How Secure Is Your Cloud Provider?

We are fans of the cloud, especially for data storage, but you shouldn’t implement the cloud without a good security strategy. Whether you are using it for your organization's data storage needs or just to take backups of your infrastructure, you’ll still need to keep various facets of security in mind for your cloud storage. It all starts with figuring out how secure your cloud provider really is.

The Provider is the One Who Determines How Secure Cloud Storage Is

At the end of the day, the cloud provider is the one who will be responsible for maintaining the security of your data. The cloud is just the infrastructure you use to remotely access the resources. Essentially, you are borrowing someone else’s server for your needs.

As a result, your data relies on whatever protections the cloud provider has in place (or unfortunately doesn't).

If your cloud provider is trustworthy, they will secure your data via a variety of security methods and safeguards, like access controls, encryption, data redundancy, and cloud monitoring. Moreover, they will test it all on a regular basis to ensure that it all works the way it’s supposed to. Additionally, your cloud provider will be focused on the safety of their own infrastructure by locking down servers that house their data and securing them as best as possible.

On Top of This, Your Data Needs to Be Available

After all of this is taken care of by the cloud provider, it’s critical to keep accessibility in mind. If you can’t access your data, then it may as well not even exist. Thus, a cloud provider should be able to guarantee a certain level of uptime. No matter the circumstances, you need to find a cloud provider who can ensure your data is accessible, and they should have contingencies in place to make sure of this.

Having Said This, Most Cloud Security Issues Come from the Client’s Side

Most cloud security problems do not come from the providers themselves; rather, they come from the user. Here are just a few examples of how this might happen:

• Shadow IT, as your users store your data on an unapproved service or platform
• Files being shared inappropriately 
• Cloud resources being accessible through Insecure passwords
• Users inadvertently deleting data
• Cloud resources being accessed using Insecure devices

That being said, the cloud is remarkably secure, as long as you are sure to address problems like user behavior and management. Macro Systems can help ensure your staff know how to properly utilize your business’ solutions, the cloud included. To learn more, reach out to us at 703-359-9211.