Keeping an eye on who has access to your Nfield domain, and which permissions they each have, may not always seem like a high priority. But this is key to maintaining security and operational efficiency. Why? Because the fewer people can get into your data and settings, the lower the risk of things going wrong.

Over time, team structures change, new users join your organization, and others leave. The number of people with unnecessary access to sensitive information and operational abilities can easily get out of control.

Failure to keep on top of this can leave you exposed to security threats and operational errors, whether accidental or malicious. From the curious team member who unwittingly alters an important setting, to the temporary external contractor whose devices are maybe less secure, or even the ex-employee with a grievance, every authorized user is a potential gateway to significant problems. But by minimizing your permissions and being vigilant about who has them, you can go a long way to protecting your interests.   

Best practices for managing Nfield user access and roles

Here are some easy-to-implement tips for keeping your Nfield access permissions up to date.

1. Schedule regular access reviews

Set up a recurring task in your calendar to review user access and roles. For example, you could conduct a monthly or quarterly check to ensure only authorized personnel have access, and that their permissions align with their current responsibilities.

2. Remove inactive or unnecessary users

Former employees, contractors, or temporary users may no longer need access to your Nfield environment. Keeping these accounts active is a potential security risk and creates unnecessary clutter that impedes efficiency.

Steps to follow:

1. Identify users who haven’t logged in for an extended period. To do this, go into Nfield Manager, go to Access, and click the column header Last Login Date to sort.

2. Check with relevant department heads if these people’s access is still required.
3. Revoke access for those who no longer need it.

3. Validate user roles and permissions

Roles should always be based on necessity. Nobody should be given permissions they don’t absolutely need to do their jobs. For a detailed list of permissions associated with each role, refer to the official Nfield documentation: Nfield Roles and Permissions.

• Cross-check each user’s role against their job responsibilities.
• Assign the lowest level of access required in each case.
• Modify or downgrade permissions as needed.

4. Domain Administrator email settings

You should regularly check the email setting for the DA (Domain Administrator) system login to ensure the details are still correct, in case there has been a change of personnel or responsibility. You can find this in Nfield Manager under Access. If Single Sign-On (SSO) is in use for logging in, the information in this setting should still be checked regularly. At the present time, this is used to determine where automatic cleanup emails are sent.

5. Communicate changes with relevant teams

Ensure all stakeholders are informed about any changes to access permissions. Transparency helps maintain efficiency and prevents workflow disruptions.

We recommend you

• Send notifications when user roles are updated.
• Keep department heads informed about access adjustments.
• Provide training on best security practices for new and existing users.

 A little management discipline goes a long way

Access to your Nfield domain is a highly valuable thing. If it falls into the wrong hands, however unintended the route, your operation can be thrown into complete disarray. Our article Your Nfield Login’s Value on the Dark Web explains the temptation for bad actors to get into your data.  

As well as keeping a tight grip on who has access at different permission levels, users are urged to also strengthen login security as described in our article Protecting Your Nfield Login with Two-Factor Authentication.

The best practices described in this article shouldn’t take up much time, but will contribute a lot to your Nfield environment’s security.

Start today by setting a reminder for your next access review, and make it a regular habit!

To be of real value, market research has to be cleaned of invalid responses, such as non-genuine answers and submissions from outside a required geographic region. While you can’t (yet!) put responses through a lie detector test, there are still many ways to identify rogue submissions.

Following the Quality Control tips below will help you catch responses that are deliberately or accidentally invalid. And, thanks to recent improvements to Nfield’s Quality Control feature, taking action is easier than ever.

Here are measures you can take to safeguard survey response quality, followed by a guide to using Nfield’s improved Quality Control feature.

Best practices for identifying invalid survey responses

Set clear data quality benchmarks
Establish predefined criteria for acceptable completion durations, location accuracy, and logical consistency within sets of answers. See below for examples.

Check completion durations
Check for questionnaires that have been completed within an unreasonably short time. For example, if a survey is estimated to take 10 minutes, any that are completed in under two minutes should be flagged for review.

Leverage location data
Verify that respondents are within the target geographical area. For example, if a CAPI survey delivers responses from Birmingham when the target area was London, those responses should be flagged for further review.

Monitor response patterns
Identify anomalies such as straight-lining (choosing the same answer for all questions), contradictory responses, or unusual answer distributions. For instance, if a respondent selects both “Strongly Agree” and “Strongly Disagree” for similar questions, their responses should be reviewed.

Use attention checks and red herring questions
Embed control questions to detect (unintentionally or deliberately) inattentive respondents. For example, a question could instruct, “Select ‘Strongly Agree’ as your answer for this question.” If a respondent fails this check, their survey submission can be flagged as potentially low quality.

Review open-ended responses
Ensure meaningful engagement by analyzing open-text answers. Responses like “asdasd” or “12345” indicate respondents are not making an effort to answer properly.

Combine automated and manual reviews
For optimum results and efficiency, use a mix of manual and automated Quality Control techniques. For example, automated tools can be developed to detect questionnaires that were completed too quickly, while researchers can manually verify the status of flagged responses.

