As cloud computing becomes the standard platform for management software, more small business owners are looking for answers regarding the security of information that is stored on the cloud. Many people view security of cloud-hosted systems as inferior and more easily cracked than traditional, on-premises solutions. As it turns out, data security is actually one of the key benefits of cloud computing in general.
Doesn’t cloud hosting come with risk?
Sure. Everyone can logically infer that something consumable via the cloud may have more potential risk than something tucked away neatly in a sealed closet, cut off from the world. But what many forget is that the demand for cloud computing has in turn created demand for higher security standards and better practices. When a business manages its own on-premises infrastructure, there is likely a lag in adoption of new standards and policies as they are not core to the nature of the business. In the cloud computing world, the players involved dedicate entire teams to implementing security best practices and processes. By hosting an environment in Amazon’s AWS® or Microsoft’s Azure®, you immediately have their security teams working on your behalf. The big players in cloud hosting generally adhere to higher security standards than most small businesses would on their own. Evidence of these practices can be found by skimming the security statements of both Amazon AWS® and Microsoft Azure®.
What are the benefits?
A 2013 study of insider breaches reveals that an accidental release of information occurs almost twice as often as an intended data compromise, 9.4% malicious vs. 17.1% accidental. The majority of insider incidents (63.6%) is related to activities such as careless equipment disposal or poor equipment management. And as Salesforce reports, 800,000 laptops are lost in airports each year. Inherently with cloud computing, even a lost computer can be mitigated. With cloud computing, little to no sensitive data would be present on the lost laptop. Access to the cloud system will require another layer of access in addition to physically possessing any device.
Why would you not move to the cloud?
Cloud hosted systems are generally more aggressively maintained and monitored than their on-premises counterparts. This monitoring and design is done by highly trained teams that work for the largest and most successful technology companies in the world. By leveraging a cloud-based system, hosted with a reliable partner, your small business can count Microsoft and Amazon employees as your IT staff. These partners have specialized security technicians that are working around the clock to mitigate any potential threats and ensure stability of the hosted systems. Your sensitive business information will be protected from equipment failures, computer loss, theft and other forces of human nature simply by being hosted in a cloud environment. The question for a small business owner can quickly change from “Are we sure we want to go to the cloud?” to “How soon can we be in the cloud?”
