Public cloud infrastructure can give businesses flexible and powerful IT footprint without the capital expenditure and workforce investment needed for traditional systems. Companies have to be careful this flexibility doesn’t come at the cost of security.
Lincoln Goldsmith, general manager Australia, Acronis, said: “Cloud solutions can come under threat from data theft and hacking, a company’s inability to react to changing threat conditions, or legislative threats like the government’s ability to demand user data from technology providers.
These threats are real but that doesn’t mean organisations should avoid using cloud solutions. Instead, they should take action to reduce the risk.”
Acronis has identified three key ways organisations can reduce the risks associated with public cloud infrastructure:
1. Double the data
Cloud services customers bear most of the security risks, while providers simply provide a solution. The cloud provider does have responsibilities when it comes to potential losses from malfunction or unauthorised data deletion in the cloud.
Lincoln Goldsmith said, “Using two data centres will protect against these risks and serve as insurance in case one data centre fails. Backup systems will ensure at least one local copy of important information remains safe. Keeping a remote copy of the data can provide an even safer alternative that could be restored in case of emergency.”
2. Carefully choose one cloud provider
Migrating a company’s IT infrastructure to the cloud often causes concerns, such as third party access to data.
Lincoln Goldsmith said, “It is important to understand where the data will be stored and which jurisdiction your provider falls under, particularly if you are concerned authorities from other countries could get access to your data.”
3. Weigh up the cost of security
To understand the value of the cloud security investment, it is important to compare the cost of cloud infrastructure security and backup measures to the potential costs associated with the loss of data.
Lincoln Goldsmith said, “The expenses for the backup, cloud backup and disaster recovery from the cloud are generally 10 times less than the costs that can arise from a loss of data. You should keep in mind that downtime and important data loss or leaks can, for some companies, result in a total business collapse.”
Information security, whether provided in the cloud or locally, should be viewed as a valuable investment from the point of view of any company.
About Acronis
Acronis sets the standard for New Generation Data Protection with backup, disaster recovery, and secure file sync and share solutions supporting hybrid cloud environments. Powered by the AnyData Engine and set apart by its image technology, Acronis delivers easy, complete and safe file access and sharing as well as backup and recovery of all files and entire systems across any environment—virtual, physical, cloud and mobile. Founded in 2003, Acronis protects the data of over 5 million consumers and 500,000 businesses in over 145 countries.
For additional information, please visit www.acronis.com.
