As cloud computing becomes increasingly ubiquitous, more individuals and businesses are making the move towards using cloud technology.
But like any relatively new technology, its use carries risks along with its benefits.
To safely reap the benefits of using cloud computing, you need to know how to minimize cloud computing security risks.
7 Tips to Eliminate Cloud Computing Security Risks
It is true that most reputable cloud service providers have dedicated security teams. However, there are certain user-end vulnerabilities that they can’t defend against.
In these areas, the responsibility falls to you to minimize your vulnerability. Ways in which you can help protect yourself include:
1. Implementing Strong Authentication Protocols
A traditional username/password combination will do little to deter a serious hacker.
For this reason, they are increasingly being fazed out in favor of multifactor authentication protocols. Asking users to sign in with just one or two extra methods of authentication will make unauthorized access that much more difficult.
2. Set Proper Levels of Authorization
Most of your employees won’t need access to every application or article of information. But giving all of your staff full access leaves you vulnerable.
It’s unfortunate, but an increasing number of data breaches are being perpetrated by employees rather than outside actors. Setting proper levels of authorization will allow you to better protect sensitive information.
3. Monitor and Log All User Activity
Building on the previous point, you will want to be able to monitor all user activity in real time.
Whether you are the victim of an inside attack or if a user’s credentials have been compromised, real-time monitoring will allow you to identify instances of users deviating from normal behavior patterns. And in the event that a breach does occur, having all of that information logged will allow you to provide a report of who accessed what information and when.
4. Have a Comprehensive “Offboarding” Process in Place
Employees come and go in all business, but when that happens, you don’t want your former staff to be able to take information out with them.
Revoking access to your network probably sounds like a no-brainer, but it can be more difficult than it sounds.
If your business uses multiple cloud applications, you need to have a process for ensuring that former employees have their access revoked from all of them.
5. Provide Employee Training
As strong as your security protocols might be, the human element will always be a weak point that can be exploited.
Many hackers will target your employees in an attempt to steal their access credentials. If your employees are mostly laypeople, then they’re prime targets for hackers.
You can protect your business by offering training to your team to help them identify common threats like phishing, spoof websites, and social media spying.
6. Put a Data Backup and Recovery Policy in Place
On average, a minute of IT downtime costs an average of $5,600 a minute in lost productivity.
With that steep figure, minimizing the downtime caused by a cyber attack it is crucial. For that reason, having a data backup plan in place is non-negotiable.
7. Comply With All Regulations
Technology changes rapidly, and the law is never far behind.
As rapidly as the law changes, it can be difficult to know if you’re in compliance. In these situations, it’s best to bring on an expert who can routinely check your network for vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with all relevant regulations.
Always Put Security First
Any time an emergent technology promises to make business easier or more convenient, there is a push to implement it as rapidly as possible.
But undue haste can leave you susceptible to security vulnerabilities. Following this set of standards can help minimize cloud computing security risks that could impact your business.
For more on how to safeguard your business, check out our article on why security systems are essential for your small business.