Security & Data Handling

Hosting and data residency

Civic Desk runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS). All data is stored and processed within the United States:

• Primary region: AWS US East (us-east-1). No data is processed or stored outside the United States.
• Database: Amazon RDS (PostgreSQL) with encryption at rest and in transit.
• Document storage: Amazon S3 with server-side encryption and access controls scoped to each municipality.
• Email delivery: Amazon SES for transactional notifications.
• Each municipality's data is logically isolated — no municipality can access another's records.
• Agencies do not need to provision or manage any infrastructure. Civic Desk is fully managed SaaS.

Data minimization and scope

Within the Civic Desk platform:

• We design solutions to minimize collection and storage of personal data
• We avoid storing sensitive data unless the project explicitly requires it and the agency approves the approach
• If forms are used, we implement only the fields needed and clearly define where submissions are routed (email, CRM, ticket system, database, etc.)

Access controls

We follow least-privilege principles:

• Separate roles for content authors, editors, and administrators
• Admin access restricted to the smallest necessary set of users
• MFA enabled wherever supported (CMS, hosting, source control, email)
• Access reviewed during handoff and after major personnel changes (on request)

Secrets and configuration management

We protect credentials and configuration across environments:

• API keys and secrets are stored in secure environment variable systems (not committed to source control)
• Production secrets are not shared in plain text
• Rotation is supported and recommended on a defined cadence or when staff access changes

Backups and recoverability

Backup approach varies by architecture, but typically includes:

• Source code version control (Git)
• CMS content export and/or space/environment backup strategy
• Deployment rollback support (where available)
• Documentation of restoration steps and ownership (agency vs Compubility)

For projects requiring stronger disaster recovery guarantees, we define explicit RPO/RTO expectations in the SOW.

Logging, monitoring, and vulnerability management

For supported environments, we implement:

• uptime/availability monitoring (as part of maintenance plans)
• error reporting and performance monitoring (as appropriate)
• dependency patch cadence (routine + expedited for critical advisories)
• secure headers and baseline hardening measures (e.g., HTTPS, CSP where appropriate)

Incident handling

If we become aware of a suspected security incident impacting a system we manage, we will:

• promptly notify the agency point of contact
• preserve relevant logs/telemetry to the extent available
• assist with investigation, mitigation, and recovery based on the agreed support scope

Specific incident response SLAs and responsibilities can be defined in the maintenance agreement.

Third-party services

Modern web delivery often involves third-party platforms (hosting, CMS, analytics, forms, maps, etc.). When used:

• we document what services are in scope
• we limit permissions and access where possible
• we configure services using security best practices
• we provide a list of third-party services for agency review

Privacy and public records considerations

We can support privacy notices, consent configurations (where required), and content/data retention requirements as defined by the agency. Final requirements and responsibilities are captured in the SOW.

Contact

For security-related questions or requests:

Email: security@compubility.com

Last updated

Last updated: January 11, 2026