Common Pitfalls to Cloud Security

The recent passing of Cyber Security Month has reminded many businesses of the importance of implementing good security practices to ensure the protection of confidential data. It is a daunting, yet necessary, task to establish reliable cyber security. The ever-evolving cyber environment poses many obstacles which, if left unaccounted for, can lead to pitfalls in your businesses’ operations. This threatens the integrity of your business and may result in criminal activity, a deteriorated reputation, lost profits, legal repercussions and more. In order to understand the nature, and origin, of these consequences along with how to mitigate them, here is a list of the most common pitfalls to cloud security and their solutions.

Universal Pitfalls 

Data Loss

Backups need to be established at all times regardless of whether or not they are expected to be utilized. Of course, catastrophic events are often unpredictable and come without warning. If data is backed up only during predetermined times of increased stress, or the backup has inadequate space, then this can result in data loss. In this case, human error is usually to blame as admins may have neglected the possibility of system failure.

Data Breaches

The implementation of inadequate security measures can leave your infrastructure vulnerable to cyber attacks and unauthorized access to sensitive data. There are a variety of different cyber attacks which each take a unique approach to seizing classified information. The complexity of these attacks can leave an inexperienced I.T. team scratching their heads. A reputable cyber security team that specializes in these attacks can implement cyber security tailored to the needs of a specific business.

Data Leakage

Miscommunication with one’s cloud provider can lead to sensitive information being accessible to the public accidentally. It may be the case that it isn’t conveyed, or understood, that the information is confidential in the first place. This miscommunication constitutes human error, and can be a major source of data spillage.

Account Hijacking

Criminals often seek to gain entry to a system not by brute force but through account hijacking. In this case fake material such as emails will be sent out in mass quantities, disguised as legitimate work-related material, in order to trick staff into providing credentials or personal information. This is coined ‘phishing’. Once a cyber criminal has stolen enough information, they may be able to illegally sign into that user’s account and take control of the system internally. Depending on the level of authorization of this user, the intruder may be able to cause catastrophic damage, or commit major fraud.

Misconfiguration

On top of performing in terms of threat protection, it is ideal for a cyber security system to be well organized and easily configurable. Sometimes there are a plethora of security controls for a wide array of cloud deployments. But, if the cyber security system is impossible to navigate, set up and operate it doesn’t matter if it is foolproof. Lack of control and visibility can result in unprotected infrastructure. This is largely why transparency is considered the most important principle of customer support.

Server Cloud Canada’s Solutions

Preventative Security Measures

Server Cloud Canada employs top of the line practices, offering sophisticated data encryption, fine-grained access controls and comprehensive expertise. We perform penetration testing in order to gain a complete understanding of how vulnerable your business’ infrastructure is. Furthermore, we proactively conduct contingency planning in accordance with the most recent advancements in the field of cyber threats and security. We also design and implement disaster recovery plans as standard protocol. This is all to prevent, and mitigate the effect of, pitfalls to cloud security such as data losses, breaches and leakages.

Enabling Infrastructure

In order to comply with federal and provincial privacy laws our infrastructure is entirely Canadian owned and operated. This is also a best-case-scenario for when catastrophe does occur because then customers won’t criticize your business for storing their data in a foreign region. Additionally, our infrastructure is entirely redundant which means in the unlikely event of a data center failing your business operations will not be hindered. This is because we backup your data at another secure location.

Security Audits

We are SOC 2 certified. This means we have upheld, and continue to uphold, the highest standard of security, privacy, accessibility, confidentiality and processing integrity. Security audits are always valuable because it informs the customer the cloud provider is reputable from a source besides the cloud provider itself!

User Training

In order to combat phishing attempts, or in general to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data and administrative controls, user training is essential. At Server Cloud Canada we provide online manuals, video modules, conference calls and one-on-one meetings to our customers to ensure their users are fully educated on common cyber security practices. This is proven to be effective in reducing human error.

Technical Support

At Server Cloud Canada we pride ourselves in providing exceptional customer support. We offer 24/7, multi-tiered, technical support. Through direct, and unlimited, communication we are able to provision our expertise to our customers and work with them to build secure infrastructure up to, and beyond, their expected standard.

Conclusion

Developing an understanding of the most common forms of pitfalls to cloud security is essential. From this base knowledge one can then identify what preventative measures are necessary to ensure their infrastructure is never vulnerable. In order to truly grasp how confident your business should be with regards to cyber security, reach out to our cloud specialists to have a quick, or in-depth, conversation today! Find out how these problems and solutions apply to you!