Protecting Your Business in the Cloud: What’s Your Role?
The cloud provides you with the freedom to manage your business from anywhere, the efficiency to improve your team’s performance, and a strategic advantage to remain ahead of the competition without incurring significant costs.
But here’s the thing: it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Business in the cloud has threats that must not be overlooked.
Business owners frequently believe that once their data is in the cloud, the cloud service provider is completely responsible for its security. But that isn’t how it works. Instead, it’s a collaborative effort in which you have an important role to play.
The shared responsibility model
When it comes to cloud data security, both the cloud service provider and the consumer must fulfill specified responsibilities. This cloud security methodology is known as the shared responsibility model.
However, if you don’t know which security responsibilities are your job, there may be gaps that expose you to risk without your knowledge.
The key to keeping your cloud safe is understanding where the cloud provider’s responsibilities end and yours begin. This begins with evaluating your agreement to determine which particular security tasks are with the provider and which stay under your purview.
What’s your responsibility?
While each cloud provider may differ, here’s a quick overview of what you’re likely to be accountable for:
1. Your data: Just because your files are in the cloud doesn’t mean they’re automatically protected.
What you must do:
- Encrypt crucial data to prevent unauthorized access.
- Enforce access limits to prevent people from reading sensitive information.
- Back up essential data for business continuity.
2. Your applications: If you utilize cloud apps, you are also responsible for their security.
What you must do:
- Update software regularly to avoid weaknesses that hackers can exploit.
- Limit third-party app access to prevent fraudulent logins.
- Monitor for suspicious activities to avoid data breaches.
3. Your credentials: You cannot safeguard your accounts with weak passwords.
What you must do:
- Implement solid password policies to prevent unwanted access.
- Use multi-factor authentication as an added security measure.
- Implement policies to restrict access based on roles and responsibilities.
4. Your configurations: You are responsible for properly configuring and monitoring setups on a regular basis.
What you must do:
- Prevent unauthorized access to your data by disabling public access to storage.
- Enable activity logs to monitor cloud use.
- Regularly audit permissions to verify that only authorized users have access.
Take charge without worry!
You don’t have to be an IT specialist to protect your organization in the cloud; all you need is the right personnel. As an experienced IT service provider, Atom Creek understands your concerns. We know how to secure your customers’ data and set up configurations appropriately. We help you transform your cloud into a secure refuge so you can concentrate on expanding your business rather than worrying about technology.
Contact us HERE to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation!
