As more companies rely on the internet to effectively run their operations, it’s more necessary than ever for them to have somewhere safe to store their data. Traditional methods of physical document storage, whether onsite or on remote hard drives, have been replaced by the widespread usage of the cloud.
The cloud refers to any software or services that run using the internet, instead of being stored locally on a computer. For instance, Dropbox features folders of files you can log into, or access if you have a link to a shared folder, while Google Drive allows users to store files on their servers. Cloud storage is considered to be a more flexible and reliable approach, however, it still presents some risks to users, including the potential for data breaches, misuse of information and data loss. As such, 61% of SMB’s are concerned about how secure their data would be. Should businesses be worried, and are cloud storage services truly a safer alternative to having servers onsite?
Files uploaded to cloud servers benefit from an enhanced level of security, as they can be protected by more measures than a simple password. Cloud storage services offer multiple security features. Google Drive, for instance, has a two-factor authentication, SSL encryption, and standard encryption in place.
Any document shared over an internet connection is vulnerable to being usurped or attacked, especially since businesses are trusting their sensitive data in the hands of a third party. As a result, this data is typically taken outside of the regular IT department, which means that businesses could potentially lose control of their own information.
Every business has private documents they would want to keep that way—these may be financial records, business plans, or personal data. According to a report by Skyhigh, one in five documents contains confidential information, so it’s crucial for businesses to get their cybersecurity right. Data breaches are risky and costly, a business may have to compensate affected customers, implement new security measures, or experience falling share prices.
Cloud security is a shared responsibility among a corporate team, but as more information is shared outside of the workplace, it’s possible for data to fall into the wrong hands. As such, it’s important that companies understand who is responsible for what. Cloud providers like Amazon Web Services have adopted this model, it says that the cloud service provider is responsible for the security, while customers are responsible for securing the data that enters the cloud.
Migrating services to the cloud means that security needs to be rethought, companies can no longer rely on the traditional castle and moat approach when services and data are sitting beyond the corporate pesimeter. A zero trust approach to security has been touted as the solution whereby a software-defined perimeter is used to provide an access architecture to the modern application infrastructure, ensuring that only sanctioned parties are able to see and access services.
The basic login model of ‘username and password’ isn’t secure, especially not for important information, which is where two-factor authentication (TFA) comes into action. This security approach can add an additional layer of cyber protection to your business, by asking users to enter a bit more information after entering their username and password. Information such as a PIN number, secret question, or access to a smartphone device are types of TFA you may be asked for. Attackers may get through the first stage of entering a password, but be prevented from access because of the required extra information.
While uncommon, corporate data can be compromised from the inside by employees carrying out an attack—although this can happen unintentionally. To prevent this, business owners must ensure that their employees only access the information they need to, and nothing more.
For instance, someone working in marketing doesn’t necessarily require access to information used by the HR department. If this happens, the company’s attack surface—how many possible points of entry a cyber attacker has access to—increases, making data more vulnerable. For businesses, this could be how many employees are able to log into your systems, what software you use, and the security of your internet connection.
Local storage, although seemingly outdated, hasn’t completely been rendered a thing of the past. Depending on the type of your business, more traditional storage solutions such as thumb drives, external hard drives or solid-state drives may actually be more effective.
Regardless of the growing popularity of cloud storage, you should evaluate what your business needs from its data security and protection before making a decision. Weigh up the pros and cons of each type of storage, and remember, you could even use both local and cloud storage to help maintain your security.