The cloud is an amazing tool for just about any business, allowing for countless benefits that span endless possibilities. However, because it involves the Internet and hosting data in an online environment, there are security challenges that naturally come about as a result of utilizing it. Let’s consider some of the security mistakes that businesses can experience while using the cloud.
Lackluster Access Controls and Lack of Multi-Factor Authentication
The challenge with cloud resources is that they are open to everyone, meaning that anyone can access them if you don’t have access control measures in place. You can further support security by implementing multi-factor authentication.
Because the cloud is such an important asset for your business, you cannot leave it at risk if you can help it. This means that you absolutely need to have access control measures in place, preventing others from accessing your cloud resources until they need to in order to do their jobs. Take this a step further with multi-factor authentication to amp up your security with additional factors that make security challenges that much less likely.
Failure to Back Up Data
One of the best ways you can put your cloud to use is for data and application hosting, whether it’s through an external provider or on your own internal cloud infrastructure. Some companies even go the extra mile and implement a hybrid solution that allows you to achieve the security of a private cloud with the functionality of the public cloud. Just like other data storage, though, it’s important that you have your cloud backed up and ready to be accessed remotely should the need arise.
Backing up your cloud data is especially important if you host a private cloud on-site. Most reputable cloud providers will store your data in various physical locations to allow for redundancy, but you should check the terms of service just on the off-chance that something does happen.
Leaving Data Unencrypted
Data backups are well and good, but what if someone successfully manages to steal your data? Granted, this is unlikely to occur, as cloud providers are quite secure, but data leaks and theft do happen from time to time. You’ll want to ensure that your device’s connection to your cloud resources is encrypted. Furthermore, you will also want to ensure that your data storage is encrypted in its storage location, further preventing a security breach.
Encryption essentially scrambles your data while it’s in transit, only allowing the authorized user to view it with a decryption key (located on the user’s device). This measure is crucial for ensuring regulation and compliance with regulations such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Let Us Help You Keep Your Cloud Secure
Technology is challenging to manage, and your business has better things to do than worrying about its cloud security. Let North Central Technologies handle this important work so you can focus on what matters most to you: running your business. Get started today by calling us at 978-798-6805.
