5 Steps to Ensure that the Cloud is Secure [step-by-step]

The cloud may be all the rage these days, but many businesses remain wary of putting their data in someone else’s hands. While cloud security isn’t something you should ignore entirely, you can be proactive about it and implement some policies to keep your data safe in the cloud without compromising your business’s productivity or flexibility. Here are five steps to help you do just that, with a bonus tip at the end!

1) Invest In The Right Equipment

Your computer and devices are your offices; investing in good security equipment will help keep it secure. Make sure you have an internet firewall, antivirus software, a data backup solution, and fully updated security patches installed on all of your systems. Also, make sure you know where your private data is online and what kind of information it contains. This should be easy if you already have a system in place for backing up or storing certain types of files in different locations, like at a data center or with a cloud storage service. Regardless of where they’re stored, ensure they are protected with passwords and encryption software so no one can access them without permission.

2) Know What You’re Up Against

Before you can choose how to secure your cloud, you need to know what security tools are available. A little research will help you uncover third-party tools as well as built-in protections like system monitoring and firewalls. Once you know what is out there, it’ll be much easier for you to build a comprehensive defense against cyberthreats. Just make sure that before you add any new tool or service, you do your due diligence and confirm its reputation and reliability. This may take some time—but it’s one of those invest-in-yourself types of tasks.

3) Understand How the Cloud Works

The cloud offers more flexibility, convenience, and cost savings. But what many don’t realize is that it also poses new challenges for security. Many businesses want to move their software applications to a cloud-based infrastructure but don’t know how, or are hesitant because of cloud computing myths they’ve heard about. There are, however, a number of ways to ensure your data and applications remain secure in the cloud. The first step to understanding how your company can securely use cloud technology is by learning more about what constitutes the cloud. Here are five key questions: What exactly does cloud computing mean? How do I use it? Where does my data go? Who owns my data? How do I ensure privacy and security when using cloud technology?

4) Carefully Select your Provider

There are a lot of options for cloud computing. In choosing one, you want to ensure security is your top priority. You don’t need bells and whistles; you need something secure and reliable. What type of hardware will they use? How are they trained? Are they regularly audited? What certifications do they have, if any? How much uptime do they promise, and how do they plan on achieving it? These are questions that all IT professionals should be asking. Make sure you get answers before signing anything!

5) Protect Yourself From Hackers

Hiring a cloud-based IT service provider will go a long way towards helping you protect your company from hackers. As you begin looking for new providers, look for one with extensive experience in cloud security, as it’s increasingly an important part of business infrastructure. Choose a provider that does an annual security audit and has an ongoing focus on educating its staff about potential threats. It should show you how it audits third-party vendors and keeps up-to-date with industry trends emerging threats like ransomware or phishing attacks. At least once a year, make sure to sit down with your provider and talk through their systems—you may learn some new things.

Conclusion

Maintaining data privacy and security in a cloud environment can be an arduous task, but it can also be rewarding. If you’re looking for a new venture or are simply interested in how security must evolve to keep up with technology, joining our team might be a choice for you. At InnovativeIT, we are constantly working towards ensuring that your data is secure on any device at any time—and you don’t have to worry about anything else. Simply put: Our goal is to ensure your information stays safe from prying eyes.