How secure is cloud computing? Is it safe enough for me to store my data in the cloud? What issues with cloud security should I look out for?
The cloud has become an integral part of our lives. From storing files to accessing email, the cloud offers us a convenient way to access information from anywhere at any time.
Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.
Here are ways on how you can secure your networks from the issues of cloud security.
Dealing Issues With Cloud Security
Have a policy
The policy is the most important aspect of IT security. You need to create a policy that will define what is allowed for data, who can access it and how long it should be retained.
Make an inventory of the applications you use
Make a list of all the cloud applications that your company uses and check if they are secure. If they are not, you should tell the application provider to fix them.
Know your network provider’s security
Always check the security of your network provider before signing a contract with them. You need to check if they have adequate firewalls and other network security tools to help protect your data from being hacked.
Encrypt all data
You also need to make sure that you encrypt all your data before being uploaded to the cloud. This will help protect your data from other cloud users who might be accessing it without authorization.
Monitor network logs
You need to regularly check your network logs for any suspicious activity and you should also check if any of your users have accessed unauthorized files or used excessive bandwidth or storage space.
In addition, you also need to check if the cloud applications that your company is using have good backup systems in place in case of any hacker attacks or natural disasters.
You also need to equip your employees with the knowledge of how to access cloud applications.
Encrypting data
Encryption is a method of transforming data into a form that is not readable by anyone except for authorized users. The transformation process makes it difficult for unauthorized users to read the encrypted data and gain access to the original content. Encrypting data can be done either in storage or at rest, and an encryption key is required to decrypt the data.
In addition, encrypting data on the storage is done when data is in transit from one place to another. It involves encrypting the data before it’s written to disk and decrypting it before it’s read by authorized users.
Encrypting data at rest involves encrypting the actual files that contain information and decrypting them when they’re needed. There are many encryption systems available like 128-bit, 192-bit, and 256-bit encryption keys. The more bits the encryption key has, the more difficult it will be for an unauthorized user to hack it.