Cloud Desktops For Advanced Security and Disaster Solutions

Is the work-from-home movement creating more cyber threats?

The previous year was challenging for every business. Various teams uprooted their office infrastructures and started working from home. Complete connectivity between groups was created via a series of methods such as online meetings, mobile phone access, and WhatsApp communications.

Despite this expenditure, security controls can be dodged via unsafe endpoints like smartphones and tablets. This left approximately 68% of business owners or leaders in fear of increased cybersecurity risks.

Cloud desktops provide an answer to these challenges. It is a setup that allows the ability to host office desktops, such as Windows computers, on the cloud for remote access. Along with offering an online setup, it ensures advanced security and seamless disaster recovery. These benefits empower any business to work smoothly without worrying about cyberattacks.

Enabling Security

According to IBM, the average time between identifying a breach to its resolution is 280 days. 

Considering the time needed to resolve a security breach, prevention is the best strategy. Below we have discussed how cloud VDI desktops improve security. 

Multi-Factor Authentication

The frontline defense of cloud desktops is multi-factor authentication. Any user of the cloud desktop needs to clear multiple layers of authentication to access desktops, apps, and data. This eliminates many cyberattacks and unauthorized access arising from them.

Internal and External Firewalls

The next security implementation in cloud desktops is internal and external firewalls. While the external firewalls form the layer for multi-factor authentication, the internal layer allows access control. 

For example, external firewalls work as a barrier between your servers or cloud desktops and a hacker. A person who is not a part of your company may not have credentials to clear multi-factor authentication. Hence, security is maintained.

Similarly, internal firewalls prevent unauthorized access to the employees of the organization. Any employee from the IT team should not be allowed to capture or evaluate data stored and accessed by the accounting team. Understanding this hierarchy and implementing it in the form of access control on your cloud desktops is achieved via internal firewalls.

Endpoint Security

An important fact about cloud desktops is that these units don’t store data on the endpoint. When your organization is using a VPN to allow work from home, theft of the endpoint is still a risk. If the desktop is lost, the data stored on it along with the credentials is stolen. While you can still change the credentials, what about the sensitive data files?

However, in the case of cloud desktops, multiple virtual machines are created that allow virtual desktop access to employees. Therefore, your employees can utilize multiple devices and enter their desktop interface in a few clicks. 

Also, theft of this device or endpoint may not indicate a cyber threat to the company. If employees are correctly educated to inform the IT team on time, access from a certain endpoint can be revoked, which will secure the company’s data. 

No matter how many devices an employee is using to connect to the server, no data is saved on the endpoint. This makes security architecture strong.

Network Monitoring

Lastly, the network is continuously monitored by the Cloud Service Provider. The cloud server that hosts your data is under physical as well as virtual security.

An intrusion detection and prevention system consistently monitor intrusions on the server. Additional AI bots and controls like antivirus, antimalware, etc., help detect even a small unusual activity. This leads to rapid resolutions and advanced security.

Together these four factors create a strong security layer on your cloud desktops, which is not easy to penetrate. For any small or medium business, achieving this level of security is always trouble-free with the cloud. 

Ensuring Disaster Management

Other than security, managed cloud desktop services offer seamless disaster management. Check how disaster recovery contributes to the entire security architecture of the cloud.

Regular Backups

On the cloud, your virtual desktops or VMs are regularly backed up by the CSP. They utilize automated functions to back up your data and store it in remote servers for retrieval in time of disaster.

Hence, this means that if your organization loses its data accidentally, you can recover it from the backup images—for example, accidental deletion of an important file.

Server Redundancy

The reason why the above is possible is because of server redundancy. In data management, redundancy seems like a dreadful mistake. It creates multiple copies of data that just takes up extra space on our desktops and causes confusion. 

However, server redundancy is beneficial. It includes using different servers for creating multiple copies of your data. These servers are ideally located in different geographical regions, far away from each other.

As a result, if a cyclone were to hit your region, your business would still have the power to recover data. You can connect with another server of the CSP and retrieve files from a backup image.

Additional Benefits of Cloud Desktops

Security and disaster recovery are crucial benefits of the cloud. However, there are many other benefits of cloud desktops, which can help you make the right decision,

Cloud desktops don’t have upfront costs, such as hardware or software setup. To start with, businesses can ask their employees to utilize their personal devices.

It is flexible. Your sales representatives can connect to the system on the go and the marketing team can communicate while sitting at home. 

Small businesses require some level of scalability. Fortunately, with the cloud, scalability is effortless. There are no additional charges or implementation challenges. 

Employees of the organization can connect without worrying about security or outdated data. Two or more team members can open and work on one file without hampering the latest version, as everyone is virtually accessing the same file.

Conclusion

Cloud desktops are hassle-free and cost-effective. The infrastructure entailing this service creates a security net around your desktops, applications, and data. Disaster recovery is a by-product that helps us retain data in the shortest time possible during a disaster or calamity. 

Utilize the power of the cloud to improve your operational efficiency, productivity, and motivation.