Let’s Chat about Cloud Security Measures

Outside of all the marketing lingo and IT jingoism’s one of the most important and basic aspects of the Cloud is security in Cloud computing. Although Cloud networking, resource allocation and Cloud operating systems are highly important when considering moving your small to medium sized business to the Cloud, security issues in Cloud computing are vital to understand. As such, to get a better perspective on Cloud security issues, we are going to use this time to chat a little bit about virtualization security protocols, data backups and virtual private networks.

Understanding Cloud Computing Security

If you are a small to medium sized business utilizing the Cloud what concerns would you have concerning your online security? We would wager they include the following:.

Data Security
Data Backups
Secure Communication Channels

As a small to medium sized business who is looking to keep their information safe from unwanted sources, Cloud security companies must provide their consumers with the infrastructure, firewalls and protocols to keep their personal information safe. To do this, Cloud providers deploy and manage a set of stringent hardware and software firewalls designed to keep unwanted intrusions out of their Cloud infrastructure. These firewalls are set up to keep a Cloud security vendor’s hypervisors and virtualization technology safe from unwanted hackers. Cloud security is understanding that Cloud security risks are present for both the consumer and the Cloud provider. While the Cloud provider is busy securing data, locking down their datacenter Cloud computing architecture and continually running Cloud security training drills on their infrastructure, the consumer also has to secure their local area network (LAN). At the end of the day, if the consumer does not lock down their LAN, an unwanted intrusion can still take place. All the security in the world on the Cloud providers end cannot protect your data stored in your LAN. Both have to be secured to have true Cloud computing security.

Cloud Security Data Backups

Now that you know your Cloud provider has a locked down infrastructure and you have taken the steps to secure your LAN, the next issue you need to deal with in combating Cloud security risks is data backups. The term data backup sounds simple enough – all your data is backed up by a Cloud provider ensuring that if anything were to be lost, your data is safe and accessible. However, as simple as this sounds, finding a competent provider to backup and secure your data is a difficult task. To accomplish this task, we recommend visiting some Cloud hosting forums like Web Hosting Talk. Once there, ask questions of seasoned Cloud users to get a better understanding of providers who supply their consumers with enterprise level data backup solutions. Whatever you do, if you’re a small to medium sized business, invest your money in a data storage/backup solution more secure than Dropbox or SugarSync. Both companies are great but for enterprise level solutions, something more is needed. This leads us to virtual private networks.

Cloud Computing Virtual Private Networks

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a closed network which allows users on one end to communicate and transfer data via a secure direct connection accessing public lines. The main benefit of a VPN is simple: security. Due to the tunneling protocols which a VPN utilizes, a direct secure connection is made between two points blocking the outside world from getting in. To understand the basis of a VPN, think of the tunnel as a water utility pipe cut open at its respective ends. Once water (in this case, your data) is inserted into the pipe, both ends of the pipe are sealed via encryption. The data is then sent from point a to point b. When it arrives at point b, your data exits the pipe through further encryption methods. Additional benefits of a VPN are the speed at which data is transferred and the pricing structure.

Does Your Provider have its Cloud Security Certification?

At the end of the day, when looking for a Cloud provider, you need to be sure your provider of choice is supplying you with excellent security measures to protect the information you and your customers hold dear. Be it Amazon Cloud security measures, Google Cloud or the Solar VPS Cloud, before choosing a provider make sure to understand your provider’s security abilities to ensure your data stars protected.