Almost every company today relies on cloud computing for the majority of its mission-critical business applications. Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce, Dropbox, Adobe, and Google G-Suite are just a few of the most popular.
Every company now keeps a large amount of very sensitive data in the cloud, more than ever before. When it comes to Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, there is no doubt that they provide the most secure environment possible.
Even if cloud services do an excellent job of safeguarding a business’s data, they cannot secure it after the data leaves the cloud and interacts with other systems. This occurs every day, as workers access, download, and transmit data from a variety of devices located in a variety of locations. Generally, security breaches are extremely rarely the result of inadequate data protection; rather, they are the result of human error.
However, businesses may safeguard cloud security in a variety of ways. Among the most successful are:
1. Deploy multi-factor authentication (MFA)
We are all aware that conventional username and password combinations are often inadequate to secure user accounts from hackers, and that stolen credentials may result in hackers gaining access to an individual’s online business data.
To enhance security, we strongly suggest that you utilize multi-factor authentication, also known as two-factor authentication, to ensure that only authorized employees may log in to cloud applications and access all critical data. According to the majority of security professionals, failing to install MFA is deemed irresponsible.
2. Control user access to enhance cloud security
It is necessary to control the number of workers who have access to each program, piece of information, and file. Each employee should only see or modify the apps or data necessary to do their job.
It helps prevent an employee from inadvertently leaking information that he or she is not allowed to change, or if an employee with complete access is duped by a virus email, the hacker has access to the whole business!
To alleviate the burden of user access and administration, a business may simply hire a competent information technology consultant.
3. To identify intruders, user activities should be watched, recorded, and evaluated utilizing automated systems
If monitoring is utilized, it may assist the company’s management in identifying unusual occurrences such as logins from unfamiliar IP addresses or devices.
These activities often signal a system breach, so monitoring them and resolving security problems in advance may help avoid mayhem.
Several such solutions include the following:
- Vulnerability assessment and mitigation.
- Detection and response to endpoints.
- Developing a thorough off-boarding procedure in order to safeguard against leaving workers.
When workers leave a business, the company should ensure that they no longer have access to the company’s systems, data, client information, or other proprietary information.
A business must have a systemized deprovisioning procedure in place to guarantee that all access permissions for leaving employees are removed.
4. Employees get monthly anti-phishing training
Hackers get access to protected data by obtaining workers’ login credentials, which is often accomplished via phishing, impersonating websites, or other forms of social media surveillance.
Phishing training should be “continuous” since it is a continuous activity that requires management by someone inside the business to be successful!
5. Solutions for cloud-to-cloud backup
As previously stated, the likelihood of a business losing data owing to a cloud provider’s fault is very low, but the likelihood of losing data due to human error is quite high.
While the majority of cloud providers, including Microsoft, do retain deleted data for a short time, if an employee deletes data inadvertently and a hacker gets the account password and corrupts the data, Microsoft has no recourse beyond a set period.
Businesses that must adhere to stringent standards are increasingly relying on cloud-to-cloud backup solutions. There are many of them on the market today, as well as numerous IT consulting firms that can assist in determining which is the ideal option for a particular business.
Cloud computing is unquestionably more secure than on-premises computing, provided the proper safeguards are taken. By using experienced IT experts and adhering to industry best practices when installing, deploying, choosing, and administering cloud services, a business may maximize the benefits of cloud computing while maintaining a high degree of security to safeguard critical data.