Forrester Social Suites Wave: Brandwatch Gets Highest Possible Score for Privacy and Security

The Forrester Social Suites Wave is a comprehensive and respected assessment of the key vendors in our industry.

Brandwatch has been named a Strong Performer by Forrester in 2024 and given the highest possible scores in four categories: Social Listening, Customer Service, Privacy & Security, and Supporting Services & Offerings.

We are particularly proud to be recognized by Forrester as having a superior approach to privacy and security as this has been a high-priority goal for us and something we have championed within the social suites industry for many years. 

At Brandwatch we process a huge amount of information every day and we are responsible for handling the credentials for the social accounts of many of the world’s biggest brands. This is not a responsibility we take lightly and we know that protecting our customers from risk is critical to providing the services that we offer. 

We collect, store, and analyze data from hundreds of millions of online sources as well as data our customers upload into our platform. Our customers need to know they are using data that has been compliantly processed in a way that respects user privacy and adheres to industry-leading standards and protocols. 

We also help many customers manage their official social channels across teams and regions. They need comprehensive approval flows and secure credential lifecycle processes to trust us with their social network login data. 

What does it take to be named as best in class for privacy and security by Forrester?

To be recognized by Forrester as having a differentiated approach to privacy and security requires considerable investment, privacy and security-by-design principles, and productized security controls.  

At Brandwatch we go above and beyond in a number of ways:

• We practice privacy and security by design and default. Our heads of Privacy and Security are deeply embedded in our R&D and roadmap development processes. Any new use of personally identifiable information must go through a privacy review and all new features must go through security review. 
• Our Executive Leadership Team is directly involved in Information Security Governance and receives at least a quarterly briefing comprised of metrics, status updates, and cybersecurity roadmap details. This enables a top-down approach for Information Security. 
• We have been ISO 27001:2022 certified since 2016, ensuring our security controls are fit for purpose, are continuously updated, and follow industry standards. 
• Our Information Security Awareness training is attended by all employees and covers all aspects of Information Security. 
• We also provide an annual Privacy, Compliance, and AI Governance training to all employees. 
• We apply a comprehensive access control policy to all employees and contractors, based on the principle of least privilege.  
• In our Social Media Management solution, Brandwatch makes extensive use of a SIEM to gather and analyze all logs, ensuring traceability is available for all requests. Additionally an audit log is available to customers enabling them to see actions performed.
• For regulated industries (government, financial, and healthcare) we have created an aggregated and anonymized platform, offering hashed author names, handles, and avatars. 

We also have dedicated Privacy and Security teams.

• Our VP of Privacy has been a full-time privacy professional since 2017 and holds CIPM, CIPP/e, and FIP certifications from the IAPP. She also acts as the Chapter Chair for the Boston region of the IAPP KnowledgeNet.  
• Our DPO holds a law degree and has been a full-time privacy professional since 2017. 
• Several other members of the wider legal team hold privacy certifications from the IAPP and independently handle privacy matters.  
• Privacy champions meet with the privacy team regularly to ensure our privacy-by-design-and-default program is always running smoothly. 

When it comes to governance, privacy, and security, Brandwatch is the solution that the world’s biggest brands trust.