The balance between keeping IT costs low while providing more and more data accountability can be frustrating, especially when dealing with the invisible, unaffected cloud. You want to ensure your small business and your customer data is secure, and moving IT operations to the cloud can be the best safety decision you make. But, if you try to do it all yourself, you might run into some hefty cloud security issues you can easily avoid. Follow these tips to make sure your small business data is never compromised.
Worst Cloud Security Issues
Data breaches. Cyber security is a hot topic surrounding the cloud. Many critics have called the cloud’s ability to keep data safe and out of the wrong hands into question — a consideration that is not completely unfounded. If you haven’t properly set up your organization’s private cloud service database, any data you save to it can be vulnerable. Even in the public cloud, without the proper security safeguards in place, your data can be at risk for breaches. That’s why it’s important to know what cloud security measures need to be implemented to prevent unauthorized access. The public cloud, moreso than a private cloud, has its security advantages as it’s often configured and managed by cloud backup and security experts, and undergoes audits.
Before you choose a public cloud provider to entrust with your data, make sure their data centers undergo an annual SSAE 16 Type 2 audit — the strictest data center audit of its kind. This is a key indicator that their data centers either meet or exceed industry standards for top notch facilities and procedures. Physical security safeguards, such as armed guards, alarms, locked server cabinets, video surveillance, and security checkpoints should also be in place within your cloud provider’s data centers to protect your data where it lives. Additionally, make sure your cloud service provider emphasizes end-to-end encryption. This feature is critical in keeping your data safe from unauthorized access as it encrypts your data even before it begins its transit to the cloud.
Blindly accepting any cloud provider. Not verifying or testing the security of your cloud provider or failing to vet the provider’s viability as a business could spell trouble for you later. Verify how they secure your data within their infrastructure, like server hosting provider Secure Data Center does here. Not all cloud computing firms are forthcoming about their security measures and provisions, and others just don’t communicate them very well. If a cloud provider is worthy of securing your small business data, they will be transparent in their practices and do an exemplary job at explaining your controls to make sure your feel comfortable. For an example, read about how Nordic Backup, a secure cloud backup provider, keeps their customer data safe.
Data loss. It’s an organization’s worst nightmare. You go to access an email from your email client or you want to access a file from the cloud, only to find that it’s vanished into thin air. Data loss as it relates to the cloud can happen as a result of a server crash, deleted email, viruses or human error. While the cloud offers more protection and peace of mind than physical storage devices, just because your data is being hosted in the cloud doesn’t mean it’s completely safe from loss. That’s why it’s important to create redundant backups, even for cloud based applications like email.
With a cloud backup solution in place for your NAS, email database, and other cloud applications, you’ll be able to recover the data you need, no matter how it was lost or deleted. Make sure the cloud backup provider you use to create your redundant backup offers 60 day previous file version retention lengths as well so that if you’re ever struck with a virus, you can recover useable, readable versions of the data the virus has corrupted.
Shared technology isn’t always better. The connected nature of the cloud is one of its strongest assets, and one of its pitfalls. It’s easy to set permissions for the wrong user, and in a business environment that can mean trouble. Businesses that host sensitive client information in the cloud need to take extra precautions to ensure only authorized users are able to access that data. This is especially true for businesses that handle HIPAA protected information, credit card information and sensitive legal data. Additionally, your data should be encrypted and unreadable even to your cloud service provider. If you’re a medical practice using cloud backup to comply with the HIPAA security rule — mandating ePHI must be securely backed up — make sure your cloud service provider is willing to sign a Business Associate Agreement. Since they’ll be managing protected patient health information, this is a requirement to maintain HIPAA compliance.
Not monitoring the handling of your data. Thinking you’re no longer responsible for your data’s safety and security once you’ve signed up with a provider is a huge mistake. As a business, it’s your responsibility to have general security policies in place that define what the cloud is for your business, including your own data breach response and disaster recovery plans. If you have one, get your IT department involved early in the evaluation and assessment process so it’s easier for your cloud provider to identify the right solution for your cloud computing needs. Many cloud providers have multiple cloud storage plans, so make sure you find one that works for you and gives you all of the benefits you need, or let your IT department hash it out.
Not having a disaster recovery plan. Many attacks come from a lack of patch management and server misconfiguration, so communication with your service provider is key. While data is a lot less likely to be lost or stolen via the cloud compared to physical storage devices like hard drives, cyber attacks and data breaches can still happen, so you need to be prepared. The lack of cloud standards means that cloud service providers can pick and choose which areas of security are most important to them, so make sure they have comprehensive data recovery solutions in place that you feel secure with. Some of these solutions might include unlimited previous file versioning, end-to-end encryption, and server virtualization — like Nordic Backup provides.
Trying to be too in control. It’s a balance! Your cloud provider deals with these security issues at a more complex level than your own IT team, so you’ve got to let them do their jobs. Trust in the cloud, more than technical abilities, has been hindering adoption of it, even though the cloud can be incredibly more secure than a private environment. It’s a misconception to say cloud security is definitely less capable or more problematic. You only see a small portion of cloud security threats, while a cloud provider has the economy of scale for a holistic vision.
Choosing a service provider to manage your cloud data center is the best way to avoid cloud security issues and make sure your information is secure. Leave the security to the experts! Try a 3 month free trial of Nordic Backup and know your data is safe!
