Cloud storage is more popular than ever. It saves on hard drive space, backs up your precious files, and is usually lightning fast. It’s also an important part of running a business, especially if that business is digital. Very few startups can afford large physical hard drives, making cloud storage a far more manageable solution.
Business owners tend to imagine that their cloud-stored data is extremely safe, but that isn’t always the case. Here are a few tips to help you stay secure.
#1 Encrypt, encrypt, encrypt
Encryption is without a doubt the best way to protect your cloud-stored data. Zipped files can and should be compressed and properly encrypted prior to upload. You can set a password, and in doing so, ensure that only specified employees gain access. Encryption is simple and takes a matter of seconds, but it’s the number one method for securing your cloud.
There are different levels of encryption, too, each offering additional layers of security. Which you choose depends on a myriad of factors (not least cost) but applying some degree of encryption to your cloud-stored data is the most reliable way to safeguard it.
#2 Hire cloud storage specialists
If your business is growing rapidly, securing your cloud might seem low on the priority list, and it isn’t always something that companies budget for. Nonetheless, there’s no better way to bolster your defenses than by bringing in a professional. Ethical hackers are one option. They operate in much the same way as more nefarious hackers, but for one crucial difference: they won’t corrupt or steal your data!
Ethical hacks will try to hack into your cloud and report back on any vulnerabilities. If this sounds stressful, businesses of all shapes and sizes also look to IT management companies for their cloud needs. Choose a company that offers cloud storage solutions. Not only will they test your systems, but they can take them off your hands completely. Having a third party manage your cloud storage takes all the stress out of worrying about security, and you can rest assured that your data is being protected.
#3 Utilize cold storage
Cold storage simply means any kind of physical storage that’s less vulnerable to hacks and network outages. Cold storage is undoubtedly more expensive than cloud-based solutions, but small businesses don’t need to spend gratuitously. By only backing up crucial sets of files, you can keep hard drive costs low while ensuring that you never lose business-critical data.
The best cold storage will be air-gapped. This means that storage isn’t in any way connected to the network (either by wireless or cable connection), making it extremely secure. Air gapped storage can be cost-effective, and even more so if it’s reserved purely for your most essential data. Think of air-gapped as a safe that’s nearly impossible to crack. Viruses and malware have ways of infiltrating networked storage, but a completely isolated hard drive is safe from these forms of hacking.
