Is the cloud secure enough for your business?

Every year, more businesses turn to the cloud as an effective, accessible and simple way to store all of their files. As hacking becomes a bigger problem with each passing year,  the question is, how do you keep your files safe in the cloud when data stored online seems under constant threat from digital attacks?

The cloud is a safe data storage solution, but to be effective, it requires users to be smart in the way that the manage their information. What is stored in the cloud is made to be either extremely easy to access or near-impossible to download, depending on whether or not the account has been made accessible to you.

The volume of attacks on information stored in the cloud is close to that of those on on-premise databases, and the similarities between each type of attack have increased as well, according to research from Alert Logic. More so, there is no difference between the cloud and on-premise databases to hackers. Storing your information in an on-site database won't help you avoid getting hacked, and it will make your own access to information more difficult.

So, if you do decide that you prefer the accessibility of the cloud, how do you manage to keep your online storage locker safe from hackers? Well, here are a few steps:

1. The mantra will never end: Be smart about your passwords!
Your name and birthday are not going to work as passwords, even if your name is really cool. Hackers are pretty good at figuring out passwords – it's a big aspect of what they do, so you're going to have to put a lot of thought into your cloud accounts to avoid a cyberattack. A random, long word with a combination of capital and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers is the best way to put together a password. If you don't think you'll be able to remember all of these complex passwords, try looking for software that will manage all of them for you.

2. Treat the cloud like crypt and encrypt it
Encryption takes advantage of extremely complex algorithms o make sure that information stored in the cloud remains secure. Encrypting your data stored in the cloud won't make it impossible for hackers to access, but decryption isn't easy, and it will certainly go a long way in keeping your information safe. Cloud services generally offer even more complex encryptions than on-premise storage solutions.

3. Find the right cloud solution for your business
Just because you've decided to store your information in the cloud does not mean that the decision-making stage of the process is over. Now you have to decide which cloud-based content management solution will work best for your business. It would be a bad idea to decide on any sort of cloud storage without at least doing some research beforehand. Being studious before choosing a cloud storage solution is crucial. Choose the wrong one and you might as well be paying for nothing.

Though there are some people who would like to say otherwise, the cloud is a safe place to store your information. If hackers are going to attack you, they're going to attack you, no matter how you store your data. The important part is choosing a document storage solution that is secure enough to keep these cyberattackers away from your sensitive information.

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