As cloud technology continues to grow, it is clear that it is here to stay. This technology can greatly benefit many different types of organizations, which is why more and more small businesses are turning to using the service. In signing up with third party servers, businesses are able to save money. By using online email, SaaS, CRM platforms, and offsite backups, organizations are putting their trust in third parties to keep their data safe and uncompromised. With this issue of safety in mind, there are five security areas that should be of concern to any organization that is making use of cloud computing technology.
Secure Data Transfer
All transfers must take place over the Internet. There is a much greater risk involved when uploads or downloads are occurring. It is vital that organizations connect using only https protocol. As with any data transfer, making sure that the data is encrypted and authenticated according to industry protocols can help to protect from interceptions from third parties.
Secure Data Storage
When dealing with a server, there are a few questions that organizations need to ask to be sure that there are substantial internal security features for added protection.
Questions to ask:
- How is data stored?
- Who has access to our data?
- What information will be disclosed in a security breach?
It is important that the risk profile is understood and that the server provides a full disclosure of all of the logs and data. The server must provide monitoring services that are fully able to prevent security breaches.
Secure Software Interfaces
Most companies interact through APIs. Since the security of cloud services is directly tied in with APIs, it is important that they are secure. When an organization is relying too fully on weak APIs, this exposes them to a wide variety of security issues that can cause breaches. Unfortunately, the more complex the API, the more risk that it causes.
When organizations are working with third parties, they must give their credentials to third parties as a part of building their own APIs. This increases the potential for redirect attacks. To reduce the risks of attacks, a strong authentication and encrypted transmission are a must.
Secure User Access
When using a cloud server, access is allowed by certain server employees. This information should be disclosed to any users of a server so that they understand who has access to their data. Organizations should always be mindful of what kinds of data they are publishing to any cloud server, since there is always the risk of unauthorized access. Always encrypt any data so that in the event of a breach, it is much more difficult to access.
Secure Data Separation
All cloud computing servers use virtualization hypervisors to create different compartments to keep their user’s data separate. Before deciding on any vendor, it is important to investigate the techniques that are used by your vendor. This will help you to understand how protected your data is from being intermixed with other customer’s data.
These tips are in no way meant to discourage businesses from using cloud computing. This is a technology that continues to grow. By carefully considering these tips, businesses can make sure that their data is secure and that they are making the correct decision when it comes to choosing a cloud computing vendor.
I am a writer for Rand Group - a Microsoft Dynamics partner and financial management software solution provider for distributors, manufacturers and the oil and gas sector.