The development of the internet and online tools is a blessing not only for individual users but also for business. In this day and age, a vast majority of companies decide to function online, both in terms of the brand’s presence or marketing and data storage.
However, storing business information online also has its dark side. Besides the convenience of use and instant remote access, cloud computing involves some risks that may be problematic for a company.
To read more about general safety problems that businesses face and see some prevention tools, visit Bulletproof.co.uk.
What are the top five threats connected with cloud computing for companies?
1. Data Breach
Data breach seems to be the top risk that cloud computing carries. No matter how safe the information appears, there’s always a chance that it gets accidentally published.
Research states that more than 20 per cent of all the reports and resources that companies store online contains sensitive data. It is not surprising, then, that a data breach might be problematic for business development.
A data breach happens mostly when the databases are not properly secured – when, for example, the access requires only typing a password. To be safe, such sensitive information should be double secured or encrypted.
To read more about how to prevent a data breach, click here.
2. Data Loss
Apart from a data breach, losing valuable data seems to be an equally problematic issue.
A company might lose its data for numerous reasons – for example, it can be hacked and stolen, or the storage cloud might be destroyed. Another option is that the company loses access to the data because of an internal system breakdown.
However, the good news is that data loss is not so highly probable in the case of cloud computing – storing information on a hard drive is more problematic, as the information is saved on only one device. If it’s in the cloud, it’s available from more computers.
Making backup copies is always advisable, though.
3. Internal hacking attack
If the data in a cloud is protected and can be accessed only by a company’s employees, the risk of a hacking attack is relatively low.
On the other hand, online clouds are usually a common location to store data, and many people can access them. This increases the risk of an internal hacking attack when an employee can steal the data and make external use of it.
A way to prevent such unfair actions is to sign an NDA contract with new workers. In this kind of document, an employee states that they won’t make any use of the company’s data. It is also good to choose new workers reasonably and check their records.
4. Malware Infections
Malware infections and attacks are a generally significant threat to every company’s data and reputation. When it comes to cloud computing, however, it is even more dangerous.
Why? When someone accidentally downloads a virus to their device and then accesses the database from it, the cloud gets automatically infected. The malware then gets spread to more devices and sites.
A malware attack can be prevented by choosing a high-quality anti-virus software or being generally cautious and suspicious of unknown emails or websites.
To get to know more about how to prevent a malware attack, visit this website.
5. System Errors
As much as the contemporary cloud computing systems are developed, they are still not ideal; they can still experience system errors.
Such an error might be minor, or, in extreme cases, it can lead to data loss or breach. While system errors happen relatively rarely, they are still possible, so it’s advisable to make backup copies of the sensitive information from time to time.
It’s also good to choose a reliable cloud for your storage. If you want to compare some of the clouds, click here.
Conclusion
Storing data online is an extremely convenient option for every company, as it provides quick and broad access, unlimited changes and updates, as well as the easiness of communication.
However, every business leader should be aware of some risks that cloud computing carries. Once managers get familiar with them and learn how to handle, for example, data breach, system errors, or malware attacks, it will become easier and more secure to use online data storage clouds.
It’s reasonable to keep in mind, on the other hand, that good old backup copies are not that redundant indeed!
