In order to run a successful business, you need assurance that your cargo is safe, every step of the way. And that’s exactly the kind of security an asset tracker is meant to provide. By staying with your cargo — not with your driver — IoT trackers can provide unrivaled pallet-level intelligenceTM at every step of your shipment’s journey. But these types of insights into the status of your cargo won’t be secure unless the freight visibility platform and software computing that’s happening in the field is secure.
So, when you’re shopping around for the right asset tracker for your cargo, what should you look for? What layers of security can you expect? And should you partner with organizations that use open-source software or cloud storage? Let’s answer some of these questions, and explore what makes Delivery Chain the industry leader in secure transportation management.
A proprietary freight visibility platform
Delivery Chain has built our own proprietary visibility and work-process platform. Why does this matter? Because when you use software that’s already on the market and widely used, it’s more likely to be hacked. Thieves and hackers can cause security breaches more easily when they’ve had the time and exposure necessary to get to know your system and learn whether there are easy holes as opposed to secure APIs.
That’s one of the reasons why Delivery Chain developed our software 100% in-house, with your security top of mind. That way, we can ensure the highest level of security for our clients.
Sending information securely
Delivery Chain offers 24/7 visibility on where your cargo is and how it’s being handled — including whether it’s experienced G-force impacts or worrisome temperature changes. But how does this information make its way to your computer? And is it being transferred securely?
Our freight visibility platform’s secure REST API doesn’t just display real-time tracking and seamless integration with your desired system. It also includes an extra layer of security for your important data.
We use a token-based authentication with our REST API called JSON Web Tokens, which enables encrypted data to be exchanged by two servers. This sophisticated protocol is much more difficult to steal or hack than a password.
Additionally, Delivery Chain rotates our public and private key pairs frequently to ensure they cannot be broken.
It’s all a part of our commitment to our values of delivering truth and authenticity with active, vigilant security measures that keep our clients’ data safe and that display your data on an intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
Minimizing security entry points
Cloud-based data storage might sound like a good idea when it comes saving your vacation photos or music library. But when you’re sending and receiving highly sensitive information, storing it in the cloud can put that data at risk.
At Delivery Chain, we never stream client data into the cloud. And because Delivery Chain has developed our freight visibility platform in-house, we don’t use AWS, Azure, or other cloud providers — making our software less accessible to potential hackers. Instead, everything is stored in a secure, off-cloud location. In the process, we’re able to reduce the number of vectors of entry into our secure system.
Managing and customizing permissions
When your team is juggling multiple shipments and multiple customers, it can be challenging to ensure that you’ve carefully limited access to key information about your cargo to only those who need to know. And when you don’t have complete control over permissions, you can’t ensure your data is safe.
At Delivery Chain, we offer an account-centric service requiring privileges to access certain data. That means everyone who wants to view your data must be granted appropriate access.
What’s more, you can fine-tune and customize permissions according to what works best for you and your organization. Your data is segregated in such a way that you can restrict or grant a multitude of privileges with fine-grained control. That way, you’re always empowered to grant or revoke access as necessary — and you limit the potential for data falling into the wrong hands.
Hardware you can rely on
Essential to the security of your cargo is ensuring that your IoT device is always on, always working, and always transmitting information to you. Every account has a trigger notifying them when their IoT device has fallen below pre-set parameters. After all, 24/7 visibility is the whole point.
That’s why Delivery Chain’s freight visibility platform includes redundant hardware storing data derived from information received from IoT trackers in the field. Hardware redundancy is one of the most effective ways to ensure that a system is dependable and fully functional at all times — so clients are always up and running.
Mitigating loss and tracking stolen cargo
Delivery Chain’s asset trackers stay with your cargo every step of the way, no matter whether it has changed trucks, been moved into a warehouse, or been loaded onto a train. The result is that, if your cargo is stolen, the asset tracker is likely to be stolen right along with it.
This proves to be a huge advantage when it comes to asset recovery. You may be able to track your cargo even after it is stolen, empowering local authorities to take action quickly. And even if your cargo isn’t recovered, you’ll know precisely when and where it veered off course. Including that information in an insurance filing helps you more easily establish the party at fault, and increases your likelihood of being reimbursed for your losses.
Auto-alerts and advanced geofencing
With Delivery Chain’s freight visibility platform and asset tracker, you’ll receive automatic alerts when key events occur — for instance, when your cargo experiences a G-force impact that might result in damage, or when temperature changes threaten the viability of your items.
You can also customize these alerts. For instance, you can identify key waypoints along your cargo’s journey — say, when it reaches a warehouse, or when it crosses a state line. Delivery Chain’s one-of-a-kind “deadline geofence” trigger will notify you immediately when your cargo reaches these waypoints or if they do not meet waypoints by a certain time. That way, when your cargo has been misplaced or stolen — or even if it’s just running behind schedule — you’ll know a lot sooner, empowering you to react right away.
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Keeping your data safe is just as important as keeping your cargo safe. And that’s why Delivery Chain offers up the full package: from the best transportation management software in the business to cutting-edge insights on the status of your shipment, Delivery Chain is changing the way we ship.