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Understanding Sierra’s Website Security and Performance with Cloudflare

How Sierra Interactive keeps your website and CRM platform protected and performing at its best.

Summary

Sierra Interactive uses Cloudflare to keep your website and CRM fast, secure, and reliable. Cloudflare is a trusted global service that protects millions of websites from online threats while also improving speed and availability. According to recent data, Cloudflare serves and protects nearly 20% of all websites globally.

Cloudflare is a cybersecurity and performance service that works behind the scenes on your Sierra site. It helps by:

  • Blocking harmful traffic so your website stays safe
  • Speeding up load times by routing traffic through a worldwide network
  • Keeping your website online even when parts of the internet experience outages

Table of Contents

  1. Why This Matters

  2. How This Helps Your Business

  3. How Cloudflare Works

  4. Remote Workers and International Access

    1. Common Reasons Remote Workers Get Blocked

    2. What Remote Workers Can Try Right Away

    3. Best Long-Term Fix

  5. Using a VPN with Sierra Interactive

  6. Troubleshooting Common Issues

  7. FAQs

 

Why This Matters

In real estate, every second counts. A slow site or downtime means missed opportunities. By partnering with Cloudflare, Sierra ensures:

  • Your website loads quickly for buyers and sellers everywhere
  • Your data and leads are protected from malicious activity
  • Your IDX website stays reliable, even if regional internet issues occur

This means you can focus on converting leads and closing deals while Sierra handles the security and performance work in the background.

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How This Helps Your Business

With Cloudflare protecting your website and platform, you can:

  • Offer buyers and sellers a faster website experience
  • Trust that your lead data is secure
  • Stay online even during regional internet disruptions
  • Focus on selling homes while Sierra handles the heavy lifting

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How Cloudflare Works

Cloudflare continuously monitors incoming traffic using a combination of machine learning, behavioral analysis, and dynamic fingerprinting to detect threats in real time. It scores each request based on factors like bot signals, past attack patterns, credentials leaks, upload behavior, and traffic anomalies. When a request exceeds a risk threshold, Cloudflare blocks or challenges it before it ever reaches your website—keeping malicious traffic out and your site safe and responsive.

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Remote Workers and International Access

Many teams have members working outside the U.S. Sometimes Cloudflare’s automated security measures mistakenly block international traffic that looks unusual or shares traits with harmful activity. This is an automated security measure—not a change Sierra has made.

Common Reasons Remote Workers Get Blocked

  • Their internet provider uses shared IP addresses that Cloudflare flags as suspicious

  • Connections routed through a VPN or proxy with a history of abuse

  • Regional traffic patterns that suddenly spike and resemble an attack

What Remote Workers Can Try Right Away

  1. Try accessing from a different device or network (such as mobile data)

  2. Clear browser cache and cookies and try again.

    • Session tokens / stale data: Sometimes Cloudflare presents a security challenge (like a CAPTCHA or “Access Denied” page) and your browser stores a bad or expired session token. Clearing cache/cookies can reset that session and let you try again cleanly.
    • False positives tied to cookies: Rarely, Cloudflare’s JavaScript challenge can misfire if corrupted cookies are present. Wiping them can help you pass the challenge.

  3. If using a VPN, disable it and connect directly through their local internet provider or vice-versa, if using a local internet provider try using a VPN.

Best Long-Term Fix

  • Request a static IP from the worker’s internet provider and share it with Sierra Support. We can whitelist it in Cloudflare to ensure stable access.

    • Once you're ready, submit a ticket here.

If your remote workers still can’t access Sierra after following the above steps, please contact Sierra Support. Provide the worker’s public IP address (they can find it by searching what is my IP in Google), the error code, and the time it occurred so we can resolve it quickly.

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Using a VPN with Sierra Interactive

While Sierra doesn’t officially partner with or endorse a specific VPN provider, we know some customers need VPN access—especially for remote teams outside the U.S.

Recommended VPNs (most reliable with Cloudflare):

While VPNs can work, the most stable long-term option is always a static IP provided by your ISP and whitelisted by Sierra. VPNs should be a backup solution, not the primary way your team connects.

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue

Why It Happens

What You Can Do

“Access Denied” or Blocked Page

Cloudflare flagged your traffic as unusual or risky (e.g., shared IP, VPN use, or unusual activity). Sometimes legitimate visitors can get flagged if their internet connection shares traits with suspicious activity.

1. Try a different device or internet connection.

2. Clear browser cache and cookies to reset your session.

3. If using a VPN, disable it (or try enabling one if on local internet).

Ongoing / Repeated Blocks

Your IP address has been flagged and continues to trigger Cloudflare.

1. Contact your ISP to obtain a static IP.

2. Send the static IP to Sierra Support for whitelisting.

3. Provide details (IP, error code, time) if problems continue.

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FAQs

Do I need to set up Cloudflare myself?
No — Sierra manages it for you.

Does Cloudflare only protect my IDX site?
No, it protects both your website and Sierra’s core platform.

Why was I blocked even though I’m a real customer?
Cloudflare sometimes errs on the side of caution. If that happens, try the steps above or contact Sierra Support.

What kinds of things make traffic look suspicious?

  • Using a shared VPN or proxy service
  • An IP address with a history of spam or harmful activity
  • Large bursts of requests from the same device or network
  • Regional traffic patterns that suddenly change and resemble an attack

I didn’t do anything wrong. Why me?
Cloudflare errs on the side of caution to keep your data and website safe. Even trusted users may occasionally be challenged or blocked if their connection “looks” like a potential threat.

Does this mean my website or CRM isn’t safe?
Quite the opposite — it means Cloudflare is working to keep your site and leads secure. These blocks are temporary and designed to protect your business.

Does being blocked mean Sierra is down?
 No. When a user gets blocked, it means Cloudflare is working as intended—keeping the platform safe. Other users will still have normal access.

I have a high-traffic website and I’d like to add more security and performance to my website. Is that a service Sierra offers?
Yes! Sierra can upgrade your website’s security and performance package, reach out to Sierra Support to learn more about this option. We'll build on the standard Cloudflare protections already included, adding advanced features designed for high-volume websites.

With the upgrade, you’ll benefit from stronger safeguards against malicious traffic, faster global delivery, and greater reliability during peak demand—so your site stays secure and responsive no matter how much traffic you’re handling.

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