Ensuring Cloud Computing Success

August 23, 2016 Off By David

With more and more companies migrating to the cloud, it’s time to talk about the risks of doing this. Before you start to panic, just stop and listen for a minute. Cloud computing is still infinitely safer than what you were doing before, there is no doubt about that, however as with airplanes being the safest way to travel, they still occasionally encounter problems and have to land on the Hudson River.

I just want to make everyone aware of the potential risks so that they know how to combat them, because knowledge is the best defence and any reputable hosting company like Umbee Cloud Hosting will be able to combat and neutralise any threat better than Rambo and a horde of angry locals, anyway…

Data Breaches

We all hear about security breaches, whether it’s giant clothing retailers or massive conglomerates like Sony, but they can also happen to smaller companies, however they are very rare, due to the safeguards in place. Be aware that this is a possibility and put in place the necessary protection, and then you can rest easy. Some great ways to sure up your security is to stop using pathetic little passwords (if it doesn’t look like this ‘zk\jdfgpicgfk$ncsifaxf@#ehxm367’, then you’re not trying hard enough), and get rid of that lax attitude to authentication.

Account Hijacking

As with any software that relied on a password and username, accounts can be high-jacked by attackers. Just ensure that information like this is kept on a strict need-to-know basis and ensure that no one keeps information like this written down anywhere public.

A Secret Agent

This is something that the cloud can’t defend itself against and is down to you. Disgruntled employees (or former employees) might decide to simply dismantle your infrastructure from within. Restricting sensitive access to a small number of employees will help reduce this likelihood a little, unless the employee in question is one of those. The only real way to stop this is by being a nice boss. Disgruntled employees come from bad bosses, so make sure you are fair and polite to all employees and don’t create an environment where discontent can thrive.

Data Loss

Luckily the chance of permanent data loss when using cloud software is so slim, I’m not even sure why I’m bringing it up. Although the likelihood of a modern cloud system permanently losing data is extremely rare, it could happen if you are not careful. To be on the extra safe side, it is wise to spread your data across different zones, just in case there is a permanent loss.

Everything has an element of risk, however the cloud provides a level of security that means you shouldn’t have to worry about the above risks, unless you’re careless and your common sense level drops through the floor. Compare the risks and benefits to cloud computing, with the risks and benefits of what you were doing before and you will see that the cloud is the only way forward.