Act fast on low-quality responses
Ensure unreliable responses are filtered out before finalizing data analysis. Removing inconsistent data promptly prevents derivation of misleading insights and improves overall research quality.

Discover Nfield’s enhanced Quality Control feature

With Nfield’s updated Quality Control feature, market researchers can drill down into each interview to see details such as responses, location, duration and other key insights. Any interviews that appear suspicious can easily be flagged for further quality control checks and possible removal.

• Detailed question responses – show how each respondent answered every question, making it possible to identify inconsistencies or suspicious patterns.

• Survey location data – makes it possible to verify whether survey responses satisfy geographical criteria. See Academy #57 for GPS Location Fix.
• Interview duration – reveals completion times, making it possible to identify responses that are likely to be of poor quality due to surveys being completed too quickly.
• Other key metadata – provides access to timestamps, respondent details and more in one centralized location.
• Flag for review – Researchers can flag specific interviews inside the questionnaire script for additional quality checks. Setting the system variable “TTInterviewQuality” to 5 assigns an interview with a “Needs to be checked” status. This is useful for flagging straight-liners (respondents answering too predictably) or speedsters (respondents completing the survey too quickly). Flagged interviews can then be reviewed directly on the Quality Control page without downloading data files.

How to use Nfield’s Quality Control feature

1. Navigate to the Quality Control page in Nfield.
2. Click on any interview to expand the details.
3. Review responses, location (CAPI only), duration, and key metrics.
4. Use the flagging feature inside the questionnaire script to mark responses that require further review.
5. Apply the best practices (described earlier in this article) to refine data collection strategies or optimize survey design.

NOTE: Nfield doesn’t currently include automated Quality Control tools. However, custom scripts for these can be inserted into Nfield.

Elevating Quality Control in Market Research

This latest enhancement reflects NIPO’s commitment to helping market researchers collect and manage the highest-quality data. With greater transparency into individual interviews, you can improve data integrity, identify potential issues faster, and enhance the reliability of your research.

Try the new Quality Control feature in Nfield today and experience the difference! If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out to our support team!

Nfield has introduced new capabilities for conducting quality checks on interviews, allowing users to approve or reject interviews based on quality status. While the development of these features is ongoing, they are already available for user feedback, with options for additional features upon request. This series of NIPO Academy sessions will guide users through the new quality states, paradata for checks, and accessing interview answers directly from the Nfield Manager.

Our CAPI client has always supported an interviewer login with a username and password. As we noticed that many users treated this logon as access to a tablet rather than for a single interviewer, we decided to facilitate this use by creating a specific device logon. In this series of NIPO Academy sessions we will explain the pros and cons of both logon methods and explain how to configure the device logon for your devices.

Nfield CAPI for Android is the leading face-to-face interviewing app for conducting high-quality market research surveys in conjunction with the Nfield data collection platform. Nfield CAPI for Android is normally downloaded from Google Play and other recognised app stores. However, because these app stores are becoming less accessible in China, Chinese market researchers are finding it difficult to download the Nfield CAPI app.  

To solve this problem, NIPO created the Nfield CAPI Android Client Download Center, from where our Chinese users can easily obtain Nfield CAPI for Android and update it with the latest version.

Outside of China, Nfield CAPI for Android remains available for download via Google Play.

How to install the Nfield CAPI Android app in China

1. Go to the Download Center: Open https://capi-app.nfieldcn.com/ on your Android device.
2. Download the latest version: Click on the download link to get the most recent Nfield CAPI APK file.
3. Enable installation from unknown sources: If prompted, allow installation from unknown sources in your device settings.
4. Install the app: Open the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions.
5. Log in and sync surveys: Once installed, log in with your credentials and sync your assigned surveys.

The China-specific version of the Nfield CAPI app will automatically prompt users to download updates when they become available. So you don’t have to worry about missing out on the latest enhancements.

Benefits of using the Nfield CAPI app

The Nfield CAPI app for Android is designed to make professional market research fieldwork easier, faster and more secure.

• Real-time data collection: While the device is online, the structured responses being gathered are securely synced with the Nfield cloud platform.
• Seamless offline interviewing: Fieldwork can continue even when no internet connection is available, as responses are stored locally on the device and automatically synced when online again.
• User-friendly interface: Intuitive design helps interviewers efficiently manage and complete assigned surveys.
• Secure and reliable: Data storage adheres to strict compliance and data protection standards.

 Tips for making the most of Nfield CAPI app

Follow the guidance below to avoid problems with the Nfield CAPI Android app (China), and benefit from new features and performance improvements as they are introduced:

• Always download the app from the official Nfield CAPI Download Center to ensure security and functionality.
• Regularly update the app to benefit from the latest improvements and bug fixes.
• Ensure you are using the correct version of the app intended for China to avoid compatibility issues.
• The Nfield CAPI Android app (China) version will automatically prompt users to download the latest version when it becomes available. Make sure you do this, to stay up to date with the latest features and fixes.
• Contact your market research company’s support team if you encounter any issues during installation or use.

