Beginning Your Business Journey To The Cloud - Part 3

You may have arrived at your cloud storage destination, but the journey doesn’t stop there.

The fact is, the conclusion of your journey to the cloud is the beginning of an information management journey all of its own. Cloud storage gives organisations great opportunities to expand and improve data storage and access capabilities, but it also brings with it its own set of unique challenges and risks. Data breaches both from within and external to the organisation are still a great risk within the cloud. Therefore there are key issues that should be taken into consideration once you have migrated. We will briefly outline these below so that you can identify the key challenges and opportunities to be aware of.

Cloud security

Cloud storage makes your data much safer, but it isn’t without its own security risks. Data breaches can be devastating for businesses of all sizes. If vital business information ended up in the wrong hands, what kind of damage could this do to your business? This could potentially destroy your reputation and consumer trust in your brand. That’s why the arrival of cloud storage must be coupled with a comprehensive cloud storage risk assessment:

• Cloud backup: The best prevention plan includes effective cloud backup to retrieve lost, stolen, or corrupted information quickly and painlessly. This ensures that your business can continue to operate as normal in the event of an outage.
• Create and deliver security policies: Work with your IT partner to effectively craft cloud storage policies and communicate them to your entire workforce. Your internal IT team will need to continuously reinforce these principles, and regularly review these with your organisation.
• Encryption: Invest in quality encryption services to protect sensitive data. In fact, it is encouraged to implement encryption across most business data to minimise risk.
• Data loss prevention and activity monitoring: Not all threats to your cloud data are malicious. Effective data loss prevention and activity monitoring solutions can help you identify and address data that has been mishandled internally, such as employees inadvertently sending sensitive or critical business data out of the corporate network.
• Disclosure policies: Have a plan in place to alert any involved parties should sensitive information be hacked or inadvertently divulged. Work with your communications team to consider wording and actions of these policies to prevent the situation from escalating should it arise.

Cloud storage is an advanced form of information management. In addition to providing the best cloud storage solutions, TIMG is also equipped to help you deal with the threats that come with it with our cloud backup and disaster recovery solutions.

Cloud compliance

Regardless of your information storage methods, industry laws and regulations also influence how you handle your data. Cloud service providers cater to legal compliance needs through transition and maintenance packages, but you will want to carefully vet your information management partner to ensure that they deliver. New Zealand’s digital information management laws dictate that companies are responsible for the management of their own information and records.

The good news is that compliance laws and regulations should not get in the way of your information management if your cloud storage is conducted ethically and with integrity. Build your cloud technology around the following guidelines provided by the New Zealand privacy commissioner:

1. Ensure that your strategy satisfies your current level of risk.
2. Know what information will be stored in the cloud.
3. Recognise that you are ultimately responsible for the safeguarding of your business information.
4. Make sure that your information is protected at all times.
5. Research the history of your cloud technology provider.
6. Make an informed decision regarding your cloud technologies.
7. Develop adequate responses to client questions and requests regarding their information.
8. Know where your cloud servers are located.
9. Be aware of any third parties that may also have access to your information.
10. Ensure that your information management strategy allows for the deletion of any information at the request of customers or clients.

Continue improving your information management

Information management is a journey, not a destination. Your transition to the cloud should open doors, expand horizons, and broaden your potential as a business to manage your data safely and cost-effectively. With an improved level of accessibility to data, your organisation can identify and improve processes which were once limited due to system restrictions. It’s important to maintain an open line of communication with your IT partner, team and the rest of your organisation to continue to leverage your information management journey.

Cloud storage is the first step

With cloud storage, the sky’s the limit! TIMG offers an advanced cloud storage, backup and disaster recovery solution with BackOnline, developed to ensure that your transition to the cloud not only empowers your business but does so in a secure fashion.

Rethink your approach to data. Contact the information management specialists at TIMG and begin your transition to the cloud today.