Cloud services are inherently scalable, responsive and versatile. They provide huge flexibility – in the end, personnel are no longer limited to just a select quantity of pre-determined locations – and as competition for recruitment hots up too, this enables the web to be cast further afield to secure the best staff.
Movement for the cloud is only going to continue to grow. During these unprecedented times, where many businesses have been hit hard through the era of the final 1 . 5 years or so, cloud provides an attractive method to scale as and when a company needs, without any capital expenditure outlay and a subscription model that lots of companies find appealing. You are able to increase – or decrease – your ability to deal with the traditional sales calendar but also – and particularly important in these times of monetary uncertainty – in many cases are able to do exactly the same for the quantity of seats you are being billed for when you are looking at licensing.
As many businesses is going to be looking to hold the possibility of a post-pandemic economic rebound, how important may be the cloud? And just how can businesses look to both implement and adopt a cloud-based approach securely and safely, especially when you are looking at managing data?
What's the way forward for cloud?
So, what is the way forward for cloud's role in enterprise? And just what implications will this have on cybersecurity and cybercrime? Well, one thing is for certain – cloud is here to remain. It provides a flexible, cost-effective way of procuring the help required for running a business having a dispersed workforce.
Cloud security considerations should be a fundamental element of any company now. The nation's Cyber Security Centre has 14 Cloud Security Principles which cover the protection of data in transit, asset protection, individual data isolation and access security, amongst other topics. The principles aren't dissimilar to on-premise cyber security principles however the widening from the access points to cloud services and effective outsourcing of information storage implies that lax security can open far more opportunities for attack.
To maintain the safety of data, devices and staff too, businesses must provide continual education of users on best practice, current threats and the implications and consequences of these. All staff should know what is – and just what isn't – acceptable security-wise, and the company's policy on document sensitivity and data access. For businesses to thrive and grow safe, they must seek to implement a security-first culture.
How secure is the cloud?
In many different ways, the cloud is actually safer than traditional on-premise solutions. If someone system is compromised or becomes defective, data stored in cloud services is not lost and could be accessed from an alternate device. If a device is stolen, any local data could be remotely wiped to prevent it getting used perfidiously.
Alongside this, operating systems on products are changing to better accommodate the shift to cloud. Chrome Enterprise, for example, is made for cloud-first devices with additional security measures that make management even of the mixed device estate quicker to administer and safe.
How can a company adopt cloud solutions securely and safely?
Firstly, businesses need to ensure a strong device policy – even for BYOD . The control over the estate is critical.
Next, provide a verified whitelist of trusted software and services instead of allowing users to look for – and potentially use – insecure or similar services designed to ensnare unsuspecting users.
It's also crucial that businesses make sure that employees are educated about the security protocols, permission-based access and sensitivity of documents.