A seamless market research experience for all

The Nfield CAPI Android Client Download Center is a significant step that ensures market research interviewers in China get to enjoy the same seamless experience as other Nfield users around the world. This dedicated platform provides reliable access the latest app versions for China, even when regular app stores are not accessible or do not function properly. Visit https://capi-app.nfieldcn.com/ today to keep your Nfield CAPI app updated!

For further assistance, reach out to your market research company or contact our helpdesk.

With the *ID command you can add an extra (descriptive) id to ODIN questions and codes; and then use this identifier in your script and/or reporting instead of question/code numbers.

You can also use this *ID on *PAGE and *MATRIX which makes it possible to directly refer to this *PAGE or *MATRIX, which means that you can now directly translate these too.

In this series of NIPO Academy sessions we will take you through all the details of this new command.

This NIPO Academy session is organized to bring you up to date with what information Android nowadays returns and how to use the new continuous tracking function in your reporting and scripts.

GPS logging is a game-changer when it comes to improving accuracy, reliability and relevance of market research surveys. From conducting face-to-face interviews to mystery shopping and retail store auditing, GPS logging brings additional layers of insight that let you work smarter and deliver more meaningful results.

Here’s an overview of what GPS logging is, and how it benefits market research.

What is GPS logging in surveys?

GPS logging is the process of capturing and storing geolocation coordinates at the point where market research interviews are conducted. These coordinates are tied to the survey responses, providing precise geographical context.

GPS logging leverages existing GPS functionality in the smartphones and tablets used to record interview responses.

Why use GPS logging in market research?

1. Location verification reduces risk of fake responses

GPS logging provides a powerful means of validating survey data and assuring its integrity. It enables researchers to track exactly where fieldwork is being carried out, to ensure it’s taking place in the intended locations. For example, in mystery shopping or retail audits, GPS coordinates can confirm that interviewers actually visited the specified stores or locations. Using GPS logging thereby reduces the risk of fraudulent or fabricated data, which is the case when surveys are filled out remotely instead of at the designated site.

2. Enhanced location-specific insights

Because GPS logging enables researchers to map survey responses geographically, it also delivers insights into regional or location-specific trends. For example, a beverage company may discover that consumer preferences vary significantly between urban and rural areas, and this helps them fine-tune their distribution strategy.

3. Improved fieldwork management

For studies involving large-scale field teams, GPS logging enables real-time tracking of interviewer activity. This is helpful for ensuring full coverage of assigned areas, as supervisors can monitor progress and adjust fieldwork schedules dynamically to optimize efficiency.

4. Enriched insights through correlations with external datasets

GPS data can also be enriched with external geospatial datasets, such as demographics, traffic patterns, or weather conditions. This adds another dimension to market research insights, revealing correlations that might otherwise go unnoticed.

In summary, GPS logging enhances market research survey quality and efficiency in many ways, making the results even more valuable.

Utilizing GPS logging in Nfield surveys

GPS logging is easily applied in Nfield surveys via three different options:

• Location capture at interview start: verifies the location where questioning began.
• Location capture at interview end: verifies the location where the final response was entered.
• Continuous GPS tracking throughout interview: records location where each question is answered. This monitoring of movement throughout the interview provides deeper behavioral insights and goes further in preventing fraudulent responses.

Learn more about GPS logging and how to integrate it in Nfield surveys

To explore GPS logging in deeper detail and learn how to integrate it effectively into your market research activities, check out our NIPO Academy session Academy 57: GPS location fix.

At NIPO, we’ve always prioritized the principles of security, privacy, compliance, and transparency in everything we do. These values form the foundation of the Nfield platform, ensuring every user can confidently entrust us with their data. The Nfield Trust Center supports our commitment to these principles by providing access to all relevant documentation. 

What is the Nfield Trust Center? 

The Nfield Trust Center is a central repository for all information related to our practices around security, compliance, and privacy. It facilitates full transparency into how we handle and protect our users’ data, providing documentation that can also be shared with market research clients to demonstrate Nfield’s reliability. 

The Nfield Trust Center provides access to essential documents and resources covering: 

1. Security: Insights into the robust measures we employ to protect data. 
2. Compliance: An overview of how Nfield aligns with global and regional regulations. 
3. Privacy: Details about our commitment to safeguarding sensitive information. 

Benefits for market researchers 

The Nfield Trust Center is a practical resource that market researchers can turn to for information, reassurance and guidance. It provides transparency which can be shared with clients, to breed the trust that is a cornerstone of successful partnerships and supports business growth.  

Confidence-building transparency 
Providing centralized access to all key documents and information, the Nfield Trust Center ensures researchers can obtain everything needed for building client confidence. Whether it’s a security policy, compliance certification, or privacy guidelines, it’s all here to view and share. 

