How to increase the security of data in the cloud?

 


The benefits of using agile (lean) IT solutions provided as services cause that more and more enterprises decide to store in the cloud , transferring to it not only data, but also various areas of operational activity. While the convenience and benefits are undisputed here, it is worth considering how data security in the cloud is organized. How to take care of them so as not to expose yourself to various types of risk?

 


From a technical point of view, there are no obstacles to store and process company data in the cloud. However, if we decide to take such a step, we should also consider whether the data stored on servers outside the company is safe.

 

Data security in the cloud - what to pay attention to?

It is worth looking at the security of data in the cloud in several contexts, none of which should be underestimated. Each of them carries specific types of risk for enterprises.

 

Supplier

The first concerns cloud service providers, their credibility, reliability in meeting standards and business stability. It is always worth verifying the entity that provides us with the service - and especially what level of data confidentiality is able to provide us and whether the declarations on this basis have any support in certificates (including ISO 27018) and whether the entity operates in accordance with the GDPR regulation / GDPR.

 

Human factor

The second context relates to the company's organizational culture that decides to use the cloud. The security of data in the cloud depends to the greatest extent on the human factor. Therefore, it is worth considering whether the organizational culture of the company, the standards adopted in it, security policy, business processes and activities carried out, allow to be able to safely base data processing processes in the cloud. The more sensitive or important for the company data we plan to transfer to the cloud, the more strictly the readiness of the organization to operate in such a model should be verified. What's more, after starting the adventure with cloud computing, maintaining an appropriate level of data protection should be supported by cyclical, internal security audits.

 


Technical issues

The third context concerns the technical issues of the service used, which may have an impact on the security of data in the cloud. First of all, it is worth checking whether the cloud service provides data encryption, as well as whether it is possible to transfer data to the cloud that was previously encrypted by the entrepreneur. For your own safety, it is worth checking the provider's service quality level (SLA), its response time to requests, the rules of the helpdesk, the guaranteed level of service availability, etc.

 

User equipment

Another context concerns the equipment used by employees to use data processed in the cloud. Even if your company's information is fully secured by service providers, you may find that users are the most vulnerable to a data breach. It is enough for employees to create various types of backups or their own versions of documents on their devices (including private ones), or they do not maintain security standards in the use of passwords or authorization management. In a way, we are returning to the points already discussed above, regarding the organizational maturity of the company and the human factor. Regardless of everything, the equipment that is used by employees on a daily basis, also outside the office, should be properly secured against unauthorized access,

 

What risks do we expose the company to when deciding to process data in the cloud?

The threats related to the use of the cloud can be divided into:

 

related to all kinds of data breaches (unauthorized access, unauthorized processing),

limitations in data availability,

data loss.

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