Is Cloud Safe?

Cloud is tenuous. So, what is fragile about Cloud services? As per (ISC)² report on Cloud Security, there are three major concerns among cybersecurity professionals about Cloud services, they are data privacy, loss of data, and confidentiality. When these issues are alarming, there are also other genuine concerns, such as Business Continuity, Accidental Exposure, Fraud, Disaster Recovery, and Incidence Response.

Having said that, you may think, do we really need Cloud services then?

Though the list of concerns is long, and the chances of a data breach are high, you can still opt for Cloud if you want to have certain advantages like faster time to market, rolling out services quickly and better commercial benefits. Over the years, usage of the Cloud has only increased because maintenance is easy. Many organizations prefer the Cloud for scalability, cost-effectiveness, speed, accessibility, storage, and data recovery. Also, you need not be bothered about the maintenance of any physical servers.

When the advantages of using the Cloud outweighs the disadvantages, organizations embrace the fastest-growing Cloud solutions, such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), Network as a Service (NaaS) and Function as a Service (FaaS) for their businesses to grow & sustain.

As per IDG’s 2018 Cloud computing research, a study reveals 73% of organizations have at least one application in the Cloud, and another 17% have plans to adopt Cloud Services in the next 12 months.

Let alone organizations, can you exist without Facebook or Instagram that runs on the Cloud? What you use on a daily basis runs on the Cloud, like Office 365, Salesforce.com, Google G Suite, Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud, WordPress, and Skype. It doesn’t end here, there are many more websites and apps that run on the Cloud.

Why do think, these businesses chose Cloud over on-prem servers and computers?

The simple reason and logic behind favoring Cloud are?-it can support remotely as storage, platforms, infrastructure, software, and host many other services to suit your businesses.

Now let’s go back to the security aspect of Cloud services, as per Ponemon Report in 2020 the global average total cost of a data breach is $3.86 Million. What is real? Cost-saving using the Cloud or cost of a data breach involved because everything is in the Cloud?

Well, both are real and big! You know compromised data can open doors of misfortune and get expensive. While this concern is significant, many organizations opt for off-site Cloud servers compared to onsite servers and data centers that are vulnerable. Organizations also trust major Cloud service providers, such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and IBM who are bound to update their security protocols often. Thereby, they trust that their data is in safe hands.

However, you should know the fact that no means or technology is 100% safe. Be aware of these cyber-attacks or risks, such as Malware /ransomware, malicious insiders, misconfiguration of Cloud platform, unauthorized access, and insecure interfaces in a Cloud environment. Understand, data security evolves along with any unforeseen or sudden threats. To combat such threats, cybersecurity professionals ensure that an intense defense mechanism is in place acting as a security fortress.

All that you have to do is ‘Trust’ your Cloud partners. They will work hard to safeguard your organization from a data breach and ensure Cloud is as secure as any other technological advancements.