Authoritative reassurance 
When market research clients have questions about data security, compliance, or privacy, the Nfield Trust Center equips Nfield users with clear and authoritative answers. As well as providing reassurance, this helps market research businesses demonstrate their own commitment to ethical and secure research practices. 

Alignment with global standards 
The Nfield platform is designed to meet or exceed international standards for data protection, including GDPR and ISO certifications. The Nfield Trust Center enables market researchers to confidently navigate and comply with these regulations, thereby reducing risk and fostering compliance. 

Looking forward 

NIPO is committed to continually enhancing the Nfield Trust Center, ensuring it remains a valuable resource for researchers worldwide. As we expand and refine our offerings, you can look forward to even greater transparency and support.  Take a moment to explore the Nfield Trust Center and find out for yourself how it can benefit your market research business.

Nfield CAPI is designed to run on Android tablets and phones. With so many different Android devices to choose from it is good to understand the considerations that are of importance when making the decision to go for one device or the other.

And with so many differences in usage, there is no device that is best for everyone. Which device is best suited for you depends completely on the kind of surveys that you run, the environment in which your interviewers work, how you want to depreciate your devices and many more factors. This document tries to help you identify some of the choices you will need to make when selecting a device to support your face2face interviewing business.

Nfield CAPI device recommended specs

Nfield CAPI cannot run on any Android device. Some devices are so cheap, that they just do not have enough processing or memory power to run Nfield interviews. Also manufacturers sometimes experiment with the specs of their machines with the result that they run Android but not all the apps from the app store.

Make sure that you test the devices that you intend to use for fieldwork before you buy them. Ask your supplier for a test machine, download the Nfield CAPI app and perform a test interview. If this works, and the speed is to your liking, order the devices; if not, then you know that this device is not for you.

What kind of surveys are you going to run?

Although you can use Nfield CAPI on both tablets and smart phones, the types of surveys that you want to run on Nfield might drive the choice for a typical device. If your surveys are very media heavy because you use a lot of show cards or video, you will probably consider 10” tablets to be the most suited device. If you are mainly doing quick exit polls a 4” or 5” smart phone might be your device of choice. Whichever device you choose, think carefully about all the types of surveys that you would like to run on these devices and not just about the project at hand. This prevents that you buy devices only for this one project that you then cannot use for other projects.

Where and how will the devices be used?

It makes a big difference whether you are conducting interviews on-the-street or in-the-home. On-the-street you might have to deal with unpredictable weather conditions or direct sunlight, whereas in-the-home interviews tend to be much longer in length and hence the device ergonomics become more important. We advise that you take these things into consideration when buying your device. You are strongly recommended to thoroughly test if the device is suitable for your interviewers before bulk purchasing devices for your fieldwork department(s).

On-the-street interviewing
When working outside you will need to factor in weather conditions. Especially direct sunlight can render tablets useless because of screen glare or a screen backlight that is just not powerful enough. You can use protective screen stickers that reduce glare but against poor backlight not much can be done. When you expect your interviewers to work in wet or dusty conditions make sure you select devices that are water proof. Many manufacturers nowadays have models in which the openings are covered to prevent water or dust damage.

Extended holding of the device
When your interviewers need to hold the device in their hands for an extended period of time, you might consider buying ergonomic sleeves for the tablets that protect the tablet and make it easy for the interviewer to hold and carry. If your interviewers are working much in the home of the respondent you might want to consider a sleeve that can be used as a standard or even one that comes with an integrated keyboard for easier typing.

Working in unsafe situations
Tablets and smart phones are objects of desire. Not everyone is able to afford these devices so they are prone to theft. If you know that your interviewer is going to work in a potentially unsafe situation make sure they can hide the tablet when walking on the street or choose a deliberately less appealing device. Make sure your interviewer does not become an unnecessary victim.

Mobile network or wifi only?

When choosing a device you have the choice between wifi enabled devices or 5G enabled devices. The first only supports wifi, the latter both wifi and mobile networks. This does not mean that you need a mobile data subscription with a 5G enabled device; it only means that you can use such a subscription with that device. If you are not sure yet about using 5G we advise that you first buy a limited set of mobile network enabled devices and decide based on your experience in field about which type of connectivity you really need. Although 5G enabled devices are more expensive, in this way you won’t end up with a set of wifi only devices when you find that you do need mobile data connectivity.

Smart-pen or not?

Is it worth investing in a smart-pen or not? The answer is not the same for everyone. For most research you won’t need a smart-pen; your interviewers click only on buttons. Fingers are perfectly suited to that task. However, if you are based in China, Japan or any other country where they use a more elaborate character type set, a pen might prove valuable as keyboard input will be drawn on the keypad rather than typed.

Also, if you require interviewers or respondent to create detailed drawings or require them to sign off on their work a smart-pen might prove a valuable addition. In all other cases a smart-pen is probably an extra that you won’t need. If you do supply your interviewers with a smart-pen, make sure it is physically attached to the tablet or the tablet’s sleeve, as a pen is easily lost and often expensive to replace.

