Cloud technology is becoming increasingly popular among companies of all sizes. The rise in flexible working has led many organizations to fully embrace hosted platforms, allowing team members to collaborate in a shared online environment from anywhere in the world. However, some businesses remain cautious about moving their information to the cloud.
In this article, we look at the main cloud security risks and how they can be addressed. By the end, you should have a clearer understanding of the issues involved and feel more confident about implementing cloud-based solutions in your organization.
Data Security and Breaches
The responsibility for securing a public cloud environment falls primarily to the platform provider. While no system can ever be 100% secure, major hosted platforms rank among the most protected in the world. Providers like Microsoft and Amazon deploy significant cybersecurity budgets and teams, many of whose professionals come from defense and intelligence backgrounds.
However, there is a shared responsibility model at play. Every major public cloud provider will stipulate in their contracts that securing access to your own data within the platform is your responsibility. If your login credentials are compromised, anyone holding them could gain access to your customer records, download them, leak them, or delete them entirely. Implementing proper access controls can significantly reduce this risk. These controls include multi-factor authentication, which should be standard practice for all logins across your organization, cloud-hosted or otherwise.
Location-based access restrictions can also help prevent unauthorized entry and information loss. For example, if your entire team operates from a single city or region, it makes sense to block login attempts from outside that area.
Our comprehensive security packages include protection measures specifically designed to reduce the risks associated with cloud-based working.
Lost or Stolen Devices
If team members can reach your files and systems from any internet-connected device, securing those devices becomes more important than ever. Fortunately, tools like Microsoft Intune allow us to remotely manage our clients’ hardware. Company devices can be locked remotely, and sensitive information can be wiped from personal devices if needed. This also applies to departing employees: with a single action, all their access to your hosted services can be revoked immediately.
Compliance
Regulatory compliance is a genuine concern for many organizations considering a move to hosted storage. Privacy and data protection laws can place strict requirements on how information is stored, where it can be moved, and who is permitted to view it. These concerns can be managed through a combination of access controls and data partitioning, ensuring team members can only see the information relevant to their role rather than having unrestricted visibility across the entire environment.
An alternative is to reduce or eliminate reliance on public platforms altogether by building a private or hybrid cloud environment. A private setup gives you greater control and visibility over your information and who is accessing it, which can make it easier to demonstrate compliance. If you have specific regulatory concerns, it is advisable to consult a legal professional who specializes in data protection legislation.
Lack of Skills or Knowledge
Many business owners worry that they do not have the in-house expertise to manage a hosted platform efficiently and securely. Cloud technology is still relatively new as an enterprise tool, and even experienced IT professionals may not have direct hands-on experience with it. Partnering with a specialist provider who focuses on managed cloud services can address this concern directly.
At Carden IT Services, we have helped numerous organizations transition to cloud-based environments. As part of our managed cloud offering, we audit your existing systems and information to determine what should be migrated and what is best kept on-premises. We then lead the migration process, ensuring all files are transferred over a secure, encrypted connection. From there, our helpdesk is available for any ongoing queries, and your cloud infrastructure is monitored for suspicious activity by our security operations center.
These are the three concerns we hear most often from organizations considering a move to hosted platforms, and the approaches we use to help address them. If you would like help migrating to the cloud or building your own private network, speak to our team today.
