More and more businesses are turning to the cloud to streamline their operations and provide greater conveniences to both their employees and customers. However, despite its rapid growth and popularity, cloud computing brings with it several inherent security risks that companies have to understand and manage.
If you are looking to implement cloud computing into your company’s existing IT infrastructure, let us share four ways you can protect your business’s data and monitor cloud activities. This way, you can successfully manage the risk associated with these services.
1. Utilise access controls for security.
Different departments require different information to complete their job, and not all of the company’s data is necessary for them to work effectively. Without controlling access to different sets of data, files, and other applications in the cloud, it is easier for hackers and other security threats to bypass the system.
Hence, you should consider working with your company’s IT department to assign access controls to the cloud. This way, employees can still complete their job effectively, but they cannot accidentally remove, alter, or interfere with existing data files that they should not access. Additionally, it minimises the risk of malicious hackers gaining access to the entire cloud computing system should they manage to hack an employee’s credentials.
2. Implement multi-factor authentication.
Personal data is the biggest threat to corporate cybersecurity. Business data and other applications are not always secure, even with a purposeful combination of complex, intricate usernames and passwords. Once hackers gain access to the personal credentials of your employees, these stolen data will provide the perfect leeway for criminals to access other sensitive information.
More must be done to protect your company’s cloud applications and the sensitive data found on them. Hence, you should consider taking an extra step with two-factor authentication (TFA) or even multi-factor authentication (MFA). This way, it is harder for criminals to bypass the security system put in place to protect your company.
TFA and MFA are often free or priced at a very affordable rate as an add-on for cybersecurity. Security experts often urge companies to take advantage of this affordable and accessible security solution to maximise protection.
3. Ensure regular monitoring and analysis of user activities
Understanding and tracking user activities is an important way to facilitate security checks in a cloud system. There are many technical safeguards that your company can utilise, and one popular option is the Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB). This software monitors the usage of cloud-based resources and keeps track of patterns that provide greater insight into the company’s activity.
CASB is situated between the user and service provider, so it can identify any abnormalities and block cybersecurity threats before the user is affected. Data is monitored both ways, and malware and APT attacks are less likely to occur.
Beyond a technical safeguard, frequent risk assessments can also be conducted by reputable and experienced third-party providers to further mitigate potential risks. Regular monitoring and testing must be commonplace alongside thorough follow-up.
4. Include cloud-to-cloud backup solutions
When you use any cloud platform or application, you must be prepared to deal with risk. Risk comes in many forms, be it cybersecurity threats or losing data. The possibility of losing data as a result of an error by your cloud provider is significantly lower than human error occurring within your organisation.
Cloud providers don’t always store deleted data past a short period of time. In the unfortunate event where your employee accidentally deletes an important set of data, or if hackers corrupt any essential files, your cloud provider will not always be able to retrieve the lost information.
Hence, a cloud-to-cloud backup solution is always a safe alternative that will protect your company in such circumstances. Speak to your cloud provider and ask them about the data restoration process. If your company feels a backup solution is essential, you should, by all means, implement this system.
Conclusion
As outlined above, there are many risks involved with cloud computing. Businesses must take the necessary steps to protect their personal and corporate data before they can truly enjoy the benefits of cloud computing.
Extensive training and knowledge are a must to implement effective cybersecurity policies successfully to protect your cloud computing system. At BridgingMinds, we offer a range of IT security courses that equip participants with the latest cybersecurity knowledge, so they are better equipped to deal with such threats. Furthermore, we are hosting an upcoming webinar – a joint collaborative effort between Palo Alto and CompTIA – where experts will share more about cloud computing and risk management strategies for businesses. If you are interested, hurry up and sign up now before the slots are filled up!
