Should You Be Using Cloud Services?
The cloud service industry is booming. According to the 2018 IDG Cloud Computing Study:
- 77% of enterprises have at least one application or a portion of their enterprise computing infrastructure in the cloud.
- Enterprises predict they’ll invest on average $3.5M on cloud apps, platforms, and services this year.
- More technology-dependent industries including manufacturing, high-tech, and telecom are being led by executive management to become 100% cloud.
That said, if the idea of the cloud stresses you out, that’s OK. Don’t let this industry trend push you to change the way your business operates. After all, it’s understandable if you have some reservations…
Cloud Services Need To Provide Security
Security is a key reason why many businesses like yours are wary of the cloud. By using cloud services, you offload all your data to an offsite location. Can you really trust this company with the lifeblood of your business?
It’s not a given – according to the RedLock and its Cloud Security Trends report, more than 50% of businesses that use cloud services like Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) have unintentionally exposed at least one of these services to the public.
This growing trend of unsecured cloud configurations is due to businesses neglecting known vulnerabilities in the cloud, or failing to properly assess their cloud environment to discover unseen security risks. RedLock researchers found that:
- 38% of organizations have had an administrative user account compromised
- More than 80% of businesses fail to mitigate cloud vulnerabilities
- 37% of databases accept inbound connection requests from the Internet, seven percent of which receive requests from untrustworthy IP addresses
Protecting the privacy of your clients and the security of their personal information is your business’ number one priority, and while it might not seem like it at first glance, the cloud is more than capable of helping your business to do just that.
That’s why the cloud services you choose have to offer security, often in the form of proven protections such as:
- Encryption as a Service
Encryption makes sure that even if data is unlawfully accessed and stolen, it will be completely unreadable and unusable to the thief, which helps to protect you, your employees and your business contacts.
- Intrusion Detection
Monitoring of your cloud configuration to detect, prevent and report potential breaches around-the-clock is the best way to keep unwanted visitors out. - Virtual Private Network
Implementing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a great way to keep your data safe, especially when using unfamiliar Wi-Fi networks. Whether traveling or just checking email at the local coffee shop, investing in and using a VPN makes sure that no unwanted third party can get into your cloud-based data at the same time you’re accessing it.
Cloud Services Need To Seamlessly Manage Migration
To those who are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with technology, the prospect of changing the fundamental nature of their IT environment from top to bottom is simply too much to ask.
There is any number of concerns related to cloud migration…
- During the transition, you could lose some key files for good with no backup or redundancies to replace it.
- The migration, already expensive, takes longer than you expected and adds what you thought was avoidable downtime to your staff’s work life.
- Once it finally gets installed and launched, you find out the platform is overly complicated and difficult to learn, leading to more downtime for your staff.
Even when the benefits of transitioning to a new cloud solution are clear and verifiable, many would prefer not to go to the effort and expense of switching IT environments.
The Secret To Stress-Free Cloud Services
Ask for help – if you want to try out the cloud, or even just start on the path towards using it someday, Colorado Computer Support can help you do so.
With assistance from our team, you will be able to harness the strategic advantages offered by cloud services — efficiency, agility, and scalability — without taking on any risks that come with a poorly planned and executed migration.
We will manage cloud infrastructure by standardizing interactions between cloud environments. It also allows greater control over specific services to outsource while achieving interoperable cloud infrastructure management between consumers and service providers.
