Cloud Security Risk Factors to Watch

Cloud Security Risk Factors to Watch

If recent cyber attacks on businesses have been any indication, it doesn’t matter what size you are — if you have any attachment to cloud computing, you’re at risk. Cloud security has become a focal point of conversation.
Don’t make the same mistake that led to the downfall of others. Consider the following common foibles and ways you can avoid them:
Encryption Issues
You don’t want your sensitive information in the wrong hands, because it can be costly in terms of fines but most certainly in terms of your reputation.
If you’re using non-secure encryption protocols, you’re putting your data at risk. Your cloud provider must support TLS or transport layer security based encryption, which is a cryptographic protocol designed to offer security over a cloud network. This must be included in your Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), email, web browsing and instant messaging.
Your cloud provider should be able to work with you to customize various encryption features that you desire.
Watch What You Make Public
The glory of the cloud is in its mobility and ability to share all sorts of information without having to worry about proprietary hang-ups. Unfortunately, it’s also easy to accidently share too much information.
Educate your employees about what they can and cannot publish, because getting sensitive company data out there can be bad for business partners, and for the organization as a whole.
Work on your control settings to limit access to various bits of information. You can even put extra steps in your publishing process, which essentially acts as a final reminder that you’re about to put out information.
Shore Up Incident Response
What’s your strategy for reacting to incidents? Too many organizations are faced with coming up with an action plan on the fly, and that’s not an efficient or effective way to handle any situation.
You can work with your cloud provider to develop a strategy so everyone knows what to do and the steps to follow when the worst happens.
Lock Down New Apps
Every application needs to be thoroughly vetted before you can put it to use in your system. Some will have weaknesses that compromise cloud security, leaving you open for attack.
The cloud’s platform makes it easy to adopt new apps and processes, which is great until you let your guard down and install something that can wreck your security. With the proper education and with monitoring the system, you can see the red flags go up before your system is compromised.
Need an agent to navigate you through the process? At Clarksys, we’ve assisted many clients in scaling for tomorrow while getting in touch with the best technology for today. Get in touch with us and let’s discuss your goals, your needs and a customized approach to cloud security.