How safe is your data in the cloud? 

It’s easy to think that the cloud is a magical place where all your data is safe and secure. In reality, however, it’s important to know what exactly the cloud is. Used by millions of people and businesses around the world, the cloud is ideal for SMEs, who can use it to store important documents and files online. But how safe is your data when it’s stored in the cloud? Here, we’ll look at different ways you can keep your data secure in the cloud and discover why so many businesses are turning their backs on hard drives in favour of the cloud. 

What is the cloud? 

The cloud is a network of remote servers that store and manage data, applications and other services. It’s easy to share files to, data is more secure, and it’s typically cheaper than storing data on hard drives. That much, you are probably already aware of. However, if you do want to delve deeper into what the cloud is, rather than us go into it in greater detail now, we would prefer to divert your attention to one of our existing blogs here, where all your questions will be answered. 

What is cloud security? 

Cloud security is the process of protecting data and resources stored in the cloud. It also ensures that your data is not modified or destroyed by an unauthorised third party. Cloud security involves a variety of security measures, such as encryption, access control and identity management. The cloud is a shared environment, so it is important to have security measures in place to protect your data. 

The cloud is a secure environment because: 

• The servers are stored in a secure location 
• The servers are encrypted. (Encryption is the process of converting data into an unintelligible format so that only authorised parties who hold the encryption key can interpret it) 
• Firewalls protect against unauthorised access to your information by hackers or other intruders trying to gain entry into your system from outside sources 

Will my business’s data on the cloud be backed up? 

 Good question. Because, should a major problem or emergency arise within your office, such as a fire, your data could be at risk of being lost. So, you need to be safe in the knowledge that your data is safely backed up elsewhere as well as on the cloud. 

Some cloud service providers may only back up the server that exists, which means your data may not necessarily be backed up. That means you will require an additional back-up solution to the already-in-place server back-up, one that can guarantee resilience, and ensuring you have full access to it. 

Fortunately, at EBS, we provide a solution to back up cloud-based data right here, something which our customers using EBS Cloud are already reaping the benefits of. 

What security measures are in place to protect the cloud? 

All the best cloud service providers understand that, for their customers, security is paramount. Of that, there is no question, and EBS are certainly no different. 

So, to achieve maximum security, those service providers will ensure all data stored on cloud servers is encrypted so it cannot be intercepted. Encryption will involve strong access policies and cryptographic keys, which essentially lock data so it can only be opened by the right key. 

Issues do arise from time to time, such as the Microsoft outage that affected Outlook and Teams users around the world. The service providers also offer security updates to their own software if any vulnerabilities arise and report them to customers, so they can patch those holes before they can be exploited.

How you choose your passwords will also help improve the safety of your data in the cloud. Cyber-criminals may attempt to gain access to your account if they get hold of one of your passwords; therefore, it’s important not to reuse passwords across multiple accounts. 

Using the same password for multiple accounts is fraught with danger – should your main password of choice be accessed by a hacker, that increases the possibility of them gaining entry to all your accounts, leaving all your sensitive data at risk. We’ve written a previous article on why you should think again if you believe your passwords are secure.  

With EBS, you know your data is safe and secure, and that our experienced and knowledgeable teams can be relied upon to ensure your systems are protected and secure. 

Where are the servers stored? 

If you’re concerned about where your data is stored, rest assured. With half of servers in the cloud, cloud providers take security very seriously, and they go to great lengths to ensure that your information is safe. 

Some cloud companies will store their servers in multiple locations, whether around the UK, Europe or around the world, depending on the requirements of the customer, and for greater resilience. 

With EBS Cloud, the security of your data is at the forefront of our minds. We use select local data centres which have anti-scale perimeter fences, anti-ram bollards, turnstiles, biometric access control, anti-tailgating portal, air locks and CCTV. Furthermore, these centres are manned 24/7 by security guards. 

There are plenty of additional measures in place for storing data safely across all types of facilities, from small businesses to large corporations. Service providers go to great lengths to ensure your data in the cloud is safe and secure, certainly more secure, for example, than any paper files left hanging around on desks in your office. 

And how secure would you say your servers are in the office? Could they be stolen in the unfortunate event that security in your office is breached? If so, any data on them could be compromised, lending further weight to the argument that the cloud is a much more secure habitat.  

If you would like to talk to us further about which cloud provider to choose to ensure your data will be stored on a server in the right location for you, we’d be happy to advise you any way we can. Our contact details are at the bottom of this article. 

Is the cloud safer than a hard drive or local server? 

In many ways, yes. The most obvious is that a government or hacker can’t physically steal your data from the cloud. If you’re worried about that, keep in mind that there are other ways for someone to get access to information on your device: if it’s lost or stolen, if it gets hacked into remotely, or if you simply leave it unattended on public transport and it falls into the wrong hands. 

That’s not to say these things never happen – they do – but they’re not as likely to happen with cloud storage, because there are fewer points of attack. 

An even better solution is letting EBS look after your cloud 

That’s true. Our own private cloud could be just the solution you need. EBS offers a range of solutions to manage your business systems, ranging from on-premise servers and infrastructure to the latest fully-managed cloud, and everything in between. 

We are a provider of secure cloud, on-premise and hybrid server solutions, giving you the best of both worlds. If you allow us to host your cloud, you will quickly find us to be: 

• Flexible: We can migrate your servers into fully-managed, cloud-hosted environments 

• Economical: No more high upfront hardware costs 
• Fully managed: Our trusted hardware and technical service teams are here for you 
• Secure: Our cloud hosting was designed with security in mind 
• Scalable: We can adjust storage, memory and processing power as and when required 

Conclusion 

We hope this has helped you understand what the cloud is, how safe your data is in the cloud, and how it can help your business. The cloud is a great way to save money on hardware and software, as well as making sure your data remains safe at all times. You don’t need to be an IT expert or have any special training either – all you need to do is choose the right provider for your needs. Someone like EBS…