The rise of cloud computing has been meteoric. Whereas only 9% of SMEs were using cloud services in 2012, by 2014 the number had climbed to 22%, according to research from World Wide Worx. Thanks to increases in bandwidth, decreases in connectivity costs and a new generation of digital entrepreneurs it is estimated that as many as 90% of SMEs plan to invest or increase their investment in cloud computing. As it stands, 77% of businesses surveyed reported using some form of cloud technology, e.g. DropBox or Gmail.
Initially met with suspicion regarding the safety of data and security of sensitive information, cloud services have won over the sceptics. In fact, a recent study on the state of cloud security revealed that 64% of medium and large businesses believe that cloud infrastructure is more secure than legacy systems.
It remains important, however, to prioritise data security at all times. After all – better safe than sorry.
Here are some tips to keep your company’s data safe in the cloud.
Choose the right service provider
Considering that your cloud service provider will have access to sensitive information such as business secrets and confidential customer information, you should choose a vendor with good credentials and a proven track record. Pay careful attention to the vendor’s security standards.
Control your service providers’ access
Inevitably, service providers will have to access secure areas, e.g. repairmen, third-party IT service providers, contractors or others. Before handing over a password or giving someone access to your server rooms or office space, make sure that it is the minimum necessary to complete the work.
Use anti-malware
Anti-malware will add some protection to your data, but make sure you choose a product with integrated intrusion prevention. Discuss these measures with your cloud service provider to ensure you work together to maintain the safety of your data and devices.
Restrict app downloads
It can happen all too easily that your employees download apps without permission, and that those apps may not be safe. The large number of digital devices people use nowadays makes it more important than ever that these devices should be monitored and regularly checked for malicious apps that could spread and put the whole company at risk. Apps should be restricted and vetted before being downloaded.
Have remote wipe protocols in place
If your employees use a wide selection of digital devices for work, it increases the risk of a device being lost or stolen. You should have measures in place to protect the company data on these devices such as screen locks and passwords, and make sure that these devices can be wiped remotely to prevent confidential information from falling into the wrong hands.
The Strategix cloud hosting solution offerings provide you with the peace of mind that your businesses online infrastructure is secure, fast and infinitely scalable. Our cloud server environments are hosted at sophisticated data centres, with the latest redundancies and security measures in place, providing the highest possible up-time, data security availability and automated disaster recovery.
