Cloud security best practice

Identify risk areas
While cloud computing has perhaps reached the status of de facto industry standard, many experienced IT professionals still struggle to adapt. Arguably the largest risk area amongst IT professionals is a tendency to underestimate the importance of risk itself, and instead keep the budget in mind. IT professionals need to look past their budgets and their need for cheap cloud, and realise that a breach would cost their business far more.

Prepare for worst-case scenarios
IT professionals should be carrying out the required due diligence exercises as part of their routines to ensure that their business is capable of making the switch to cloud computing. This can include the usage of multiple datacentres, and stringent tests on their operability.

Backup
While certain IT professionals have wholly embraced cloud, a hybrid solution may suit many businesses as far as backup is concerned. Cloud is often the best option for disaster recovery (often prominent on any CIOs agenda), but during day-to-day operation, accidental deletion is a much more common problem. When this occurs, onsite backup is crucial as there is no substitute for wire speed. This explains why it is still required as standard by many insurers.

Authentication
Authentication can prove to be a headache for IT directors, as it requires a fine balance between security and usability. A simple username & password combination may not provide peace of mind, but it doesn’t cost much to implement, and it doesn’t hinder employees in their daily tasks. Conversely, a more sophisticated multilateral authentication process may prove impossible to navigate for most staff. Authentication structures need to be tailored to the needs of the business, and need to strike a balance between keeping crucial data secure, while maintaining ease of operation.

Encryption
As above, the debate around adequate encryption concentrates on balance. Many systems can be surprisingly open; if you know the password to a laptop, all of its data is in your hands. To prevent data in the cloud from this vulnerability, different levels of encryption for different data sets are required. This however raises similar questions around usability, and speedy recovery should a problem occur. As such, thorough encryption of all data is not advisable.

Centralise
Centralisation may not always have been perceived as the best policy, but where security is concerned, it can prove helpful. It allows for customers to utilise one port of call during a breach or any other security issue. Additionally, it allows for greater control over user activity.

Know where your data is
Before deploying any type of cloud programme, it is vital to understand where and how your data will be stored, particularly for business in vertical sectors. This is important as depending on the nature of your business and the type of data in question, as data may be subject to a range of data sovereignty laws.

Test!
During the everyday minutiae of running a business, data security can easily become an afterthought. Testing is therefore a crucial component of cloud security; it is simple to build a secure network, but very difficult to secure an existing one.

Follow procedures
As above, certain procedures may get lost during everyday operations, as staff drift into routine and habit. Procedures can therefore be rendered pointless if not followed. As such, education is crucial in this case, and is far more important than restrictions. Staff need to be aware of security procedures at all levels of the business, and will prove to be much more effective.