Top 6 Cloud Computing Security Topics

As cloud computing grows, and even more businesses contemplate moving their operations in to the cloud, one of the greatest concerns that is raised many times is security. Is the cloud really secure? The fact is that storing your information in your cloud is really just like, or even more, secure than keeping your information in traditional infrastructure. Like traditional infrastructure, however, as a good customer in addition to a professional you need to take into account a long list of security checkpoints. These checkpoints represent possible cracks in your own cloud infrastructure security, and you'll just want to shore these up to keep your information as secure as it can be. Your Staff Unfortunately, the leading threats to both cloud hosting and traditional security will often be the ones right under your nose. Hire staff who're trustworthy and depend on your own instincts. Don't be reluctant to evaluate your employees for proper usage of internet resources. Create pro-security polices, train your employees on these polices, and enforce them. Passwords Your employees must protect their passwords. Put together your IT system making sure that regular password changes are normal and encourage strong, complex passwords. Weak passwords provide straightforward accessibility for individuals that want to get hold of your confidential information. Firewalls Establish strong software and hardware firewalls to maintain your information secure and out of the hands of people which do not have business with it. This might require blocking popular websites from employee use. Don't be reluctant to do this. Surfing the Internet really should not be a choice during the clock. Data Backup Cloud hosting enables all your data to be backed up. If you want to leave some data off the cloud, however, it's going to be vital that you keep a tightly secured system for backup. Off-site backup is usually the safest option within this scenario. Software Patches No matter what which operating-system that you are running, every software package used in your corporation ought to be kept up-to-date by installing patches as they're released from your software provider. Software that is not properly patched will not likely protect against the most up-to-date virus and is practically a door for individuals that aspire to access your confidential information. Access Control Cloud hosting is often a fabulous way of storing data, but it is useless if care is not used to protect outlets and control access. Mobile devices allow it to become simple to work from practically any location, but when they're left unsecured, they provide for easy access to anybody who comes to take them. If you choose to allow staff to gain access to the cloud using their personal devices, create policies surrounding these devices. Require password access and train employees to respect security protocols. Closing You may want to review Wikipedia's section on cloud computing security. They have a wealth of information and resources for your education. I wrote this article after reading the "Top 4 policies in Cloud Computing Security You Must Know" found at the Cloud Computing SEC blog. It's a great article but overall I thought they forgot about traditional security risks like the ones above.

Cloud computing security was listed as one of the top 7 Cloud Computing Must Haves by Cloud Provider USA. The Cloud certainly is the future. Security is one of the best cloud computing service must haves. Security risks occur whether your data is stored on your cloud or on your server in your back room. Properly training employees and carefully choosing who may have admission to your data along with the cloud should go some distance toward keeping cloud computing secure and a great choice for your organisation.