Over the course, the number of criminally hacked and exposed digital records reached 36 billion. And these numbers refer solely to breaches that occurred over the first three quarters of the year.
The manner in which some of these breaches occurred is surprising. It reveals that human error still plays a big role in compromised document security.
In one of the cases, three teenagers convinced Twitter employees to grant them access to public figure accounts by posing as their colleagues.
Are you worried about cloud document security at your company?
Cloud document management systems already have a number of security features incorporated into the platform. Activating these capabilities, however, isn’t enough to make sure that breaches would never occur.
If you’d like to prioritize cloud document security over the course of and beyond, you’ll need to pay attention to the following essentials.
Understand Cloud Document Security Risks
To be prepared for all situations, you need an accurate assessment of the potential risks. Needless to say, these vary from one organization to another.
Sensitive and regulated data, for example, will need to be handled in a specific way to be protected to the best of your ability (and to also comply with legal frameworks). The way such information is being accessed and shared within the organization and externally will also contribute to some challenges.
Don’t hesitate to perform a security audit before conceptualizing your data management strategy. Generic solutions will not cut it if you’re dealing with a very specific type of documentation that necessitates a particular way of being protected.
Find Out What Employees Are Doing
Having a high-quality document management system in place doesn’t mean your employees aren’t circumventing some of the organizational requirements for document handling.
Private devices and public cloud-based solutions are often being utilized, even if such practices go against enterprise data management policies.
To maximize cloud document security, check your web proxy and firewall logs. Chances are that your IT team will come across multiple violations that will need to be addressed. Don’t underestimate the risk of human error and the profound impact it can have on cloud document security.
Depending on the scope of the issue, some restrictions may have to be implemented to end unauthorized use and practices that could prove to be detrimental in the long run.
Choose the Right Cloud Deployment Model
Cloud document storage can be deployed in numerous ways. Each one of the methodologies comes with its possibilities and limitations.
The options are generally classified into three categories – public, private, and hybrid clouds.
A private cloud document storage solution is tailored to the needs of a single organization. A private cloud could be owned by the organization itself or managed by a third party that acts as a dedicated service provider. This solution offers the best cloud document security features but it costs more than the other two possibilities.
A public cloud is readily available to everyone. Infrastructure and resources are being shared. While budget-friendly, such solutions tend to pose the highest level of risk and require additional measures to prevent eventual data breaches.
Finally, hybrid cloud solutions come with features of both possibilities mentioned above. This is a combination of public/private clouds that delivers the benefits and the challenges of both.
Your defense against human error and an eventual external attack are entirely dependent on the type of cloud infrastructure you decide to deploy. If you don’t know how to choose between the possibilities, consult professionals. They’ll suggest the system type and the document management system itself that will give you the best price-to-quality ratio.
Plan for the Long-Term
Cloud document security risks evolve and so do the available platforms.
When coming up with a strategy, make sure your practices are bound to maintain their longevity in the long run.
New cloud applications and security features become available all the time. Do look for document management systems that ensure scaling up and regular system upgrades. When a developer invests in the evolution of a cloud platform, you can rest assured that you’re getting the best protection against the latest security challenges out there.
Developing strong and reliable partnerships with some of the best cloud service providers out there will also help you move forward. A trustworthy provider is incredibly important since you’ll get high-quality customer service and transparency. Make sure that your cloud service provider has the right kind of certification and licensing. This is the first step that will help you rest assured you’re dependent on a strong and dynamic platform.
Keep in mind that even if you implement these steps, there’s still some risk of things going terribly wrong. To recover quickly from such instances, you need to have a flexible and reliable disaster recovery plan. Knowing what happens if something goes wrong will help you prevent costly downtime and the leakage of data that could potentially lead to the demise of your company.