When is the last time you forgot to backup your work? If you remember working before the cloud, you might have thoughts of your computer crashing and losing several hours of work. Luckily, if you’ve started using the cloud, your changes are automatically saved.
Many businesses are realizing the efficiency in storing data in the cloud – no hardware to buy and the costs are predictable. They recognize that if they use a data sharing service for their data and applications, their data is safe and applications can run even during a power outage.
There are many benefits to moving, but it’s important to evaluate if the features and workflow fits your needs and if their platform meets their cloud security requirements.
Understanding Cloud Security
Before moving, spend some time assessing their security measures and verify it meets your compliance requirements, if any. Don’t assume that security will work the same in the cloud as on your premises, or you might inadvertently increase your risk. Unlike when you do something on premise, the cloud is not something that you just change and let flow. You must stay on top of what the provider is doing, log access to the data, and make adjustments to maintain a secure environment.
While data centers and shared infrastructures are designed with intense security best practices, not all service providers offer the same level of security. Avoid making hasty decisions. Check on locations for data storage centers and how the provider abides by regulations. If it is an overseas data center, understand that the regulations and data privacy policies change depending on the country.
At Boost IT, we offer Endpoint Protection as a cloud-based security solution that is tailored for small- and medium-sized businesses.
Recognizing Cloud Failure
While you look forward to having convenience of 24/7 access to your data storage from anywhere you connect, that doesn’t mean there’s zero possibility of hardware failure. Businesses understand that failures happen, but they don’t think about the failure of a provider. You don’t want to be the one who mistakenly assumes that public services won’t fail.
The good news is that if there is a failure, most cloud providers have security systems and disaster recovery plans in place to protect your data. So why shouldn’t you feel smug?
Problems with cloud services happen more frequently than most businesses realize. While these problems are typically not critical, businesses need to adapt their applications to these possible outages. If a business has an application for ongoing applications, there should be a logic trigger built into the app. If the app hits a snag, the logic trigger produces an automatic retry instead of shutting down.
Now, what would happen if there is a bigger snag, such as a prolonged failure along the massive, shared infrastructure? How would your business fare if you couldn’t access a website for an app you work on, or if your main data system is inaccessible?
While businesses often have a mitigation plan for their own system failure, they neglect the importance of mitigating the risk of hardware or other failure in the cloud. To help with making sure you have a mitigation plan that addresses the complexities of the cloud while providing solutions for your specific needs, contact Boost IT at 404-865-1289.