Cloud computing has become a popular choice for organizations of all sizes and industries, with many benefits to offer. But not all the risks are immediately visible, and it can take some time to discover that they’ve been compromised. In this blog post, you will find best practices for ensuring cloud security so that your organization can avoid these risks and maintain maximum uptime. In this post, we’ll take a look at the most important cloud security practices. These are things that you should think about before taking your business into the cloud or updating your current security practices with new ones. Let’s dive in!
Why is it important to protect your data?
It is important to protect your data because otherwise it may be lost or stolen. The most common ways that data is stolen or lost include hacking (especially if the company doesn’t use strong passwords), wiping (data is deleted on a hard drive or in the cloud), and intercepting network traffic. There are many best practices to help prevent this, such as using strong passwords, keeping devices updated, and encrypting communications.
What are common threats to cloud computing?
One of the most common threats to cloud computing is hackers. To protect against this, you should always use strong passwords and update them regularly. You’ll also want to make sure to change your password if you happen to get hacked. Another common threat is malware. It’s important to scan your computer before connecting it to any public network, especially a public Wi-Fi network at an airport or coffee shop. You should also avoid websites that might have viruses or malicious software and don’t download anything from unknown sources.
A virtual private network (VPN) can help keep you safe. VPNs encrypt all of the data that you transmit, even though it will be transmitted across a public network. This means that your information is safe from hackers while you’re using public networks like Wi-Fi hotspots from places like Starbucks or airports. Finally, it’s important to back up your data regularly so nothing gets lost in case something happens with the cloud system for some reason and there’s been no recent backup.
What should I look for in a provider of cloud storage?
One of the most important parts of selecting a cloud storage provider is looking at the level of encryption that they offer. You want to choose a provider that has either AES 256-bit or AES 128-bit encryption. This ensures that your data is safe and protected. Another important part of selecting a cloud storage provider is looking at their security record. You want to find someone with a long history of protecting data, not breaching it. This will give you peace of mind knowing that your information is secure in their hands.
What are the best cloud security practices?
There are many different best practices for the security of a cloud. One such practice is to be selective about what data you store in the cloud. If you have sensitive data that isn’t necessary to store in the cloud, then this shouldn’t be done. The reason for this is because there’s no encryption with some public clouds and it can be accessed by anyone who finds it. Storing all of your info on a public cloud will give hackers access to everything and anything they want; so it’s best to leave out sensitive information that doesn’t need to be stored there.
Following is a checklist to practice to ensure cloud security:
First: Know your data
Many factors come into play when setting up a cloud. The first step is to know your data. You should be able to recognize what types of files you’re storing and what their purpose is. If you want to understand the data better, it’s best to ensure that you can restore everything in the event of a disaster. It’s also important to make sure that your backup strategy is comprehensive and in place.
- Identify data – it is important to know which data is important or sensitive and which are regulated data. Since it is data that is at risk of being stolen, it is necessary to know how data are stored.
- Tracking data – see, how are your data transferred or shared, who has access to them, and most importantly know where your data is being shared.
Second: Know your cloud network
A cloud network is a shared resource that all employees use. The issue with this type of resource is that it could be accessed and modified by many people at once, which makes it vulnerable to attacks. To mitigate this risk, your company should have a complete checklist of best practices for securing the cloud network.
- Check for unknown cloud users – check for the cloud services that are being used without your knowledge. Sometimes employees convert files online which can be risky.
- Be thorough with your IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) – several critical settings can create a weakness for your company if misconfigured. Change the settings according to your preference or opt for a customized cloud service.
- Prevent data to be shared with unknown and unmanaged devices – one way, is to block downloads for a personal phone which will prevent a blind spot in your security posture.
Third: Know your employees
When it comes to securing your company’s data, there are a few things you should know about your employees. What kind of devices do they use? What kinds of passwords are they given? Do they have access to any systems that would compromise your business? If you don’t know these things, you should start asking them questions before the next big cyber-attack hits. Basic employee checks can help you identify threats before they become a problem.
- Look for malicious behavior – cyberattacks can be created by both your employees and cyber-hackers.
- Limit sharing of data – control how data should be shared once it enters the cloud. To start, set users or groups to viewer or editor and what data can be accessed by them.
Fourth: Train employees
Companies should provide their employees with a checklist of cloud security best practices that they should follow for the company to be compliant. This will allow employees to know what steps need to be taken and what risks they may face when using cloud services. If a company has its servers, then it needs to ensure that all passwords are changed regularly, and records of passwords are stored securely. It is also important for companies to implement strong authentication methods on their cloud systems for them to know if an employee is accessing the system legitimately.
For an employee who is storing data in the cloud, it’s important to understand that there are many security risks involved. For example, malware attacks can occur if employees use public or untrusted Wi-Fi networks to connect their devices to the internet. Gaining access to company information is also possible. To solve these problems, companies should train their staff on how to secure cloud storage and communicate those procedures throughout the organization.
Fifth: You should be trained to secure cloud storage
The important thing to keep in mind is that managing your security is just as important as securing your company’s data. You should always train yourself to secure cloud storage and make sure that you have a good password for all of the online sites where you store or download data. You should be trained to understand and notice any changes in your data. This will also help you to make quick decisions in an emergency.
Sixth: Take precautions to secure your cloud storage
- Apply to data protection policies – policies will help in governing the different types of data. This will erase data, move data depending on the type of data, and if required coach users if a policy is broken.
- Encrypting data – it will prevent outsiders to have access to the data except for cloud services providers who still have the encryption keys. This way, you will get full control access.
- Have advanced malware protection – you are responsible for securing your OS, applications, and network traffic in an IaaS environment. That is why having malware protection is necessary to protect your infrastructure.
- Remove malware – it is possible to have malware through shared folders that sync automatically with cloud storage services. That is why regular checks for malware and other viruses.
- Add another layer of verification to sensitive data – it will only be known to authorized personnel.
- Updating policies and security software – outdated software will provide less protection to your data compared to your advanced software.
Conclusion
The conclusion is to review the checklist for best practices and then have a conversation with your IT team about your cloud security structure. Many benefits of cloud computing make it worth considering.
But also, as with any new technology, think through your security concerns before you go and make sure you’re not exposing yourself.