Clouds are Fluffy So How Can My Data Be Safe?

If you’re considering transferring your data onto cloud services, you might be worried about the security implications of uploading content. Cloud storage involves uploading your files to an online location, after which you can access them from different devices without having to rely on in-house servers. While there are some risks to putting data onto the cloud, it’s important to remember that professional cloud storage relies on extensive security encryption; working with internet security specialists like Hero Digital can also help you to secure your data.

In terms of understanding how data can be secured when uploaded to the cloud, any individual or business should have a clear data protection plan and a policy for handling sensitive files; this is particularly important if you work in retail, public health, finance, or any other field where confidential customer information might be lost. Cloud services can provide multiple layers of security, depending on what you want to protect, with options including firewalls and token ring networks.

Organisations should also have a plan for how much data they want to share through the cloud, and how much they want to keep in-house. Some commenters suggest an 80/20 rule to handling your data, whereby you assign different values to files, with only the most confidential files being kept outside of the cloud. However, the proportion of data that you place on the cloud can be much larger if you’re confident about how well it can be protected.

Other recommendations for securing cloud data include making sure that you rely on specialist cloud services, rather than public clouds. It’s similarly important to check your internal privacy regulations, and whether they comply with recommendations set out by organisations such as the Cloud Security Advice. You might also want to work with security specialists to work out exactly what level of security you want for different sets of files.

Ultimately, the security of your cloud data is tied to the responsibility that you have to prevent important information from being leaked; don’t rely on others to handle your data unless you’re completely confident that there won’t be problems. Similarly, never share any sensitive files over the internet without first checking the Data Protection Act, and take control of your own data by setting up your own encryption and in-house plans with employees that deal with how they can protect their remote connections.

In this context, it’s important to be aware of the different options available for cloud services, and how you can tailor your encryption to the data that you want to upload. When it works, cloud services can free up valuable server speeds and make it easier to access content away from the office. Taking precautions is necessary, though, and it’s still worth investing in secured server rooms and data centres that can protect your most important files.

Rob Jones is a tech blogger with a strong interest in internet security. For high quality data protection, he recommends using Hero Digital. He also blogs about how to make the most of your server room’s technology.