As more and more businesses are starting to move away from physical servers to cloud-based storage, it is important to know how cloud security best practices. The investment you make to switch from physical security to digital security can be very important to protect. We here at WillDom want to help guide you through the process of protecting your data and creating a safe switch.
While protecting your data on the cloud service of your choice is an ever-going project, it is not something that should take an incredibly long time once you set it up. As with most cyber security, keeping your cloud safe falls largely on your staff and how they interact with the server. Most breaches come from inside the company. We’ll go over not only how to prevent these types of issues, but how to incorporate some cloud security best practices. Here is our three-step process for protecting your cloud storage.
Step 1: Know Your Service
This first part is all about preparation. Cloud security best practices start with an understanding of what your service provides and how you can interact with it. To do this, you first have to know which parts of your data are sensitive and need to be protected. Just knowing what you don’t want to be shared or easily accessed can be incredibly helpful to begin with.
Now that you know what you need to protect, regulate how it is accessed. Put a process in place to edit, pull or even view that information. Sensitive or private information should not be widely available on your server, and it is ok to complicate its ease of access.
On that note, also make sure you keep an eye out for accidental and purposefully malicious activity. Anomalies in your access process can quickly lead to breaches and data loss. Stay on top of preventative measures and keep up-to-date records of each person who touches your private data.
If you need assistance with setting up or building your private cloud network, then we here at Willdom would love to help. Cloud security best practices are just one of many areas of which we have team members with experience. WillDom has a huge roster of IT professionals from across the world who can join your team at a moment’s notice and help you. Click the link above to learn more about our roster and schedule a consultation today!
Step 2: Put Active Protections In Place
With your sensitive data sorted away and labeled as such, it is time to actively protect it. This will include not only outside forces but also those within your own office. People make mistakes all the time, and may not mean to cause a security breach, but it does happen. Active protection not only keeps your data safe but can help ease the process on your own staff.
Policies to keep cloud security best practices on the minds of your staff are those that mention how and when to store, remove, or even quarantine data. A team member who knows this is likely to make fewer mistakes.
You should also set limits and regulations on how your data is shared within and outside the office. Many breaches can come from erroneous emails and copied materials. Putting some documents to “view only” or restricting editing access are simple solutions that can go a long way for security.
As for outside threats, encryption is a huge tool in your arsenal. By encrypting your sensitive data, you make it so that no one without a specific password can even view your files. Any attempt to export encrypted files just creates a broken file or a file with nothing but nonsense. Also keep these passwords even more protected than the actual data, with only necessary staff knowing them.
Firewalls and malware protection are the next good tool to keep out invasive eyes. Harmful files that find their way onto company computers will purposefully dig for access into your cloud and try to export or edit your sensitive data. Some may even hold it hostage and inaccessible. Having strong and varied protective programs can weed out and destroy these harmful files before they ever cause an issue.
Step 3: Purge Problems As They Arise
If and when a problem emerges, solving it is just as crucial as having tried to prevent it. Just because a breach has occurred does not mean it can’t be fixed. The best and quickest way to do this is to adapt to the issues as they arise — update policies and procedures to keep pace with incoming dangers or bad habits.
If policy alone won’t do, then there are other ways to fix an active problem. One common issue is when living malware is not removed from the system. Just because it has gone inactive or hidden does not mean it won’t continue to be a problem later. Always delete and remove malware as soon as you learn about it.
You can also put a secondary level of verification on sensitive files to ensure your cloud security best practices are up to date. By requiring two-step verification, if someone does manage to get in, they will be met with yet another wall, and likely never get past. This can be text-based, an in-building phone call, or even verbal manager approval. Be sure to check out our LinkedIn or visit us at WillDom.com.
