Over the years the cloud has become a cost-effective way to hold data. The cloud is a great way to store files while allowing your employees easy access quicker than passing them a USB drive or sending an email. Employees can be located anywhere in the world and still have access to necessary files. However, with the cloud come risks when it comes to securing your data away from unwanted eyes. Cloud security is the utmost importance to ensure that your information isn’t getting into the wrong hands. This is especially true if the data stored needs to follow laws. Here are some tips for keeping your data safe and increasing your cloud security. HIPAA Don’t Store Sensitive Information The minimal thing you can do to keep your cloud information secure is as simple as not storing sensitive information. Personal data on your employees is an example of this. While this isn’t always possible, it will help prevent this information from getting into the wrong hands. If you have high-risk data that needs to be stored on the cloud, you need to consider other options when it comes to security. Just throwing this data into an unsecured cloud is going to add a lot of risks. Consider the ramifications that could happen by having this data exposed. This can help you come up with some different possible scenarios that would happen if this was the case. Doing so can help you have a backup plan if this were to come to fruition. Have A Complex Password You might find that you need the cloud to store sensitive information. The first step in ensuring data privacy is to make sure your password is complex enough it can’t be cracked easily. You would be surprised at how many people ignore this, leading to them being vulnerable to low-skill hackers running scripts. Another mistake is using a password you use for another account. Do not use your Facebook or email password for your cloud. If your email gets hacked, all it takes for the bad-actor is to reset every other password compromising all your associated accounts. Having a long password can get confusing sometimes, but there are ways to remember them to make it simpler. Encryption The best way to secure your cloud data is with encryption. Basically, this works by using software to create a password for the files you are moving into the cloud. Once in the cloud, these files cannot be opened without knowing the password. By providing your employees with a password to get into these files, you add a layer of cloud security. One way to do this is to zip files, then encrypt them. There are free tools you can find to accomplish this. A more straightforward way to do this is to use a cloud service that provides you with encryption. Find a service that has a . This just means that they follow strict security policies and procedures to ensure your data isn’t going to be at risk. SOC 2 certification Research Cloud Services Before you decide which services to use, do your research on them. The COSO framework is a model for evaluating internal controls. This is the standard organizations use to judge the effectiveness of their systems. If the organization you are choosing to host your cloud can provide proven safety, they are going to be the one you want to choose to protect your sensitive information. Another thing to investigate is if the cloud provider follows NIST security protocols. The details how private organizations can access and prevent, detect, and respond to cyber-attacks. NIST framework Educate Your Staff Everyone in your business should understand the methods to keep your information secure. Make sure your policies on cloud security are well known to everyone from the bottom up. All it takes is a slip from one uneducated employee for sensitive information to get out. Stay Up-to-date Security software is being updated all the time to keep ahead of hackers: this means you need to be up-to-date with your security software to ensure your information is being kept safe. A lapse in an update or patch can make you vulnerable to attack. While the cloud can make your life much more comfortable, it could also put your data at risk. Cloud security is something you should take seriously for your business. Looking for a service that can provide you with encryption and steady updates is the best way to ensure you aren’t putting yourself at risk. Comprehensive cloud security is the best way to keep your data safe.

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