Most businesses know that their computer networks must be secured to keep their data safe from hackers. However, as companies begin turning to cloud storage and services, many are no longer sure how to handle security. Cloud security follows the same basic rules as other network security issues.
Authenticate
To ensure your data’s security, only authorized users should be able to access your data. This is true for a single computer, a company-wide network, and any data stored in the cloud. All devices and users should be authenticated, by passwords or other means, prior to uploading or downloading data from the cloud.
Encrypt
Data encryption enhances your security by making it harder for hackers to use your data if they manage to access it. While some cloud services offer encryption, you can take matters into your own hands and encrypt your data locally prior to uploading it to the cloud. This helps prevent data interception during the transmission, and increases the security of your data once in the cloud.
Back Up
If you only have one copy of your data, losing it could be devastating to your business. Cloud data is not typically backed up automatically, unless you request this service. You must be sure that you either subscribe to an automatic backup or manually make back ups of your data either locally or to another portion of the cloud. Most experts recommend backing it up both ways for the most security.
Cloud-based applications should also be backed up and able to be run from alternate locations. This way if there is a disaster, denial of service attack, or other issue, you will still have access to these critical applications.
Cloud storage allows businesses greater mobility, increases efficiency and decreases costs. By investing the time and effort into ensuring the security of your cloud storage, you can reap the benefits while keeping your data safe and secure. Contact us today to learn more!
