The Cloud is (Much) More Secure Than You Think

The debate over security in the cloud is a familiar one.

It has been around since the advent of cloud computing. Initially, there was a high level of skepticism that hosting proprietary company data in the cloud could be secure.

Traditional wisdom suggested that company data would be more secure on-site where it could be managed locally and protected. This line of thinking was widely accepted, particularly when cloud computing was young and unproven.

Today, there is a much higher acceptance rate for cloud computing. This trust was built on evidence over the last decade that the cloud can be highly secure.

In fact, it has been shown to be more secure than on-premise IT in numerous instances. According to a 2017 Cloud Security Report, on-premise workloads experience a 51 percent higher rate of security incidents than applications running on public cloud platforms.

Best practices for cloud service providers include choosing a data center that relies heavily on a well-defined security strategies with best-of-breed enabling technology and a team that has a proven ability to execute. Therefore, security has much more to do with access and planning than physical location.

There are many benefits derived from cloud computing not available with on premise IT management. Here are four of the most compelling:

• Cloud service providers focus more on security and governance than independent companies who build on-premise systems, thereby typically providing a more secure environment.
• Cloud providers are held to higher standards. They must build secure data centers that are independently audited and adhere to standards such as Soc 2 Type II.
• Employee errors and malicious behavior account for a large percentage of all cybersecurity attacks. With data stored in the cloud, it is much more difficult for employees to locate and access the systems for unwarranted activity, and there is less chance of peer corroboration.
• Dedicated cloud service providers ensure ease of deployment, ease of maintenance, scalability, and high performance without the headaches of on-premise management.

Every company is different and will have unique needs and requirements for their IT management, but with today’s focus on cloud security and technology, you no longer need to be afraid to utilize trusted cloud security services.

When researching a cloud-based solution, be sure to ask questions about their specific security protocols and processes, and check references from other customers in your industry to validate the provider. All cloud service providers do not offer the same level of service, compliance or security so be sure you know what you are getting.

ClicData is the world’s first 100% cloud business intelligence (BI) platform, and we have applied extensive effort toward addressing security. Our solutions run on Microsoft Azure which is one of the industry leaders in security and provides its customers with continuous security-health monitoring. For additional information on our cloud BI solution, contact us today for a free consultation and product demo.