Battery life

One of the things you really do not want is that your interviewer is working in field and the battery suddenly dies. Make sure the tablet you are using has at least a factory stated battery life that is 125% of what you would need in field. So if your interviewers on average work 6 hours per day, make sure the stated battery life is at least 7.5 hours. Be aware that the stated maximum battery life is valid for use with minimum backlight. Unfortunately most tablets do not allow you to replace the battery. As almost all batteries degrade over time, you might consider equipping interviewers with a mobile power supply that functions as a portable battery.

Expected device lifetime

With the average tablet costing between $250 and $650 it is a worthwhile question to ask yourself how long you expect a tablet to last in field. With PC’s many market research companies use a 3 to 4 year depreciation scheme. For tablets and smart phones you might consider reducing this to 2 years. Not only because tablets are cheaper, but also because the specs are changing so quickly a 2 year old tablet might look outdated after this period.

Especially when you consider buying a device that is not running on the latest Android OS, do take into account that life span will be shorter.

If looking outdated is not a problem, you might go the other direction and look for a durable device that will last 4 years or even more. In that case consider the more expensive ruggedized type of tablets and smart phones that are used at construction sites. These devices are shock proof, water proof, dust proof, can be used in direct sunlight and come with replaceable batteries. But they also come with a much higher price tag that can easily exceed $1,000.

A question you need to ask yourself is whether you want to insure your devices. Annual insurance costs are often around 20% of the value of the device. This means that on a company level you will need to claim 20% of the machines in a given year as damaged/broken/lost to break-even. When you have only a limited number of devices it is often a smart idea to have insurance as 1 or 2 broken devices can have a big impact on the total cost of ownership, but for a larger field force it is often cheaper to repair or replace broken devices at your own expense than to have the devices insured.

Many manufacturers offer a standard one-year warranty on their products. In many cases it is possible to buy an additional one-year warranty. Before you consider this offer, check your local legislation on warranty as several countries require manufacturers to give a two-year warranty by law. If you do not have two-year warranty by law, the arguments for deciding about extended warranty are the same as for insurance.

Device management software

Often the device manufacturer itself has a free built in service that allows you to register devices and trace it or wipe it remotely in case of loss. These services assume you are the owner of the device so they include no features for content or usage management. If you want these features you will be looking for Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions that allow you to control what users can do on a device and even completely manage your devices remotely. These extra features do come at a cost though; how much depends on what solution you choose, but expect to pay around $20 per device annually for an MDM solution.

Some MDM solutions allow you to whitelist websites that may be visited with the device. Although a very handy feature, it may also cause problems when using public wifi. If you allow your interviewers to use public wifi networks, make sure that you have whitelisted the login pages of the WiFi networks they are most likely to use. Otherwise they won’t be able to connect to the Internet if the wifi network requires a username and/or password.

Updating the Android version

Google releases regular updates of its Android operating system. Many manufacturers distribute these updates to devices sold in the years before. During the lifecycle of a fieldwork device you can expect to receive one or more updates of the device’s software version. We advise that you only update your devices to a newer Android version after having thoroughly tested it on at least one device.

When you are using Google’s own tablets it is especially important that your test extensively before you update them as Google often pushes out breaking changes without prior notification. Other hardware suppliers typically update two to three months after the new Android version is launched, giving NIPO enough time to adapt the Nfield CAPI app to any breaking changes a new Android version might introduce.

However, because each tablet model has its own Android ‘version’, it is impossible for NIPO to test all devices and Android updates that become available. It is not possible to have the device automatically update the Android version. It needs a manual action from the device user or you can push it using MDM software. When an update for the Android version becomes available for your fieldwork devices the person working with this device will be notified of the update. If you want to prevent them from installing the Android update, make sure your devices are managed using MDM software.

Nfield CAPI app update strategy

Over the years we have developed and supported numerous Nfield CAPI apps. As you can imagine we cannot support all versions indefinitely. With this new strategy we limit the number of Nfield CAPI app versions out in the field.

This will not only save time we spend on investigating problems on older versions of the Nfield CAPI app, but we will use that time to add new features and strengthen the current options that are available. This will also encourage our customers to upgrade to the latest version of the Nfield CAPI app and start using the new features we are continuously developing.

We will update the minimum supported version every quarter. So please keep an eye out on the communications we share about this subject. All our communications can also be found in the release notes section in the ‘Knowledge centre’ in Nfield Manager. If you are still using the classic Nfield Manager, communication can be found in the customer section of our website.

Minimum supported Nfield CAPI app
As of 1 January 2025, the minimum version for the Nfield CAPI app will be 2.28.

Interviewing devices that are running a version of the app that is lower will no longer be able to synchronize. As a domain administrator it is important to act and share this news within your organization, so it gets to the attention of the people that should take action.

If you are working with older Nfield CAPI apps that will stop being supported, now is the time to ensure business continuity by keeping CAPI devices updated with the required minimum app versions. 

Supported Android versions
We align our development efforts with the support Google gives on their versions of the Android mobile operating system. The new versions of the Nfield CAPI app will only be available for Android platforms that are still supported by Google.

