For the last few years, the cloud has become one of the most convenient places to store business data. It allows you to access and share information with ease. Users can access data from any part of the world. Besides, the cloud can allow unlimited storage of data.
Despite the many benefits of storing data in the cloud, it also comes with some risks. For instance, it exposes your business data to hackers and other unauthorized persons. But the good news is that there are some simple yet effective strategies you can implement to keep your business data secure in the cloud.
Some of these methods include:
1. Leverage The Principle Of Least Privilege
One of the best strategies to keep your data safe in the cloud is to leverage the power of the least privilege principle. It’s a cybersecurity method that gives privileges only to those who need data to perform specific tasks. In other words, it helps to control user permissions.
With the least privilege principle, you can reduce the risk of online criminals gaining access to your business information. Besides, it minimizes the spread of malware to promote the security of your critical information.
You might think that implementing the least privileged principle in your business system is an overwhelming task. However, that’s not the case. You only need to follow the following steps:
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Classify your data
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Implement role-based access control
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Remove any dormant users’ accounts
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Monitor privileged accounts.
2. Build Strong Passwords
Passwords are essential when it comes to accessing your online business data. These are secret digits or codes you usually use to unlock your business computers and networks.
Having passwords is the primary step to securing your business data in the cloud. However, you must develop strong words so that those unauthorized users can’t guess with ease.
To make strong passwords, you need to make them reasonably long. The recommended length should be more than eight characters.
Besides, it’s advisable to include both upper and lower cases in your passwords. Aside from that, make sure to add some non-standard characters like %, @, $, and others in your passwords.
Building strong passwords helps reduce the chances of unauthorized users accessing your sensitive business information. However, that’s not enough. You must keep changing your passwords. This helps prevent anyone who has seen your passwords by mistake from unlocking your business systems.
3. Consider Two-Factor Authentication
Another best way to secure your business data in the cloud is to set up two-factor authentication. This involves adding another extra layer of security to your passwords. This can be through the face or fingerprint recognition to access your data.
With two-factor authentication, you rest assured that your business information in the cloud is secure. You won’t be worried even when unauthorized people access your passwords or secret codes.
4. Encrypt Your Data Before Transmission
The best way to promote the security of your business is to ensure that only the intended users receive your data. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. In some cases, your sensitive data can be delivered to the wrong people, exposing your business to risk. That’s where encryption comes in.
Encryption is the practice of encoding or changing your information to non-standard language when transmitting it. For that reason, any unintended user who receives your data won’t understand its true meaning.
But you may ask: How do the intended users translate the coded information? They use specific binary codes to decode the data or change it to an ordinary language. It’s one of the best methods to protect your online business data.
5. Have A Back Plan
The world of technology is moving faster. Some of the cybersecurity strategies that may have worked in the past years might not apply in today’s ever-changing world. That’s to say that, even after having security measures in place, hackers can still utilize some of the latest technologies to stay ahead of you and steal your business data.
Besides, sometimes you can lose your critical business data by mistake. For those reasons, you need to develop a back plan. With a backup, you’ll likely recover your data after losing it. This helps reduce downtime in your business.
Takeaway
Data forms an integral part of online businesses. Without it, you can’t run a successful business enterprise. For that reason, you may want to keep your data in a convenient place like the cloud. However, sometimes the cloud may expose your business to hackers. Consider the tips in this article to promote the security of your online data.