Is the Cloud a Safe Place for My Company Data?

Currently, the cloud has received plenty of praise for saving companies from the burden that storing data brought. However, this has not come without a fair share of criticism and concern and more so because companies do not like it when they are not in full control of their valuable data. Question like the security of the data stored on the cloud have kept on popping once in a while which has become a major concern. However, the answer to such a question is not a definite yes or no because the security of the data stored on the cloud is not solely the responsibility of the service provider, but the user also has a role to play. However before getting into the roles for a cloud user it is worth mentioning:

Cloud is Safer Than Previous Methods

Before treading any further, it is important to note that while the internet has been around for a sufficient amount of time and is almost reaching adulthood, Cloud services are merely toddlers and to say that they can be able to operate without a sufficient amount of problems and loop holes would be putting up a façade.

With that said, the cloud offers a much more safer environment to store company data as opposed to some of the traditional methods that had been used like locking up documents or using safe deposit boxes. This put the data at high risk of unforeseen circumstances like robberies and fire but with a cloud, there are a number of security levels that ensure that the data stored herein is much safer.

What is your role in ensuring that data is safe?

As stated earlier, the security and safety of the documents and data that is stored on the cloud does not solely lie on the shoulders of the service provider. There is also a sufficient amount of responsibility that lies on you and you should be sure that you take this seriously. This will definitely enhance the safety of the cloud and the data that you store in there. The user here, would have to accommodate and support the following in order to ensure safety of their data in the cloud.

Encryption

The greatest risk that cloud service suffer is hacking. While you might not be able to deter this, you can make sure that whoever comes across your data is not able to use it by encrypting it. This will also prevent the cloud service providers to see what you are storing in there. However, this will mean that you will also need to necessary tools to decrypt the data and you will also before going usability for security. While some of the cloud services will offer you encryption service, an extra layer of security for reassurance would do you some good.

Tokenization

Even though still in its infancy, this is emerging as a way for leading edge companies to protect their data. In this method, randomized tokens replace the data that is being saved on the cloud. They formulate a table that matches the encrypted values with the original values to make sure that the data is readable again. Since there are no formulas involved, it makes it much harder for one to gain unauthorized access to the data stored. The best thing about tokenization is that it allows the data to be usable from the company’s perspective but it is still secure from an IT perspective meaning unlike in encryption, you do not have to forego one to achieve the other.

Your company data is not only at risk of being compromised from external threats, it is also as potent from internal risks and without the proper tools in place, chances are, it will only be a matter of when not if. With the help of data loss protection tools which are also known as data leak prevention, extrusion prevention or information loss prevention tools, you can be able to make sure that you data is much safer. These work on a set or rules which are set by the business making access harder if the right protocol is not followed. Depending on the contents of the file and the rules that have been set by the business, they are able to establish tag critical information which stops users from being able to access the files. These are also able to protect data rest hence you are able to rest more easily.

Know your provider

This is one of the simpler duties that you can have and it is evident that it is among those that you might not have to invest heavily in. however, it can save you a lot of trouble and ensure you trust the right providers with your data improving its safety on the cloud. Understanding and know in the track record of a given company is very vital and you should make sure that at no given moment you do not overlook this.

The safety of your company’s data on the cloud lies solely in your hands and you have the power to make the answer to such a question be a yes and if you do not play your part, then the safety of your data on the cloud can be in a horrendous state.