It’s difficult to deny how convenient The Cloud is, not only for businesses, but for general file storage too. In fact, over 70% of business professionals use cloud storage of some form. Gone are the days when employees can claim they couldn’t access a document because their computer was down, it can now be accessed everywhere.
However, who is to blame if the data goes missing?
What can you do to prevent it from happening to you?
This guide should help you.
Who Is Responsible For Data Stored In The Cloud?
The Cloud solves many issues with accessing and sharing data. However, it is not perfect. Data can go missing, but who is to blame for this problem?
Despite the fact that businesses would like to blame the disappearance of data on their Cloud service provider, there is an equal possibility that the business could be responsible.
The Cloud service provider could be at fault, but this very much depends on service level agreements. We have seen examples of data breaches such as those experienced by Apple and the iCloud service. However, incidents such as these are usually due to lapses in the security protocols employed by end users.
Therefore, it is vital that you consider the security procedures you have in place before putting any important and confidential business information online. It is best to assume that data stored in The Cloud is your own responsibility in order to minimise your risks.
Unfortunately however, some Cloud storage providers are prime targets for hackers wanting to make a name for themselves, so even the most diligent of businesses are at risk of data breaches.
How Can My Business Avoid Losing Data On The Cloud?
Of course, you should do everything you can to attempt to provide the best level of security for any data you store in The Cloud. Here are just a few steps that you could take:
- Ensure that your data is encrypted when stored in The Cloud, particularly if the information that you’re storing is critical. Data encryption will reduce the risk of hackers accessing or tampering with your business information.
- Keep data backed up. Even though the original idea of The Cloud is that your data doesn’t need to be stored on a local hard drive, it is still advisable to do so. In this way, if you should fall victim to external data loss, you will have an additional copy.
- Use secure passwords. It goes without saying that a formal password policy will help to protect your data wherever it is stored. In order to create such a password, you could use a password generator. These types of passwords are generated at random and will be much more difficult for hackers to crack, unlike those passwords that bear any relevance to the business or user.
In general, using The Cloud is a great way to store data. However, it is important to ensure that you treat confidential data stored remotely with as much care as you would with data stored in any other location.
