Knowing how to protect yourself on the cloud isn’t straightforward, especially as it is a platform that is so often misunderstood. The best way to protect your company’s cloud is always to use professional security and seek experts’ advice. Including going to the professionals, there are six simple ways you can begin to improve your business’s cybersecurity.
1. Work collaboratively
Collaborative working is an environment that breeds solutions. If you feel your online presence needs greater protection, talk to your staff and team leaders to find out how they are using the cloud and how they think risks could be minimised. Unless you are using it in the exact same ways as they are, they will have different ideas of where the security breaches could be.
2. Provide training
There is an endless list of software, systems and networks that increase your business’s productivity and efficiency – the cloud being one – but if you and your staff don’t know how to use it properly, are you going to use it effectively? Getting proper training on the cloud will help your team know how to protect documents with passwords, use two-factor authentication, keep privacy settings updated and more.
3. Use professionals
The best way to get good training is to use professionals. There are companies that specialise in cloud safety and will be able to guide you. They should have experience dealing with applications such as Microsoft Office 365 and Google G Suite to provide you with support on the most popular cloud platforms.
4. Use a CASB
Using a cloud access security broker (CASB) will add an extra layer of security to your cloud. It will detect threats to your cloud and also alert you as to when files have been shared publicly, thereby preventing data loss. If you have found it confusing or difficult to comply with industry and governmental regulations, a CASB will help you.
5. Constantly review your system
Whatever protective measures you’re taking, you should review your system frequently. Changes and advances in technology mean that security systems you had in place a few years ago might not be adequate today. Using professionals will help with this, as they will constantly be updating their methods, but you should update whatever additional ways you’re keeping yourself safe with, too.
According to Cyber Security Europe, 60% of people surveyed used the same passwords at home as they did in the workplace. Considering around 23% routinely use their name or date of birth as passwords, that’s worrying news for businesses.
You should make sure any passwords that are being set by individuals are being updated regularly, along with your own.
6. Protect documents individually
It’s often advised that you should keep private data and documents centrally on the cloud so that you know where everything is and can access it quickly. However, if all of your information is behind one encryption or one password, that poses a serious security issue.
Documents and data should be protected individually so that if there is a breach, the damage is limited.