This means that you will not be able to install or update the Nfield CAPI app from Google Play on a device that runs a version of Android that is no longer supported by Google. At this moment, this applies to all devices that are running an Android version older than Android 12.

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Keeping your valuable data safe is an absolute priority for us. It’s an obligation that guides everything we do when shaping and powering Nfield’s features. Every conceivable measure is taken to ensure both our team and our software solutions comply with the highest security standards.

Holistic operation

Keeping your data secure depends on a wide range of measures working harmoniously together. A good way to visualize this is to imagine Nfield as a physical office building, where all the different market research and security departments are based. As with all commercial buildings, it is itself protected and complemented with off-site operations. 

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Data security is underpinned by two core foundations  

Our Information Security Management System is ISO 27001:2013 certified. The same as followed by our platform provider, Microsoft.  

NIPO security

We maintain a strong security policy that ensures both your data, and our products are safeguarded round the clock. Independent security experts (ethical hackers) scrutinize our security procedures every year to evaluate our tools, processes and people. The measures to conform with ISO 27001:2013 for our Information Security Management System, as certified by an auditor (Auditor), are strictly followed in every wire connection and by every person in our company. As a matter of principle, the smallest possible number of NIPO specialists have access to Nfield’s infrastructure for carrying out deployments and maintenance. See the Nfield Trust Center where you’ll find information about NIPO practices related to security, compliance, and privacy, in the form of documents that can be shared with your clients.

Microsoft security

Nfield runs on Microsoft Azure, the highly secured cloud known for its flawless, trusted performance, extensive data storage and reliability. Microsoft’s engineers work 24/7 to protect the cloud, scale its powers and administer other services which run on it, including Office365. For more information, please visit the Microsoft Trust Center for up-to-date details on policies, processes, and practices that help you manage data control and comply with industry and government regulations.

Your security controls 

Nfield provides a number of different features that enable you to secure your domain to the highest level.  

Strong Authentication

Two-factor Authentication (2FA): Nfield accounts secured with two-factor authentication require users to enter a code (a token) generated by a standard authenticator app on a mobile phone. This has the effect of complementing something you know (your username and password) with a code obtained through something you have (your phone). It effectively blocks any unauthorized access to your Nfield account, even from those who have obtained your username and password, as these people (or their machines) are unable to retrieve the second factor code from the phone. Your valuable Nfield fieldwork and respondent data is thereby protected from prying eyes. Learn more in our article Protecting your Nfield login with two-factor authentication. 

Single-Sign-On (SSO): For enterprises, Nfield can be set up to use Office 365 accounts for Nfield login. Administration of your Nfield user accounts, for as many Nfield domains as you have, is centralized in your organization’s single-sign-on layer. In the case of an employee leaving the organization or other reason for revoking a person’s system access (e.g. because of a security breach), Nfield will automatically be included in the revoked permissions, with immediate effect from when the account in the single-sign-on layer is disabled or reset. With SSO, your password policy for accessing Nfield is automatically aligned with that of your organization.    

Strong password policy: Nfield can easily be configured to comply with strong password policies. Domain administrators can set rules for things such as password expiration period, old password re-use and strong password requirements (e.g. minimum number of characters and different character sets). You should also regularly revalidate your authorized users and ensure immediate removal of departing employees.

GDPR compliance toolkit 

Survey group access restriction 

Surveys contain valuable, and sometimes sensitive, information. It’s therefore essential to restrict access to certain parts of surveys to those who really need it to do their jobs. This is done by assigning users with specific roles which only allow access to designated areas and functionality. Find out more in our article Controlling access to survey rights. Setting the right access also limits the scope of risk in the case of data breach.

Our security management and facilities

The hypothetical building we’ve used to illustrate Nfield’s operation is managed by NIPO, who take care of its security and facilities to ensure compliance with the highest security and privacy standards. Our Information Security Management System is ISO 27001:2013 certified. We have procedures for everything, encrypt your data everywhere, limit access across the board and continuously test for potential security flaws.  

Private, individual domains 

Your projects are stored in your own individual domain, inaccessible to anyone else – even our employees – unless explicitly requested by you for customer support purposes. 

Access control and logging 

Nfield allows administrators to configure access on a user-by-user basis, defining the scope of activities every user is allowed to perform. Password requirements can also be set to enforce your chosen password policy, however strong you need it to be. All user actions are tracked and domain administrators can review them individually. The system automatically signs users out when inactive for more than 15 minutes. 

Data backup

Your collected data is stored in secure Microsoft SQL database servers and replicated in other data centers so it can be restored in the event of something going wrong. Microsoft security policies strictly regulate access to its data centers. 

Data encryption 

All your data is secured by SSL and encrypted, both at rest and during transfer, to protect it from sniffing.

