Nowadays, more and more businesses and organizations are moving towards cloud computing. Although a wonderful asset for industries, it comes with a lot of cyber-security risks.
The cloud industry has evolved in recent years, addressing many such security risks, but the challenges and its vulnerabilities continue to grow.
In this post, we discuss some of the cloud security risks you should be aware of.
What is Cloud Computing?
Before we dig into the complexities of this topic, we should know how the process works exactly. Cloud computing uses remote servers to store, manage, and process data rather than using personal networks or local servers. One advantage of doing this is that companies can avoid paying the upfront cost of maintaining IT infrastructure to store and process data. Famous examples of cloud computing are Gmail and cloud back-up of photos on smartphones.
Data Breach
Unauthorized access to your data is easy for hackers and malware. Criminals don’t like to do hard work and, therefore, might take away everything from you if you own a small business or even a large one on a third-party server. The data of small companies is on average easier to breach, and due to the sheer amount of space, one cloud service is usually divided among many businesses. This makes it an even bigger potential target. So, if you think you’re transferring your data to a safe space with better security, you need to think twice.
You don’t only face a threat from hackers and malware, but inside threats and intrusion from the government are also present. So if you decide to use cloud computing to store your data, you have to extend your trust to people you have never met or have any direct agreement with, as the data is now also exposed to people who manage the servers.
Poor Access Management
When you keep data on your local network or server, you have control over the service and various features you choose to use. If you want to change your service in the future, you can do so because you’re entirely in control. However, if you use a cloud service provider, your vendor owns all the features and functions. You have access to a few functions you choose to buy, and you have no guarantee on whether the features you select today will be available at the same price tomorrow.
What’s more shocking is that if you’re unable to pay your bills, you will lose your data to the people who own the server.
Legal Risks
If you belong to a certain industry that is legally bound to maintain, store, and protect the information of its consumers/customers, then it becomes legal compliance to guard it at all costs. Along with protection, these companies should also know where the data is, how it is being protected, and who can access it.
If you’re one of those companies and you’re using cloud computing for storing your information, then there are chances that you can get in trouble because then you’re relying on the safety policy of cloud providers who aren’t bound to protect the data. These industries include banking, healthcare, government, etc.
Cloud computing is a blessing for the modern world, but with every good thing, there are some downsides. It’s essential to keep your data protected, especially if you belong to a high-risk industry.
At HARROW INTERNATIONAL SECURITY, we offer a full range of cyber and online security. We take a proactive approach to monitoring client networks and providing regulatory compliance. Visit our website or contact us to know more.
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