All ERP eCommerce Data Exchanges.
  • Alerting for Failed Syncs or Unusual Activity.
  • Audit Trails for Pricing, Order and Customer changes.

Teams need to understand what changed, when and why in case of a failure.

Compliance

Based on Industry and Geographical Location, ERP eCommerce integrations may be subject to:

  • Data Privacy Regulations.
  • Financial Reporting Controls.
  • Customer Contract Obligations.

Architecture of integration should support compliance, not circumvent compliance.

This usually requires:

  • Documented Data Flows.
  • Controlled Change Management.
  • Periodic Security Reviews.

Best Practices Checklist

To effectively secure ERP to eCommerce integrations:

  • Use Least Privilege Access to all APIs.
  • Use Modern Authentication and Token Management.
  • Define clear data ownership and direction.
  • Validate all critical data in the ERP.
  • Continuously Log, Monitor, and Audit.
  • Treat integration logic as Production Infrastructure.

Security and Governance are Ongoing Disciplines

ERP to eCommerce integration provides efficiency through operational systems in digital channels. This expansion of operations increases responsibility.

Companies that successfully integrate their ERP systems into eCommerce platforms, do not view security and governance as restrictions, they use them as enabling technologies. When integration is secure, governed, and observable, companies can expand digital commerce without risking customer trust, compliance, or control.

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