The truth behind the cloud security myths

The truth behind the cloud security myths

Moving systems to the cloud often raises some security worries. It is a particular worry for highly regulated industries like the financial services sector and may prevent businesses from achieving the cloud’s full potential.

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It’s reckoned that 88 percent of British businesses are now using the cloud, although privacy and security are still cited as factors holding back investment. But there are some myths surrounding security in the cloud. Once you understand what’s behind them, however, there is no way that they should prevent you from adopting a cloud strategy.

Vulnerability

Cloud systems can often be seen as vulnerable to attack, and whilst it’s true that they are not immune they needn’t be any less safe than in-house systems. In fact a cloud system is pretty much the same as one based on a local server; it’s just located elsewhere. In some ways cloud systems are more secure, as they are immune from local threats like office break-ins or power outages.

Shared space

Because the cloud is shared with other people it’s seen as being intrinsically less secure. Using a cloud PABX to take advantage of wholesale VoIP termination rates for example, you may worry that your call data is accessible to others. In fact, thanks to virtualisation, data for each individual user or company in the public is kept separate. Of course if you have highly sensitive information to protect, using a private cloud may well be a safer solution to ensuring your data stays private.

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Loss of control

The other major myth is that you lose control over where your data is stored. With new privacy legislation like GDPR many companies worry that they won’t know where their data is. Regulations may demand that your data remains in the UK, for example. However, most major cloud providers have now addressed this issue by opening localised data centres in a number of countries so that businesses are reassured about where their files sit.

The cloud offers major benefits to the business, not least in terms of cost, but also in flexibility and accessibility. It can help empower greater business and workforce agility. You shouldn’t therefore let the myths surrounding cloud security get in the way of you reaping the considerable benefits that it can offer.

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