Module 26 · Specialist · 9 min read
Professional ethics, data protection and confidentiality
You will be able to: Apply professional ethics in client work; Handle client data safely during a project; Use Zeyto's protections for backups, migration and support correctly.
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A consultant is let into a client's books, customer lists, prices and sometimes payroll. That trust is the business. Five habits protect it.
- Honesty: describe what Zeyto does and does not do. Never promise a feature you have not seen working.
- Independence: disclose any commission or relationship that could bias a recommendation, such as a hardware referral fee.
- Confidentiality: use client information only for the project, and do not discuss it with other clients.
- Competence: say when something is outside your skill, and bring in the accountant, an IT specialist or Zeyto.
- Respect for the client's decisions: advise, record, and let the client's accountant and sponsor decide tax and policy.
Data protection in practice
- Take the minimum data needed. Ask for the fields in the mapping workbook, not the whole database.
- Receive and send files only through channels the client approves, not personal e-mail or messaging.
- Work on the client's equipment or an approved environment. Do not keep copies on a personal laptop.
- Create your own named user with a suitable role for the project and remove it at the end. Never ask for or use another person's password.
- Remove or return files at the end, as the contract says, and tell the client in writing.
- Personal data protection laws may apply to the client's customer, supplier and staff data. Ask the client to take legal advice, and include confidentiality and data terms in the SOW.
Zeyto's protections to use
| Situation | What Zeyto provides | Your practice |
|---|---|---|
| Backups | A backup holds every company on the computer and can be protected by a passphrase of at least 12 characters that Zeyto never stores | Client keeps the passphrase away from the backup drive; the consultant never keeps it |
| Migration Tool | Passwords stay in memory; they are never saved or written to the log. The tool never changes the old system | Use a dedicated migration user with only the permissions needed, then disable it |
| Support | The customer opens a support window of 1 hour, 4 hours, 1 day or 3 days and hands over a code shown once; the customer can end it at any time | Ask for a window, not an admin password |
| Diagnostics Bundle | A zip with version, licence state, recent errors and backup state; no business data and no passwords | Attach it to tickets instead of screenshots of data |
| Audit trail | The Audit Log records who changed what; support access is attributed to a support identity | Know that your actions are traceable |
A shared passwordDuring cutover a client's IT person e-mails the administrator password to three people. The consultant refuses to use it, asks for a named user with the Accountant role for the project, and the administrator changes the shared password. The project continues, and the audit log shows only named users.
Watch outNever test on live customer data from a personal machine. If you need realistic data, ask for a masked copy approved by the client.
Practise in the demo
- List the data you would need for a migration and mark which fields are personal data.
- In the demo open Settings, then Diagnostics Bundle and Security Policy and read what they control.
- Open https://demo.zeyto.app/demo-app/ and sign in with the demo login. This is a public demo with sample data, so nothing you do there affects a real business.
Public demo company, sign in as admin / demoAdmin123. Data refreshes nightly.
Key takeaways
- Be honest, independent, confidential, competent and respectful of the client's decisions.
- Take minimum data, use approved channels, named users, and delete or return at the end.
- Use passphrase-protected backups, support windows and the Diagnostics Bundle; never take passwords.
Check yourself
5 questions on this lesson. Not timed, not the exam, and you can try again. Score 60% or more, and read the lesson, to complete it.