Cloud Security Basics: How To Stay Safe

It’s natural to comprehend where a document goes when you save it on your PC. It lives on your hard drive, perhaps housed in folders you’ve made and composed yourself. That record is just put away on your PC, except if you choose to email it to yourself or share it on an outside hard drive or USB.

However, what about the cloud? How safe is data saved on the cloud? What security basics should be kept in mind while hosting your business applications? You will find the answers to these questions as you read the article further.

Image Source: Threat Stack

In spite of the fact that cloud providers have advanced security measures, clients should ensure that there is no slip by from their side to guarantee the highest security accessible to their valuable information. Here are some security measures that should be kept in mind to ensure optimum cloud security.

1. Thoroughly research before choosing a cloud provider

There are various alternatives of cloud providers that spring up when you choose to move your data to the cloud. Being patient and not getting sold to the first cloud provider you like is the key to find the perfect cloud provider for your data.

You should scrutinise all the available cloud providers, examine their plans and select the ones with the best highlights – flexibility, pricing and accessibility to give some examples.

When you have a couple of probable choices that fit your budget, survey their cloud protection arrangements and SLA (Service Level Agreement). The SLA mentions the level of service that the cloud provider is willing to offer to the customer.

As you go through the SLA, your list will keep getting shorter. Then choose the one you feel is the best for you and your budget, but only after verifying their security certificates.

2. Try not to be incautious – create a strong password

Nowadays, with so many websites around asking to sign up to their sites, creating passwords has become a task in itself. Most people try to create one password that they use for a majority of their accounts, or they endeavour to make straightforward, simple to recall passwords.

Try not to have this state of mind while creating a password for the access of your cloud storage. Think of it as a key to your personal details, documents and hard work.

So, it is vital that you make a strong password that is extremely difficult to break. Try to create a combination of numbers, characters, and symbols and abstain from utilising your very own name, epithets, your organisation’s name or those of your loved ones. A mix of upper and lower-case letters is likewise useful.

3. Pursue strict protocols

Having a decent cloud provider with dependable security measures along with having a strong password is not enough to relax thinking you are safe now. A knowledgeable hacker doesn’t need a lot to crack the password you have set.

You need to set as many safeguards as possible to protect your information. One ideal way is to establish a proper authentication protocol. A less complicated approach is to have a two-stage verification system to add an extra layer of security. This 2-tier security will ensure that you can relax with your data being safe.

4. Create a backup of your data

In the event that there is some information critical to your process, the best option is having a backup on another server. While it is a difficult task to pursue, everybody knows it’s smarter to be sheltered than regret later. Choose a small sized plan with another cloud provider and put your important data in that server as a backup.

Furthermore, you can also backup your data at local storage. Although the cloud providers ensure that your data is hosted in a secure environment, you can store the critical data in your local storage to be safe.

5. Access Control

Access Control is used to ensure that there is authorised access to the system.  There are two kinds of access control: physical and virtual. Physical access control limits access to grounds, structures, rooms and physical IT resources. Virtual access control limits associations with PC systems, system documents and data.

Physical access control includes approving access to a server room or office. It can be accomplished through different ways of access measures like retina check, biometric finger impression scanner, key cards and many other ways.

On the other hand, virtual access control would involve authorising and authenticating the user for access to devices.  For example, HR department staff ought not to approach money related records and the other way around.

6. Mentor your staff about fundamental security

On the off chance that you are utilising cloud as a base for all your organisation’s information, there might be chances that you are not the only one accessing the record. The more individuals approach your information; the more are the odds of security breaches.

Showing your staff the know-hows of security protocols is essential. Numerous security breaches happen due to a few oversights by the staff. Educate your team about the advantages of a strong password and to be careful about logging off when they are finished with their work. A well-informed staff will keep you free from stress.

7.  Encrypt your data

Encryption has been around for quite a while; however, it has turned out to be a standout amongst the most other security measures. Encryption in straightforward terms is the encoding of messages or data so that just authorised users can access it.

There are software packages available that will give you a chance to encrypt your information before you transfer it to the cloud. Thus, even if someone gains access to the cloud server won’t be able to access it because the data is in encrypted form.

To conclude!

Following these security measures will help you feel more secure while hosting your data on the cloud.

While thorough research for the cloud provider will ensure that you get the best services, creating a strong password and pursuing strict protocols along with access control will provide that your data is never stolen. Creating a backup of important data is another crucial feature that will ensure total data protection.