Now that the prevalence of remote work stemming from stay-at-home orders has increased, the use of the cloud has proven itself to be beneficial for small businesses. Having data file backups available to your employees from anywhere that they may be working allows for ease of business no matter the circumstances. However, the use of the cloud brings along problems associated with security if the necessary precautions are not enforced prior to cloud usage.
A recent study found that a whopping 80 percent of companies have suffered a data breach in the last 18 months of the information they have stored in the cloud. That large percentage is for companies that have experienced at least one data leak. In fact, almost 50 percent of the companies analyzed have had ten or more data breaches of information they keep in the cloud!
So, what are the causes of these data breaches? It is believed that the breaches are due to incorrect security settings and management permission errors. Meaning the security protocols that are in place when files are uploaded to the cloud are lacking in fortitude. To increase the level of security on your end, ensure that multi-factor authentication is enabled to help prevent any type of hacking incident. Next, only allow those who truly need access to those cloud files to have that access. The greater the number of people that are able to log into the cloud network, the more vulnerable the cloud becomes to hacking.
The cloud is very helpful to business owners and their employees, but it can present security problems if measures are not taken to protect your data. If you are using a cloud provider, ensure that they are reliable by researching who the best providers are and what security protocols they put in place to protect your data.
Ultimately, there’s no way around using the cloud these days, and it can actually be a very helpful resource when planning for the possibility of a ransomware attack. More on that here. Just know the risks associated with the cloud and take extra precautions when uploading your business information to the cloud.
LibertyID is the leader in identity theft restoration, having restored the identities of tens of thousands of individuals without fail. If you retain personal information on your customers, now is the time to get data breach planning and a response program in place with our LibertyID for Small Business data breach preparation program. With LibertyID Enterprise you can now add value to existing products, services, or relationships by covering your customers, employees, or members with LibertyID’s fully managed identity theft restoration service—at a fraction of our retail price—with no enrollment and no file sharing. We have no direct communication with your group members–until they need us.
Call us now for a no obligation proposal at 844-411-LIBERTY (844-411-5423).