Your client list is the business. So are the vaccination records, the notes on which dog can't share a pen, and years of booking history. If you've moved all of that into a piece of software, it's fair to ask where it went and who's looking after it.
Here's our answer in plain English.
We've left out the finer detail of how everything is configured. That's deliberate, and it's normal for any software company. A public map of the locks doesn't make anyone safer.
Where is my data stored?
In Sydney. Your business and customer records sit on servers in Australia, and the applications that use them run in the same region. Sign-in runs in an Australian region too.
Some jobs go to specialist providers, and a few of those operate globally. Stripe processes card payments, for example, and messaging and support tools need a phone number or an email address to do their work. They get what that job needs, and our terms set out how that works.
Who holds the card details?
Stripe does. When a client saves a card or pays a deposit, the card number goes to Stripe, and Petboost keeps a reference to it along with the sort of thing you'd see on a receipt, like the brand and last 4 digits.
Stripe is certified to PCI DSS Level 1, the highest level in the card payment industry. You get the benefit of that without a card number ever sitting in your own system.
We should say we have an interest here, since card payments in Petboost run on Stripe. We chose it because holding card data safely is a specialist job, and Stripe is built for it.
What about passwords?
We don't store those either. Sign-in runs on Auth0, a specialist identity platform, and business teams and pet owners sign in through separate systems.
Your password is still your front door, though. Use a long one that you don't use anywhere else, and give each team member their own login so nobody's sharing.
Is my data kept apart from other businesses?
Yes. Each business's records live in a separate database, so your appointments, services and customer records aren't sitting in one big table beside everyone else's. A pet owner who books with more than one business has a shared account, because that's what lets them see their own pets and bookings in one place.
What happens if something fails?
The database runs as three live copies, so one server failing doesn't take your records with it. Backups are automated, and we take an extra snapshot before planned database upgrades.
Your data is encrypted in transit, which covers the trip between your phone and our servers, and at rest, which covers where it's stored.
The platform itself runs on names you'll recognise: Microsoft Azure, MongoDB Atlas and Cloudflare. They spend more on protecting their infrastructure than a business our size ever could, and they hold their own independent certifications for the services they provide. We lean on that deliberately.
Do you hold SOC 2 or a similar certification?
Not yet. SOC 2 is on our roadmap, and we'd rather tell you that straight than let a badge imply something it doesn't. If your business needs it, talk to us about timing and what we can provide in the meantime.
Security also isn't something you finish. We review the platform, we find things to improve, and we fix them through our normal releases, and that work will keep going for as long as Petboost exists.
Can I get my data out?
Yes, whenever you like. You can download pets, owners, services, team, resources, packages, balances and appointment history as CSV files, and you don't need to ask us first. We never sell your data, and it stays yours if you leave.
What to ask any software company
Whether you're looking at us or anyone else, these are worth asking before you hand over your client list:
- Where is my data stored, and which other companies see part of it?
- Who holds my clients' card details?
- Is my data separate from other businesses?
- How is it backed up?
- Which certifications do you hold yourselves, and which belong to your suppliers?
- How do I get all of it out, and does that cost anything?
A good company will answer those without fuss. Those are our answers above, and there's a bit more on our trust and security page.
If you have a question that isn't covered here, ask us in chat. Not on Petboost yet? Book a demo and ask us there.