The world has gone digital in recent times and those who don’t get on board with a solid cloud security policy will be left behind.
The Pandemic spurred the world into home-working, and while it seemed like a limitation at the time, for many – including the digital landscape in South Africa, it’s been a blessing in disguise .
As a business owner, there are more digital complexities to deal with than ever before. With employees working from home or using personal devices for business purposes, you need to think about protecting your company networks, data, and devices from possible risks. Recent surveys tell us that 96% of businesses use cloud-based services in one way or another.
If you’re operating in the cloud, now is the time to take stock of your digital security policies and ensure that you have update them.
protecting your business in a digital world
There are several protection strategies you may already be aware of, such as:
- Setting up a communication archive system that is thorough and well-protected
- Hiring the correct specialists with experience in cybersecurity systems and security auditing
- Registering (and keeping up to date with) cyber liability insurance
- Training staff members on cyber-best practices and educating them thoroughly on all the latest cyber risks and how to avoid falling prey to them
- Setting up a cloud security policy and ensuring that it is regularly updated
what are the 5 most common major threats to cloud security?
Human error, negligence, choosing the wrong cloud storage provider, and weak security systems often bring cloud-based businesses to their knees. That said, these are the most common threats to cloud security for all businesses, big and small.
- Data breaches
- Account hijacking
- Service traffic hijacking
- Data loss
- Insecure application program interfaces
creating a legitimate and strong cloud security policy
There are complex scenarios that need to be taken into account when creating a cloud security policy. Still, there are basic steps that you, the business owner, need to follow to ensure that your cloud security is all-inclusive and of the highest possible calibre.
A comprehensive cloud security policy will require you to engage with leadership roles in your company and possibly even seek outside assistance from professionals. Below are a few steps you need to consider.
- Meet with senior leaders in the business and talk frankly about the requirements for a cloud security policy – all role players must be on the same page.
- Set security goals in place and develop a timeline to follow.
- Make sure that your security team is well versed in cybersecurity and has the relevant qualifications and skills.
- Be sure to check in with management at all points of the project to ensure you’re not missing important issues and to check that the system will be easy to implement in the daily business model.
- Consult with legal professionals to review the policy and provide helpful feedback.
- Once the policy is in place, ask your IT department to do an internal audit and review the policy.
- The policy should not be set in place until all senior leadership members have carefully read through the proposed policy and provided their input and feedback.
- Once the policy is approved by management, present the policy to all staff members. It is important to set up a training session to go through the policy with staff members to ensure they have read and understand it.
- Review your policy every six months to one year.
key characteristics of a great cloud security policy
If your cloud security policy is well designed, it will:
- Reduce weak points in your network and systems
- Set multiple measures of protection around your company’s most sensitive and valuable data
- Demonstrate a security-first mindset to all of your team members, from the secretary on the front desk to the CEO of the company
- Provide training that supports the requirements of the policy
- Provide protection against human error, mishaps and employee poor online behaviour
- Be consistently updated
last word on cloud security policy
Creating a cloud security policy isn’t something that can be whipped together overnight. There should be no hesitation to outsource skills in the IT department in the name of increased security for your business. If your cloud security policy isn’t in place yet, today is a great day to start working on it.