Data management on the cloud

The number of businesses using cloud computing has exploded over the past few years. The allure of convenience is too much for many businesses to resist; in fact, Gartner, an industry analyst firm, stated that, “At year-end 2016, more than 50 percent of Global 1000 companies will have stored customer-sensitive data in the public cloud.”

Despite what cloud supports suggest, the cloud is not a magical tool. It is a tool like any other; one with pros and cons. The convenience of the cloud leads to loss in security. As an IT professional, it is your job to keep the company data secure, so if your company is transitioning to the cloud, consider the following advice for data management on the cloud.

Investigate the supplier

Before even considering how you are going to manage the data, you need to find out how your cloud provider is going to manage the data. Of course, you will ask the standard safety and pricing questions, but there are other questions that to be addressed, as well. Most importantly, where is the data stored? Privacy laws vary by state and country, so you will want to find out if your data is subject to the laws in its location. You want to make sure your data is protected by the law and by technology.

It is not all or nothing

A business using cloud computing does not have to put every piece of data on the cloud. In reality, you shouldn’t. Different data has different risk concerns. It is best to only put low risk data and necessary data on the cloud. By limiting what data goes on the cloud, you are reducing safety risks.

Your biggest security threat: employees

A big part of successful data management is data management training. Many people take convenience for granted and forget about compromised security. Train employees on how to keep company data safe. And never stop. In the nicest, least annoying way possible, you should constantly be advising employees on cloud security. They have their own jobs to be concerned about, so it is your job to make security information as accessible and simple as possible.

Just because the cloud compromises security doesn’t mean you company is as good as hacked. There are plenty of clear guidelines on how to manage data if you are on the cloud and many safety precautions you can take. You have the power to make the cloud secure.