Once you choose to implement cloud computing services, you are giving someone else the mandate to manage your data. And although this might be an excellent technique to save time and space in your physical office, it also poses the risk of publicizing sensitive information.

Cloud services are generally remarkably safe and reliable. Data stored in the cloud hardly gets corrupted, and redundancy techniques are applied to ensure that you will never lose your data. However, this is not everything when it comes to handling corporate and personal information.

Risks Facing Cloud Computing

More organizations are moving towards cloud computing, according to cloud consulting experts Dade2. However, others remain adamant about the migration due to lingering fear of risks associated with the cloud. Some of the risks associated with cloud computing include:

• Malware infections- Hackers are known to send unprecedented data packages to web-based applications, which then cripples the network.
• Data breaches- although the service takes care of most data, it also leaves room for sensitive information falling into the wrong hands.
• Identity theft
• A decrease in clients trust
• Risks of revenue loss
• Compliance violations- the more legislation is involved in protecting your data, the harder it becomes to remain compliant to the people with access to your information.

And while we cannot ignore such concerns, cloud service providers continually provide methods to make the cloud a safer and more secure place to store your data.

So, how can you make cloud computing safer for you and your organization?

Data security is the driving force of success for any organization. If your clients trust you to keep their sensitive and personal information protected, then you are bound to advance in business. The opposite is also true. We have seen companies fall due to a breach of security, causing the loss of personal information of clients.

To avoid such situations, you can always take steps to ensure that your data is protected. Some tips to improve the safety of your data include:

Encrypting data

Encryption is the scrambling of data so that only a party with the decryption key can read it. So, by encrypting your data, you can send, receive and store sensitive information with little fear of someone else accessing them.

By scrambling the readable data into unreadable cipher text, you can protect your personal information from falling into the wrong hands.

Setting strong passwords and usernames

Decoding a password has become very easy and quick nowadays. All you need is a key reader to analyze the RAM of the device you are trying to crack, and voila! However, if you do not want to fall victim to such a situation, you can enhance your data’s security.

The two-step authentication process offered by Google is the perfect example of this. Also, select a suitable password and username. When choosing one, remember:

• To always switch on password protection on your data
• Avoid predictable and straightforward passwords.
• Change all default passwords and set up new ones
• Never share your password, as this could increase the chances of data loss.

Backup you information

Sometimes, an online scheduled backup is not enough. You might need additional local backups to ensure that you never lose data if the cloud is compromised.

Above all, you must understand how your cloud host works. Once you are familiar with what they offer and how they offer their services, you can understand their protection level. And from there, you can then go ahead and make necessary arrangements for your data protection.