Local data storage option 

Different countries and industries often have their own specific regulations when it comes to data storage. To comply with this, market research companies need to give careful consideration to where their respondent data is stored. To enable data storage compliance, we have developed the ability to separate survey deployment from storage of respondent data. This means it is now possible, for example, to deploy a survey from the Hong Kong SAR Microsoft Data Center and store the respondent data in the Singapore Microsoft Data Center. Find out more in our article Local Data Storage Compliance, around the World.  

Specific measures for Nfield CAPI 

Tablet devices are desirable prizes for thieves. Their thin, lightweight nature also makes them easy to forget about and accidentally leave behind. Nfield therefore also deploys additional measures to limit the extent of data exposure risk due to being locally stored on a mobile device.  

Minimal information 

Nfield ensures the minimum amount of information possible is present on any mobile device at any given moment. Each device is only sent the surveys and associated respondent information specifically assigned to its user(s). Data that no longer needs to be accessible is removed as soon as possible. 

• You control which surveys and respondent details are assigned to each interviewer, so can limit exposure. 
• Survey response data is transferred to a local, encrypted database and removed from the device as soon as possible after each interview is completed. (As soon as the interviewer connects to internet network.) 
• Upon completion of each interviewer’s involvement, all information relating to a project is deleted from their device as soon as you unassign them or close the project (once the interviewer has connected to the internet and synchronized their device with the Nfield system).  

Secure device sharing 

The same mobile device can be shared by multiple interviewers. Each survey and its collected data is only accessible to the relevant interviewer, via their login credentials. Interviewers cannot review, start or modify any surveys not specifically assigned to them. 

Encoded questionnaires 

Nfield questionnaires are stored in an encoded proprietary format. The original script is never displayed in an interviewer’s device, so interviewers cannot make changes.

Get our full security whitepaper

We ❤ secure solutions

Fully compliant practices, means you can rest assured when it comes to data security. And with cloud-based operation delivering unbeatable cost-efficiency together with all the capacity you need, whenever you need it, Nfield is the ultimate solution for improving both your quality of work and your profit margins. 

Market research is nothing without data. But unexpected events such as system failures, cyber-attacks or even natural disasters can result in data being compromised, lost or stolen. Having both robust security and a solid disaster recovery (DR) strategy are essential for protecting your data and maintaining its integrity.

Procedures related to Nfield’s internationally recognized ISO 27001:2013 certification for information security keep your data safe from unauthorized access. At the same time, Nfield’s highly disciplined approach to disaster recovery nothing is lost or damaged when the unexpected happens. In the event of prolonged downtime, whether caused by technical failure or external threat, your valuable data remains safe, secure, and readily accessible. So, you don’t need to worry about delayed project delivery, losing client trust, or missing opportunities.

How Nfield disaster recovery protects your data

Nfield’s disaster recovery approach is designed with both data protection and business continuity in mind.

1. Redundant infrastructure ensures high availability

Nfield operates exclusively on Microsoft Azure PaaS, which incorporates redundancy at every level: servers, networks, and databases. In the event of a server experiencing downtime, your data and operations automatically transfer to a different server in the same Azure data center. As a result, we are proud to report higher than 99.98% availability of our Nfield Interview Service.

Nfield users can always see what’s happening via a real-time status page, which shows availability of critical Nfield services across our four regional deployments in APAC, Europe and Africa, Americas and China.

2. Secure, automated backups

Nfield fully enables automated backups of all project data, including survey responses and configurations. These backups are encrypted to the highest standards and stored in multiple secure locations in Azure, so that even in the event of a major system failure, your data can be recovered.

This backup process is aligned with industry best practices, providing you with peace of mind that your valuable data is always protected.

3. Real-time data replication

To further enhance data security, Nfield employs full, real-time geo-replication in Azure. To satisfy compliance requirements, this takes place within the same region as users’ primary Azure Data Centers. This means that, even in the event of the most extreme of disasters, such as an earthquake bringing down an entire Azure data center, no data is lost. And the latest data recovery technology enables operations to resume in as short a time as possible.

4. Disaster recovery testing and validation

Nfield’s disaster recovery procedures are periodically tested, validated and safeguarded by our ISO procedures. A combination that ensures they will always work effectively, as and when needed. The routine tests allow our team to identify and fix any potential vulnerabilities, so both they and the platform are always ready to recover from any outages.

5. Comprehensive security

Nfield’s disaster recovery strategy follows ISO 27001:2013 guidelines. This is, however, just one aspect of a larger and more comprehensive approach towards security. The Nfield platform’s focus on protecting data from breaches, loss, and unauthorized access is central to its design, reflecting an ethos that runs through the NIPO team’s DNA. Your data remains completely safe during both normal operations and disaster recovery. Learn more about Nfield data security.

Minimized downtime, maximum confidence

Disaster recovery is a critical consideration for any SaaS platform provider, and a top-priority when data collection and market research are your business. We understand the questions your teams will be asked by their customers, procurement teams and security officers, and are happy to provide all the information you need to respond.

Also worth knowing, is that Nfield’s comprehensive disaster recovery framework is continuously evolving and improving as it benefits from Microsoft’s own massive investments in Azure and its software development suites. For full information on Microsoft Azure security and compliance, please refer to the Microsoft Azure Trust Center.

