Should You Store Your Company Data on the Cloud?

The business industry is relying mainly on its data and making sure it’s stored securely. One of the best options for this is cloud storage. Note that entrepreneurs depending on cloud storage services has increased exponentially in the last few decades. Currently, many enterprises and businesses are migrating to this option because of its demand and versatility. Before the introduction of various cloud storage services, the process of data storage was pretty much straightforward. All you had to do was just save all the necessary data to a hard drive or a computer. This way people are able to easily email the information to themselves and access the data at any place or anytime with a reliable internet connection and a device.

This very concept of accessing data from anywhere anytime is the principle of cloud storage. Unlike some people think, cloud server is nothing but a visual representation of a group of multiple servers where your data, corporations, and businesses are remotely stored for better security. The users can always access their data through mobile apps or a web browser. If you own an Apple device, you are most likely already connected to the iCloud services. In regards to Android users, you likely to depend on Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon Cloud for this service.

Should you consider cloud data storage for your business?

Of course, there are numerous advantages associated with cloud data storage. However, it’s not completely immune to risks either. In 2014, there were several celebrities whose iCloud accounts were hacked and resulted in their private photos, videos, and personal information being leaked. Even though the authorities were not able to unfold the hack at first, it was revealed later that the culprits attacked their usernames, passwords, and security questions. This incident put the light on cloud security and also at the lack of it. Hence, you must always be careful when it comes to your account credentials.

When creating a password try to incorporate a combination of different symbols, alphanumeric, characters, etc. Otherwise, you may consider a one-time password scheme for better and advanced security. If you’re wondering whether or not cloud storage is the right choice for your business, below are some of the potential advantages and disadvantages associated with it.

Pros:

Convenience

One of the major upsides of cloud storage is convenience. Note that users can access their data from anywhere at any time. All that is needed is a reliable internet connection and a device, as mentioned earlier. This remote access eliminates the trouble of physically operating a device whenever you want to upload or download data.

Accessibility

With cloud storage, employees working in an office will be able to access company files even when they are not physically present in the office. This way employees are able to enjoy a flexible schedule while working remote. This will help promote a collaborative atmosphere at your workplace will surely increase the overall productivity of your business.

Storage

You can store a huge amount of data on cloud storage making it a suitable choice for business owners. After all, storing sensitive data on the cloud will let them cope with a security breach that can result in data loss or damage. Even though you’ll have to pay a fee for these services, you are very likely to find multiple cloud storage packages tailored to your own needs or business. In simple words, if your data exceeds your allocated storage space, all you have to do is extend your storage capacity by paying an extra fee.

Cons:

Data leakage

Private data leakage is one of the scariest nightmares for most people out there. Even though cloud data storage is relatively safe, unfortunately sophisticated cybercriminals can still access your data. To avoid this issue, users must practice safe and strong privacy measures.

Resource sharing

Cloud storage can be used as a shared resource as well as tackling your expenses. In fact, most small enterprises rely on this method. However, the shared concept can make it challenging when it comes to the capability and availability of the cloud services during the time of surges or outages.

Bring Your Own Device

One of the popular trends in the commercial field these days is the Bring Your Own Device or BYOD concept. This way, the employees will be able to enjoy flexibility at their workplace and nail their work-life balance. Unfortunately, this concept comes with its own fair share of downsides as well. If the employees accessing the company data is not well-trained, careful, or educated, their actions may land the confidential data of your company in the hands of hackers via a lost, misused, or stolen device.

Tips to Ensure Security of your information on the cloud

• Always make sure to use strong passwords for your cloud storage so it makes it challenging for criminals to break into your cloud account. Plus, make sure to change or update your passwords frequently across all your devices.
• Try to avoid storing confidential or sensitive information on the cloud, if possible. Otherwise, go through the privacy policy or user agreement of your cloud storage provider. Even though you are likely to find this process tedious and overwhelming, its essential to get an idea  on how much security you can expect from this provider.
• Use digital encryption. Note that this concept is similar to two entities communicating in code or secret language that can be understood only by them. So, make sure to encrypt your data and secure a key that can be used only by the authorized people. Note that some cloud storage providers also tend to offer encryption services apart from data storage and backup.