Although not entirely new, the cloud is an extremely important space for the smooth running of many businesses. It is a non-physical space that stores private or public information and is accessed from a networked device with a password or authorisation. The cloud offers numerous advantages, but it also requires the implementation of security measures to ensure the privacy of the information it stores.
Advantages of the cloud for your business
- Security
It is a space where sensitive data or data held by a company remains archived and is only accessible through a password. The cloud is the perfect place to store documents that have a high level of privacy, or that simply should not be stored in a folder that is easily accessible.
- Trust
The cloud is built on the Zero Trust Network, where there is an assurance that the trust placed in it will be commensurate with the way in which the data is stored. The Zero Trust Network is a method in which there is no trust in the person trying to access the data stored. Therefore, the recognition of the account should always be verified with a private password.
- VPN protection
For its use, it is important to have VPN (Virtual Private Network) activated. This is a way to protect devices by the networks they browse or the networks they connect to, detecting whether they are secure or not. The cloud is the same but in the form of a platform, which also detects and immediately notifies intruders or threats to the system or account.
- Lower cost and time
The cloud has a lower cost than other storage options. In fact, most clouds have free plans, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud or Amazon Web Services.
In addition, access to information is quick through a network connection, which avoids travelling or waiting, allowing you to work in a more agile and dynamic way.
- Rapid data retrieval
As the data is uploaded to the cloud, it can be retrieved from any device at any time. If something goes wrong in the office or the devices break, the data is safe. This happens, for example, when changing mobile phones or computers. Data transfers can be done with the peace of mind that everything we had on the initial device will arrive on the second one in the state it was in.
As can be seen, the cloud has become essential thanks to the benefits it offers, but as with everything, the advantages are often accompanied by disadvantages or risks. Cloud security has become a fundamental issue among corporate entities. That’s why, below, we review the key security measures needed to achieve the highest level of robustness against cloud threats.
Security measures for the cloud
- Access
Special care must be taken with how you access your cloud account, and to this end, it is essential to generate secure passwords that are known only to the necessary people in an organisation. The more difficult the access, the more difficult it is for data to leak or for files to freeze. These are the most common cyber threats and the most dangerous, because in a moment all our data and files could disappear.
- The fewer contact points, the better
In this sense, more points of contact – i.e. devices from which a company’s cloud profile is opened – means more points from which hacking techniques could attempt to break into an account. Limiting the horizons of such access is necessary to prevent this from happening. If it is essential to access the cloud from a computer that is not a company computer, for example, it is advisable to connect from a private network, not to save the password on those devices and to log out once use is complete.
- Protection
Protecting your device and the network you are using is key. Be aware that someone is constantly trying to obtain your data illegally. Having an antivirus and a software protector is important, as well as a secure wifi network. Being careful with these aspects of browsing can ensure that you perform well in protecting your company.
- Backing up
Make digital copies of what the cloud contains with hard drives or on other storage systems.