In short, Nfield is designed to prevent any disruption to your (market research) work, thereby ensuring your business continuity and operational resilience. NIPO’s commitment to Nfield’s security, compliance and reliability means you and your customers can rest assured that data is maximally safe, and projects will be delivered on-time. No matter what disrupting challenges may arise.

Market research and the technology that supports it are evolving fast, which means versatility is key. That’s why Nfield’s leading SaaS survey platform is designed with open architecture, so users can adjust it to every need. Both robust and flexible, Nfield’s extensive integration capabilities revolutionize how market researchers can gather, process, and utilize data.

From leveraging APIs to taking advantage of our centralized data repository and ability to integrate with panel providers, here are a few examples of what Nfield’s open architecture makes possible.   

Task automation through the Nfield API

One of the features that really sets Nfield apart is its own powerful API, which can enable any manual action in Nfield Manager to be automated. This API opens the door to numerous opportunities for streamlining market research workflows and boosting efficiency.

Benefits of task automation via the Nfield API

1. Time-saving and efficiency: Automating repetitive tasks such as survey deployment, respondent management, and data collection frees up valuable time for researchers to focus on analysis and insights.
2. Accuracy and consistency: Automation of manual processes minimizes the risk of human errors, which ensures data integrity and consistent execution of tasks.
3. Scalability: Operations can be scaled without proportional increases in manual workload. Automation ensures smooth and efficient management of surveys of any size, from small local studies to extensive international research.
4. Custom workflows: Workflows can be tailored to specific project needs.

Check out these examples of how the Nfield API can be used:

• Five Ways No-Code Automation Can Improve Efficiency in MR Operations: Nfield API + Microsoft Power Automate
• How to Automate Sending of Quota Progress Reports: Nfield API + Microsoft Power Automate, No Coding Required

Integrate and enhance using external APIs

Nfield’s ability to call external APIs within scripts is a game-changer for integrating and enhancing data collection processes. It means market researchers can seamlessly retrieve data from and update external systems, to benefit from a more comprehensive and connected research environment. For a deeper understanding of this feature, watch Academy 48 – Request command.

External API integration lets you achieve

1. Real-time data enrichment: Enhance survey responses with real-time data from external sources, to obtain richer and more contextual insights.
2. Dynamic questionnaires: Improve respondent engagement and data relevance by using external data to create questionnaires that adapt according to real-time information.
3. Centralized data management: Streamline processes by integrating with CRM systems, social media platforms, and other data repositories.
4. Automated updates: Keep all platforms synchronized and up-to-date by ensuring new data is automatically transferred.

Seamless data repository access for advanced analytics

Nfield stores collected survey data in a centralized repository, from where it can be directly retrieved for reporting and further processing. This offers significant advantages for data analysis and decision-making. For more details, see Data Repository feature delivers real-time survey insights  and watch Academy 35 – Standard and custom reporting.

Benefits of direct-from-database retrieval

1. Advanced reporting: Having direct access to raw data supports in-depth analysis using advanced statistical tools and techniques, to achieve deeper insights into research findings.
2. Custom dashboards: Visualizations can be customized to specific research needs, so data can be presented and interpreted in the most appropriate way.
3. Efficient data processing: Data processing is more streamlined, as there is less to transfer and convert.
4. Real-time insights: The ability to generate real-time reports and analytics enables quick decision-making and agile responses to emerging trends.

Integration with panel providers

Nfield’s ability to integrate with panel providers is another key feature that enhances its versatility and reach. It means market researchers can seamlessly access a broader and more diverse respondent pool, to collect better-quality data.

Benefits of panel provider integration

1. Expanded reach: Access to a bigger pool of respondents, for a more diverse and representative sample for your market research.
2. Streamlined recruitment: The respondent recruitment process is simplified, reducing the time and effort required to find suitable participants.
3. Higher-quality data: Ability to leverage panel providers’ expertise and quality controls leads to higher-quality, more reliable data collection.
4. Cost-effective: Research budgets can be optimized by leveraging existing panel providers’ infrastructures, which reduces the need for extensive in-house recruitment efforts.

For more information on how Nfield integrates with panel providers, see Integration between Nfield Online and Panel Providers.

Conclusion

Nfield’s open architecture empowers market research companies to conduct more efficient, accurate, and insightful market research.

From automating tasks with the Nfield API to enhancing data collection with external API integrations, and leveraging direct database retrieval for advanced analytics, Nfield offers a comprehensive solution tailored to modern research needs. Integration with panel providers further extends these capabilities, making Nfield an indispensable platform for any market research professional.

Embrace the power of Nfield to transform your market research processes today!

Session content:
– Why can’t I save/edit the quota targets?
– Why can’t I save/edit the quota structure?
– Why isn’t the quota behaving like I expect it to?

Session content:
– Selecting least filled quota.
– Finding “free” quota cells.
– API quota features.