7 Effective Tips to Secure Your Data in the Cloud

Cloud computing has come a breath of fresh air for businesses concerned at data storage and management. It has ensured a great deal of ease with accessing data anytime and anywhere on the web. All the advantages apart, there is still some doubt with cloud computing when it comes to safety – not all businesses are sure about the security of their data in a public cloud.

Not only customers but cloud providers too grapple with the security issues with the cloud as their concern is about keeping the infrastructure secure and ensuring protection to the user data. Loss of the data is not only issue with cloud, there are also threats related to malware infections, hacked interfaces and account hijacking. Despite all this, cloud security is still possible with proper defensive measures in place.

Here are some of tips to keep secure your data in the cloud –

1 – Keep backups of your data

While managing data, you must take backups of your data to minimize risks attached to them. With electronic copy of the data already secure, you can access them as and when needed even if the original is lost or corrupted. It’s good to back up the data manually in an external storage device or secure them in some other cloud storage. You should prefer the external device route as it can help provide data access even when there is no internet connection. This will ensure convenience and ease as well.

2 – Avoid storing sensitive data

The internet is not totally safe or secure neither it could ever be. And the earlier you know this the better. Cases of data theft, hacking and stealing are always on the rise, so you’re always better-off in not storing sensitive data or information on the cloud. Any information that seems sensitive to you, like password, card details, intellectual property rights information etc. should never be store on the web else there will always a risk of theft. So, play safe with your sensitive data and avoid major loss of information.

3 – Go with data encryption service 

If you’re concerned with data safety and security, it’s always better to use cloud services that encrypt data. With data encryption, you can give double security to your information and data which greatly minimizes risks. With encryption, your data will be safe from admin and service providers as well as anybody looking to breach it will require decryption to gain access. This measure can ensure a tight security to your data which is how you can be sure about their total protection.

4 – Encrypt your data before uploading on the cloud

Even if your cloud partner offers data encryption, this does not mean you leave thing on their trust alone. You should also look to encrypt your data and files before uploading them onto the cloud. You can use one of several third-party tools for encryption and give the much-needed layer of security and protection to your data. These tools will apply passwords and do encryption so enhance the level of safety to your data before you put it on the web.

5 – Get security from viruses 

Cloud security is not always the problem for your data as your system may also prove vulnerable in some cases. Viruses can be sent to attack the system you use for log into the web or cloud, and this could well compromise the data. So, you must look for proper and adequate security for your system by installing anti-virus software. With quality anti-virus software in place, there will be no penetration points for viruses to sneak in and cause the damage.

6. Use stronger passwords

Chances of hacking go up where data and files are not protected by strong passwords. Using weak passwords is like a giving license to hackers to cause havoc with your sensitive data and information when you could easily have saved it. So, make it a point to use stronger passwords to keep your information away from the reach of hackers. You must use a unique password and get them changed frequently to minimize risks of hacking. Plus, you should also trust those login pages with additional identification questions for giving authority to users.

7. Get your security measures tested

It’s a good strategy to get all your security measures tested so that you can be sure about them. You can hire professional hackers to get checked the existing loopholes in the system. You should check whether you can gain unauthorised access and if you do, this means anyone else could do that do. For that reason, you can hire the services of an expert for data protection analysis and maybe also for Pardot form development. All this can give you a peace of mind you need with your data on the cloud.