Moving to the Cloud offers tremendous benefits for SMBs that range from lower IT costs to any-time access to data and certainly more reliability in terms of productivity. But, data in the Cloud is also vulnerable to security threats just like the data stored on physical servers. This blog discusses 3 things you can do to protect your data in the Cloud.
1. Secure access: The first step would be to secure access to your data in the Cloud. So, how do you go about it? Safeguard your login credentials-your User IDs and passwords-from prying eye. Set strong password policies that are practiced across the board and educate your employees about good password hygiene. Also, do you have employees using their own devices to access their work-related applications and documents? Do you have staff working from home? Then, you also need to formulate strong BYOD (Bring-your-own-device) policies, so these devices don’t end up as the entry point to cybercriminals.
2. Educate your employees: What’s the first thing that pops into your head when someone talks about cybercrime? You probably picture some unknown person, a tech-whiz sitting behind a computer in a dark room, trying to steal your data. But, surprising as it may seem, the first and probably the biggest threat to your data and IT security in general, comes from your employees! Malicious employees may do you harm on purpose by stealing or destroying your data, but oftentimes, employees unwittingly become accomplices to cybercrime. For example, forwarding an email with an attachment that contains a virus, or clicking on a phishing link unknowingly and entering sensitive information therein or compromising on security when they share passwords or connect to an unsecured or open WiFi at public places such as the mall or the airport with a view to “get things done”, but, without realizing how disastrous the implications of such actions can be. Read more about how to educate your employees from our cybersecurity awareness blog.
3.Understand the non-technical factors: When discussing a decision about a cloud migration, you need to consider the non-technical factors, like cost, usability and risk. One colleague or resource may think the cloud is cheaper, where the other may think it is more expensive. Every situation is different, but you should also try not to base this decision solely on the cost. The benefits must equal the value of the project. The same goes for usability. Make sure that this is something that all employees will actually use and benefit from, not just a handful of them or one department. Think about efficiency. Would a cloud migration make workflows more streamlined? And lastly, always, always, always consider the risks. Discuss with your MSP, what new regulations or backup methods must be in place to avoid downtime.
Complete Cloud security is a blend of all these plus internal policies, best practices, and regulations related to IT security, and of course, the MSP you choose to be your Cloud security provider plays a key role in all this. Contact us today for more information on securing your cloud data!