Using the cloud has become an important element of business IT strategies today. Most organizations use it, even if that’s only for basic storage and backup. Managing use of the cloud can be difficult, because it requires proper maintenance, and special attention to security. Business cloud-users should consider whether their cloud security is up to speed, whether it hosted on-site or by a provider. Here are four major security issues to be aware of.
End-to-End Encryption
Encryption jumbles your data so that hackers and cybercriminals will have great difficulty reading it, unless they’ve also managed to steal the encryption key that will allow the data to be unscrambled. Encryption is the most effective way to encrypt your data in the cloud. With encryption you can rest assured that your data is safe from intruders, even if someone manages to gain access to it.
Standard (Scalable) Security
You will almost certainly have a standard set of security measures to protect your network and in-house IT. The cloud is no different, and the same measures are needed for cloud security. They include antivirus and malware protection, firewalls, a spam blocker and content filtering. These will keep your cloud data safe from both internal and external threats. The best way to ensure the security of your data is an enterprise-level Unified Threat Management solution, which will cover all the main bases.
Physical Security
If you host your cloud services and data on-site then there are various physical measures you can adopt to implement appropriate security. This goes beyond just keeping the door to the server room locked. Strong security measures might include biometric authentication, for example. Servers should be monitored where possible, to ensure that they are being kept secure from unauthorised access. If you host your data center off-site, you should check what their security systems involve. For centers housing extremely sensitive data, measures including armed security patrols are appropriate, on top of access control inside the building.
Data Protection Compliance Laws
Your industry may have specific rules about data protection. For example, if you deal with health records, you are required to conform to the requirements set out in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Non-compliance can land you with substantial fines. Having to pay a steep fine is bad enough, but a data protection failure because of a failure of cloud security can also be disastrous for your organization’s reputation.
With Quikteks you can keep your business data safe and your cloud resources secure. To learn more about cloud security, reach out to us at (973) 882-4644.