RescueTime Provides Enterprise Class Security
RescueTime is a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider with hundreds of business customers, and we recognize that the security of your personal data and your company's trade secrets are critical. In line with our focus on privacy, we've taken steps to make sure your data is secure. If you have any concerns that aren't covered here, please contact us. Below are the highlights of our security architecture:
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RescueTime utilizes several layers of security to keep your data safe. Our system requires that all users have a valid email and password to send or retrieve data from the service, and all passwords are stored in a secure, encrypted format. We authenticate each request for data from our service and use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption to secure data as it travels from the user's computer to our application. SSL encryption is the same technology that banking and e-commerce sites use to secure data like your credit card number or bank account details.
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RescueTime's database and application servers are hosted on Amazon's AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud architecture. This provides us the most stable and secure architecture possible - utilizing the same security as one of the most trusted names in digital e-commerce, while allowing us to keep our package pricing costs affordable for smaller teams and individuals. AWS provides both security and scalability - allowing us to smoothly grow to seamlessly meet the needs of our expanding customer base. For more information on AWS security, you can read their whitepaper.
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Each of RescueTime's servers is governed by a strict security policy, and are continuously monitored for violation attempts. Data is replicated to a fail-over slave database, and remote back-ups are preformed securely each night.
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RescueTime's founding team has a long history of secure Software as a Service (SaaS) architecture development and implementation. Key RescueTime technologists have worked on secure services for fortune 500 companies like UPS, IBM and ADP Employease. RescueTime is a venture-backed, funded company with a track record for growth and stability.
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A big part of what makes RescueTime secure comes from our privacy policy. We do not capture any information unwillingly, and we provide many levels of protection for the amount of private data you want us to be able to collect, as well as expose all data on the client computer in a human readable format to let you examine the data we are sending to our service.
Frequently Asked Questions about RescueTime Security
- Does RescueTime capture my usernames and passwords for third party sites or applications?
No, RescueTime only monitors which applications and websites are currently in focus, as well as window titles and URLs. We do not capture keystrokes or take screen captures of what is actually being used.
- Do I own the data I'm sending to RescueTime?
Yes, your data is your own. We provide you the ability to delete any and all of your data at any time. Paid account subscribers can even export their data into a portable format for external use.
- My company uses private, internal applications that are not visible outside of our network. Does RescueTime expose these to the outside world?
No, RescueTime will not expose trade-secret or internal applications or websites to the outside world. You can also, if you wish, choose to only expose applications and websites using our built-in white list feature, which lets you specify only the applications and websites you want to be able to track.
- Does having my data hosted on RescueTime's servers benefit me?
Yes, having your data hosted alongside other users' and companies' data lets us provide you with data comparison tools which let you compare yourself to the population at large, as well as other individuals or teams like you. You also benefit from taxonomy categorization of sites and applications generated by everyone already using the system. This lets you get up and running faster with tags and categories by making use of the work that people who have come before you have already done.
Where can I find out more about the technology that protects my data?
Amazon Web Services Whitepaper (pdf)
Saas and Security: Is Your Data Safe? (eSecurity Planet article)
SaaS Security Concerns are Cynical, Say Experts (CXO Today article)
If you still have questions or concerns, please contact us.
