DATA ON THE CLOUD – IS THE CLOUD SAFE?

Where are you storing your data?

Now, if your documents, images, videos, reports are stored on your computer hard drive, this may sound strange. Because most of us today store our data on the cloud, the storage space is not on your computer or your devices but on the servers of third-party storage service providers such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.

Storing your data on the cloud has many benefits such as: no need to store too much data on your computer, still being able to access data in case your computer or storage device is damaged, large storage capacity helps you store data comfortably…

However, you must be wondering whether your data is protected in the cloud? What threats will your data face? Is your data likely to be lost? Will your personal data be breached? Can hackers attack the servers of hosting service providers?

Or maybe you’re worried that your provider’s server will crash, causing all your precious information to disappear?

 

How is your data protected in the cloud?

However, you will rest assured knowing that: Information stored in the cloud is much safer than on your computer or device. The reason: Cloud storage service providers often rely on very strong cybersecurity measures to protect your sensitive data.

So what security measures do cloud storage providers take to protect your data?

Cloud storage providers will have a variety of solutions, means, capabilities and experience to protect your data, including the following measures:

1. Server location – High standard data centers:

Most of the servers of hosting service providers are located in data storage centers that meet Tier-3 to Tier-4 standards. The conditions of infrastructure, temperature, electrical system, and security control system are strictly monitored and controlled according to strict standards to ensure that the servers operate continuously up to 99.99% (uptime).

2. Encrypted data:

Your data when stored on the cloud will be encrypted and only you can read and understand it, this helps protect your data more securely, limiting access by hackers.

3. Continuous and consistent security updates:

Cloud hosting providers must constantly and consistently update their security measures to protect systems from the latest viruses and malware.

4. Firewall integration:

Cloud service providers also use firewalls to protect your data. Your data will be placed behind firewalls, helping to protect your data from malware and targeted attacks.

5. Backup – Disaster Recovery:

What if the cloud provider’s server system has a hardware failure or power outage? You will still be able to access your data because most major cloud providers practice redundancy. This means they copy your data multiple times and store it in multiple data centers. This way, if one server fails, you can still access your data from a backup server.

6. AI monitoring and automatic patching tools:

Cloud providers are also turning to artificial intelligence – AI – to help protect your data. This is important because it is not easy to find experienced security experts to monitor data. Therefore, cloud providers are turning to AI instead, at least at the first level of security analysis. These programs are built on algorithms to search for and identify potential security vulnerabilities in the security measures in place so that preventive measures can be taken early.

What precautions should you take to enhance the security of your data in the cloud?

Data protection should always be your top priority and not be left entirely to cloud storage providers.

Here are some steps you should take to further protect your data:

1. Encrypt your data

First, make sure that your cloud provider encrypts the data you send them for storage. You want to make it as difficult as possible for hackers to get your information. Storing your data with an encrypted provider will make hackers cringe.

2. Perform data backup

Make sure to only choose cloud service providers that can back up your data. If you store all your information on just one server, when that server goes offline, you won’t be able to access your data.

You should also consider backing up your most sensitive information to your own external hard drive even if it is stored in the cloud. This will give you an extra layer of protection in case something happens to your cloud provider.

3. Turn on two-factor authentication

You can make things harder for hackers by turning on two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication requires you to provide two pieces of information when logging into a website, making it harder for someone to steal your account and access your data.

For example, let’s say you’re logging into your bank’s online site. First, you provide your username and password, which is the standard procedure. Then, you wait for the bank to send a code to your email address or phone number. Then, you enter that code online to access your account. This extra step makes it harder for hackers to get your email, personal information, or financial information.

Finally, always remember that no one will protect your data better than you.