Having any business data in the cloud might feel like being a lone island in the middle of a violent storm. This is especially true when using multiple providers and trying to keep data safe.
We use multiple providers ourselves and we don’t rely upon the provider to handle security fully. While we do choose providers based on their security features, we also take additional steps for protecting a business in the cloud.
Perform Cloud Security Audits
We’ve heard from numerous clients that they thought cloud security was the responsibility of the provider. While many do offer security features, it’s up to individual businesses to implement security policies to ensure data security and regulatory compliance.
This is where cloud security audits come into play. Protecting a business in the cloud means looking for potential problems early. We perform audits for clients to ensure all security policies are being followed and that no regularity compliance issues exist. It’s always better to perform regular audits than clean up after the fallout if something goes wrong.
Know Where Data Is Stored
It’s up to a business to know where their data is stored. Despite using multiple providers, we know the physical locations of the data centers along with maintaining a list of which providers store which types of data. This might not seem that important, but we need to know the security ramifications of a potential breach. For instance, if one provider is hacked, how much of our data is at risk and what areas of our business will this shut down.
Control Data Access
Protecting a business in the cloud means being diligent about data access. We know it’s easier to just set up a few basic security rules and hope for the best. After all, we know firsthand how tedious it is to create those complex access rules, especially when it comes to remote access users.
However, we want to ensure unauthorized users never gain access to data they don’t need. For instance, if we give clients access to a set of data that’s shared in the cloud, we only give them access to a specific folder or set of files. The rest of our data is still locked down tight.
Does your business need help with protecting data in the cloud? Contact us to learn more about our auditing and cloud security services.