Being able to work from anywhere, at any time and all as long as you have cloud access to data, software and information is the norm, and with this normal way of work, there has also been an increase in data breaches, data theft, and misuse and cyber-crime in general.
· Data and information safety
The first step or consideration in an IT security protocol and installation will be the fact that it must be able to protect your data and information. It is widely noted that data and information are now assets regarded as the most important for the modern business, thus it is ever more important to protect such data. As most of this data is entrusted to a private service provider in the cloud, it is essential that the cloud provider is aware and conscious of their responsibilities in this regard. There are some great examples of data management platforms that can be found at www.avepoint.com, which will provide further food for thought.
· IAM (identity and access management) security
Data housed in the cloud can be accessed by anyone with the right credentials from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. It is thus pertinent to ensure that access is one of the tightest aspects of your IT cloud security. Who is able to access the network, and at what levels is critical to get it right? Those with administrator access who can change, add or remove data must be closely monitored as it is from unauthorized access that most data breaches occur. The trending buzzword is zero trust security protocol, and any business that takes data protection seriously must have such a zero-trust protocol instituted to protect data and tighten IAM security.
· Real time threat detection and prevention
As more business has moved into the cloud, there has been an increase in the criminal elements that have also looked to benefit from all company data being in a place that is more accessible. The aforementioned IT security is the only way to protect your data in a modern age, regardless of where it is housed or stored. Lastly, cyber security must be integrated and constantly updated and upgraded to provide the best security that you can afford.
· Legislative compliance
One of the main aspects of a cloud security protocol must be the legal and legislative compliance built into the cloud’s data security. There are incredibly strict laws around data protection and the use of customer, client demographic, and business information, and as such, how such data is stored, the layers of security around the data, and the ongoing security updates and upgrades are key means to ensure that your business is compliant in this regard.
Data and information security may not be a specific concern for many businesses if a cloud computing service provider simply manages it. However, the business itself must be aware of the various layers of security implemented and followed to secure their data and information in the cloud.