How To Boost Your Cloud Security
The cloud. The word that seems to be on everyone’s lips. Heck, we’ve spoken about it on this blog multiple times. In 2017, it was estimated that 1.8 billion people use cloud services in their personal lives. Meanwhile, it’s predicted that 90% of organisations will leverage the cloud by 2022. This is because it’s really bloody useful.
Boost Your Cloud Security
The cloud enables you and your team to work anywhere, on any device with an internet connection. Businesses of all sizes can grow without splurging out cash on cumbersome servers that require maintenance and a lorra lorra energy (yes, we just referenced fellow northerner Cilla Black). However, cloud security has become a real concern for those who know a bit about IT.
Today, we’ve put together some tips on what you need to think about before jumping into the cloud and choosing a service provider.
Where is your cloud located?
Contrary to popular belief, the clouds we’re talking about aren’t in the sky. Your stuff is stored on a physical server somewhere on a farm – and not the kind that has little pigs running about.
When speaking with your cloud provider, you need to be assured that your data is stored securely in a safe data centre.
What security policies does your provider have?
It’s crucial to choose a cloud provider that you can truly rely on and trust with your business. After all, the operation of your business depends on these guys and gals. They must have a comprehensive set of security policies and procedures to deserve your business.
What level of support does your provider offer?
From the get-go, you need to have a clear understanding of the type of support they are willing to offer. You need to be comfortable with their SLAs (Service Level Agreements), ability to provide performance reporting and the way they track and monitor their services.
How does your provider’s reputation hold up?
This may go without saying, but choose a provider that has a solid reputation. You can check this by doing a bit of research: read reviews and speak with other businesses to see who they recommend.
- Do they have real technical knowledge and experience?
- Is their financial history stable and do they have sufficient capital to operate successfully over the long term?
Things you can do to reinforce your cloud security.
Only use unique, separate usernames and passwords.
Yep, we have said this time and time again. One of the biggest weaknesses in the security chain is us, humans. Predictable, overused and overshared passwords expose you to so many vulnerabilities.
Encryption.
To encrypt essentially means to scramble your data. You can ensure the prying eyes of those snooping in on you as you send your data across the internet by using a thing called an IPsec (Internet Protocol Security).
Meanwhile, be sure to encrypt all data that is stored in your cloud. This way, even if a hacker breaks through, they won’t be able to use it. Your cloud provider should be able to do this for you.
Never rely on the cloud as a backup.
Lastly, cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive shouldn’t be treated as a fully-fledged backup for your data.
Always follow the 3-2-1 method and regularly maintain your backups to strengthen the security of your data and applications.
Want more advice on cloud services? Chat with one of our team today.