Although working in the cloud sounds like you are taking up a new career as a pilot, it is in fact, a way of storing all of the data and files that belong to your small business. Cloud storage allows you to backup your files using a data server off site that you have continuous access to. There have been some high profile security breaches of cloud based storage. In 2014 a group of female celebrities had their cloud storage hacked, and personal photographs were stolen. Scandals like this have made companies that offer cloud storage solutions prick up their ears and endeavor to make their storage more secure than ever before. However, the onus is also on you to ensure that your cloud based files are as secure as possible. Take a look at these easy ways to add an extra level of security to your files.
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Access
If you run a business with a number of employees, it’s vital that they only have access to what is necessary in order for them to complete their job. This does not in any way suggest that you are suspicious of any of your staff, it simply means the less data that is accessible to all, the less chance of it falling into the wrong hands. Cloud storage providers should now be able to ensure customized access across files to increase security.
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Encrypt
The encryption of your data is vital to ensure that hackers cannot access your files. Using a provider such as Amazon cold storage means that powerful encryption is used server side. If you do want to have more control over your security, you can also employ your own encryption keys before uploading any of your files to the cloud. Every file, cloud based or not, should have as many levels of encryption as possible and should be password protected at the very least.
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Passwords
The days of simple alphanumeric passwords are long gone as are the pet name, kid’s name and road you grew up on passwords. Passwords now need to be more sophisticated to prevent unauthorized access to files. Select randomly generated codes that contain special characters, upper case letters, lower case letters and numbers. Size does matter, with passwords of nine characters or more being the most secure.
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Sensitive Data
The most sensitive and personal data should be stored away from the cloud. Backing up regularly is important to ensure that you can retrieve your files. However, you may want to keep the most sensitive files on your internal business server or an external hard drive. This means the data is physically with you at all times and access is strictly limited. Cloud storage is secure, but for peace of mind, many businesses and individuals will keep the most personal and sensitive data out of a cloud environment.
If you follow the plan of encryption, password protection, limited accessibility and the specific storage of sensitive data, you will be protecting your company’s data in the strongest way possible.
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