More and more companies are storing their data in the cloud. However, you may have concerns regarding cloud computing, such as data security, security risks, and the possibility of data loss. At Haber Group, our Outsourced technical support team will help you ensure that your data stored in the cloud is safe.
This post will discuss how cloud providers use comprehensive cybersecurity methods to protect your sensitive data. But first, let’s discuss what the cloud is.
What is the Cloud?
There is usually a degree of ambiguity when you ask even seasoned professionals to explain the cloud. The cloud is any software you use that isn’t stored on your computer. Instead, the application code exists on another company’s servers. When you store images, files, and other data in the cloud, you’re generally using the servers of top providers like Amazon, Microsoft, or Google.
Many schools use Google Docs to store their documents as this easily integrates with Chromebooks and Google Classroom. Many businesspeople gravitate to Microsoft Office 365, a cloud service that allows for collaboration among team members. These software applications are referred to as software as a service.
Many businesses have started to use Cloud infrastructure or infrastructure as a service because they can add servers as needed without purchasing more hardware. Instead of investing in data centers, they can rent the servers they need, which is cost-effective.
For example, on Black Friday, when most companies experience a large influx of web traffic, companies using cloud providers can provide more servers to handle the additional traffic. Companies that don’t use cloud providers might not weather the traffic load and miss out on sales due to slow loading web pages.
The most influential web-based companies rely on cloud providers to serve their enormous customer bases. Netflix uses Amazon’s servers to deliver video content to millions of users worldwide.
Even the United States government leverages cloud providers like Amazon and Microsoft Azure to keep their confidential data safe historically through the lucrative Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract. If the U.S. government trusts the top cloud providers, how secure is the cloud?
How Safe is My Data Stored in the Cloud?
Many companies choose to back up their data in the cloud because it is more secure than storing data on hard drives. Nefarious hackers may access information stored on your hard drive using malware downloaded from phishing emails. They may use ransomware to freeze your computer and demand payment before releasing your files and data.
Cloud servers live in data centers where people cannot easily access them. Encryption is used to store files to prevent attackers from accessing them. When you save your data on the cloud, the companies in charge of the servers keep their software patched to defend them from viruses and malware.
Cloud providers do their part to make sure the hardware running your programs are safe. Let’s look at how they keep your data safe.
Redundant Backups
What if something goes wrong with the hardware, or there’s a power outage? Will you be able to access your data in the event of a natural disaster or a large-scale outage at your cloud provider?
Yes, because the largest cloud providers use redundancy. They duplicate your data multiple times and store it in multiple data centers. You can access your files from a backup server if one server goes down.
When data is redundant, it is stored strategically, sometimes in different data centers in other geographic regions making your data available even if there is an outage at one data center.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is improving many areas of business. Cloud providers use it to keep your data safe. While there is a global shortage of experienced security professionals, companies leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning. AI is the first line of defense providing security analysis. These programs use built-in algorithms to look for and identify potential security issues.
Regular Updates
How often do you ignore the prompts to update your operating system, browser, or email client? In the world of computer security, it’s essential to stay up to date on software patches.
These updates frequently include tools to protect your devices from the most recent viruses and malware. Cloud providers oversee the infrastructure, keeping their security measures up to date.
Strict Firewalls
Cloud providers use firewalls to protect your files as well. As the name implies, this technology acts as a barrier protecting your data from unwanted traffic. Firewalls apply rules to all network traffic.
These rules filter out potentially harmful traffic and keep your data safe behind the firewall. Firewalls make it difficult for hackers to get malware or viruses past your cloud service provider’s security measures.
Now you know how Cloud providers keep your data safe in the cloud. But how can you do your part to keep your data safe?
How to Boost Your Cloud Security
Cloud Providers do their part to protect the infrastructure, i.e., the hardware, software, networking, and facilities that run the cloud services. However, cloud customers should also do their part to keep their data safe.
AWS calls this a shared responsibility model, an agreement between the cloud provider and the customer to safeguard data mutually.
Train Employees
AWS trains its employees, but customers are responsible for training their employees. Employees should never give their passwords to anyone pretending to work for your company, as it could be a social engineering attack.
Encrypt Data
Avoid storing sensitive data in the clear. Instead, encrypt it and add extra characters to make it harder for cybercriminals to access.
Multifactor Authentication
Multifactor authentication is more secure than using a password alone. MFA ensures that attackers access your phone to get the token code even if they cracked your password.
Software Management
AWS patches and fixes infrastructure software. Cloud customers are responsible for patching their guest operating systems and applications.
AWS manages the configuration of its infrastructure devices, but customers must properly configure their own guest operating systems, databases, and applications with security best practices in mind.
For example, when you open an account with AWS, the first user created has admin access and the power to disable the account. Creating other users and not using the root user account is vital. Provisioning users with limited access will lower the risk of someone hacking the root user account and gaining admin-level access.
Outsourced Technical Support
Are you interested in finding a cloud computing solution for your company? Call our trained specialists today to learn more about to keep your data safe in the cloud. Haber Group provides the best-hosted solutions in the New York City area.
