The cloud has rapidly become one of the most popular technologies for organizations and individuals today, thanks to its availability on multiple platforms, ease of use, and data storage, and on-demand computing capabilities.
The prevalence of the cloud is incredible, with more users and organizations making use of it each day. This is also cause for concern, regarding both data privacy and the security of cloud computing services. When you combine the popularity of the cloud with the general negligence concerning security, things look fairly grim:
The biggest issue facing cloud-based business today are data breaches that result in loss or exposure of client personal and private information. These types of breaches can put an organization at great risk and face huge expenditures in remediation as well as a ruined reputation. After all, why would your clients continue to work with you after you’ve exposed their private data?
That’s why you need to make an effort now to properly protect their cloud-based data. To start, that means ensuring your staff knows how to use the cloud securely.
One of the primary causes of security breaches is employee negligence, resulting from a lack of cybersecurity training. As great as the cloud is, in order to work properly, the end-users have to know where and how to store files. If they’re saving their work to a local device, it won’t benefit from the built-in data continuity and security features offered by the cloud.
That’s a big risk. Consider the facts:
That’s why you need to make sure your staff has the right data cloud security knowledge. The fact is that what you (and your staff) don’t know could hurt you. If your staff isn’t up to date on the latest cybercrime scams, then they’re putting your data at risk, simple as that.
The key to truly comprehensive cybersecurity is simple, yet often overlooked: the user. The best cybersecurity technology and practices in the world can be undone by one staff member who doesn’t understand how to use them, or how to protect the data they work with.
Cybersecurity awareness training is by far the most effective way to defend your organization from phishing, ransomware, and other scams. This method recognizes how important the user is in your cybersecurity efforts.
A comprehensive cybersecurity training curriculum will train users to ask important questions about each and every email they receive:
The right training services will offer exercises, interactive programs, and even simulated phishing attacks to test your staff on a number of key areas:
According to Gartner’s cloud security assessment, by the year 2025, 99% of failures in cloud security will be a result of security issues on the customer side, not the cloud provider side. More often than not, it will be user-error that results in a data breach and/or data loss.
Some of the most catastrophic security breaches in 2020 were the result of deficient cloud security. This trend will continue as long as the organizations do not improve their defenses. The issue is that so many business owners and managers assume they will not be hit by cybercrime.
The absolute biggest mistake companies make about cybersecurity insurance and cybersecurity, in general, is to assume that they don’t need it and that they are not a target. Or even worse, they think they are already protected, without taking any steps to ensure they are.
You may have less than a hundred employees, but does that really mean you’re secure?
In 2020, the rate of cyberattacks grew 400% compared to the previous year — the fact is that a rising tide lifts all ships. As cybercrime becomes more prevalent, your organization becomes a more likely target, no matter its size.
As always, a primary challenge for businesses is ROI. How much do you need to invest, and what value can you derive from that investment? That’s why it’s important to understand what gets you the most bang for your buck.
Here are a few key recommendations as to how to spend your cybersecurity budget:
Remember, the biggest hacking risk to your business is poorly trained employees. According to security researchers at IBM and the Cyber Security Intelligence Index, 95 percent of successful hack attacks or incidents were because of some type of human error.
The future of cloud security will be equivalent to building bigger walls and deeper moats. The next generation of the cloud is going to need to be stronger and more resilient than anything before and fortified with defenses that will be able to keep up with threats in real-time.
These types of protections are going to have to be more automated, more discriminating, and based on sophisticated AI and technologies that will allow for high levels of security. At the same time, they have to deliver a convenient user experience that doesn’t encumber access to the information users require.
If you’re in need of expert assistance managing your cloud security, training your staff, and eliminating vulnerabilities, get in touch with the LI Tech Advisors team.
Anthony has been in the MSP business since before the acronym existed. Managed IT once started as break-fix solutions and some light phone support.
Since then, he has seen the industry flourish into a landscape of platforms, cloud servers, software tools and AI . Tailoring network configurations and software stacks to the specific needs of each business.
In his current role, he focuses on proactive planning, ensuring clients can avoid potential issues altogether. This involves meticulous planning for enhanced business continuity, allowing swift resolution of any unforeseen challenges. What initially began as addressing "fires" through break-fix solutions has evolved into a proactive approach, ensuring that such issues are prevented from arising in the first place.
