PortfolioAbout This Article
This article revisits the conventional wisdom that "customer data should be stored internally" and explains why choosing not to store data can be the right decision. This decision was derived from three perspectives: security, legal liability, and operational costs.
Traditional Approach and Its Problems
When "Storing Internally Was Standard"
In traditional EC sites, storing customer information in your own database was common practice. Customer data was considered an "asset," and it was natural to manage and utilize it internally.
However, this approach carries significant risks that are often overlooked.
Risks of Internal Storage
| Category | Risk | Specific Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Data breach | Legal liability, damages, loss of trust |
| Security | Unauthorized access | Service outage, data tampering |
| Legal | Personal data protection law violations | Administrative penalties, fines |
| Legal | GDPR violations (overseas customers) | High sanctions |
| Operational | Security audits | Regular costs and effort |
| Operational | Vulnerability response | Emergency response resources |
| Operational | Backup management | Infrastructure costs |
Choosing to Store Data in Shopify
Shared Responsibility
By storing customer data in Shopify, you can share security responsibilities.
API call authentication management, proper access permission settings, your code's security, employee access management
Data encryption and storage, infrastructure security, unauthorized access prevention, 24/7 monitoring, security certification maintenance, regular vulnerability response
Shopify's Security Track Record
Shopify holds the following security certifications:
- PCI DSS Level 1: The highest level security standard in the credit card industry
- SOC 2 Type 2: Security audit by third-party organizations
- GDPR Compliant: Complies with Europe's strict personal data protection regulations
Maintaining these internally would require enormous costs and specialized expertise.
Implementation Points
Separating Temporary Processing from Persistent Storage
Submit data via registration forms or my page
Validation, format conversion, API calls. Data is not stored
Securely store customer master, purchase history, point information
Rules to Follow
- Don't log personal information: Don't output names or email addresses even in error logs
- Proper disposal of temporary variables: Ensure deletion from memory after processing
- Minimal data retrieval: Only retrieve necessary information via API
- Short session validity: Authentication tokens valid only for minimum required period
Benefits of This Design Decision
Cost Reduction
- No need to hire security specialists
- Reduced security audit costs
- Reduced infrastructure operational costs
Risk Mitigation
- Minimize impact of data breaches
- Distributed legal liability
- Reduced emergency response burden
Improved Development Efficiency
- Reduced security implementation effort
- Focus on core business logic
- Rapid release cycles