Moving safely and responsibly to the cloud: concerns for organizations

As an organization, you want to keep your data secure. Previously, software and files were stored on a computer or a local server. Nowadays, they are often in the cloud. Through the Internet, data can be accessed by your organization anytime, anywhere. With a cloud solution, you use the storage space of an external provider. For example, from Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. The cloud provider takes care of the storage of information and files, from the digital infrastructure to the security of the data.

Benefits and risks of the cloud

For many organizations, a cloud service is cheaper than in-house management of data storage. For example, you don't have to buy and maintain hardware. Accessibility is also an advantage. With the rise of working from home, it is important that data be easily accessible to employees, regardless of where they work. The cloud makes it possible.

Using the cloud also comes with risks.

• With a cloud solution, you trust that the provider has information security in place. A cloud provider takes measures against digital threats such as ransomware and data breaches. You want to prevent data from suddenly becoming inaccessible, or falling into the wrong hands.
• In a number of countries, including the United States, cloud providers are required by law to share data with government agencies if they request it. This obligation also applies to servers located in the European Union. As a result, data you store in the cloud is not automatically protected from government interference.
• It is possible for the agreement between a cloud provider and an organization to end. You yourself can make the decision to switch to another provider. But there are also cases where a cloud service provider terminates the partnership. The question then becomes how to efficiently and securely transfer data from the cloud to another (digital) location. A pre-thought-out exit strategy reduces the risk of data being temporarily inaccessible.

Safe in the cloud

For many organizations, cloud services are a reliable way to store data and make data and documents accessible to employees. Leading cloud vendors have a state of the art approach to information security, which is often not feasible or affordable for organizations. The security risks mean that, as an organization, you must also take action yourself to make cloud use responsible and secure.

• A cloud environment is accessible from anywhere via the Internet. Therefore, proper authentication measures are necessary. Consider the use of a strong password and multi-factor authentication. It is also important that you regularly check the access rights of employees, and adjust them if necessary.
• Most of your organization's data is confidential. It is important to look critically at the data you put in the cloud. Is the survival of your organization threatened if a document ends up with an external party? If so, an offline storage location may be better than the cloud environment.

 

Just someone else's computer

It should be clear: the cloud has advantages and disadvantages for organizations. Therefore, it is wise to consider the conditions under which you want to use cloud services. To what extent do employees depend on access to the cloud? How can you anticipate a situation in which data is - unexpectedly - unavailable? Ultimately, the safety of your organization's data, security and software is a responsibility you don't simply hand over to an external service provider. After all, in essence, the cloud is, as is often said, "just someone else's computer."