Introduction
The cloud is an intuitive, secure way to store your data. But there are still some important questions that you need to ask before committing your information to the cloud. This article will discuss a few of these common concerns, including “What is cloud computing?” and “How does security work in the cloud?”
What is cloud computing?
Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics:
- On-demand self-service – A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage without requiring human interaction with each service’s provider.
- Broad network access – Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones/tablets).
- Resource pooling – The provider’s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model where each tenant has their own virtualized environment but shares all of the underlying physical resources of the cloud infrastructure such as servers/storage/networking etc.. There are two types: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS).
What are the benefits of cloud computing?
Cloud computing is a great way to save money. In fact, many companies that have moved their data to the cloud report cost savings of up to 90{6f258d09c8f40db517fd593714b0f1e1849617172a4381e4955c3e4e87edc1af}.
Cloud computing also offers other benefits:
- You can access a wide range of services and applications through the cloud, which means you don’t have to purchase and maintain software in-house. For example, if you need an accounting program or email service but don’t want it on your servers, there are plenty available through providers like Google App Engine or Microsoft Azure. This frees up money that would otherwise be spent purchasing and maintaining these programs on-site (and allows you more time for other important tasks).
- Eliminating the need for servers at your company’s headquarters means saving money on space requirements as well as reducing energy consumption–and thus costs–associated with running those servers 24/7/365!
How does security work in the cloud?
Cloud security is a relatively new field, and there are still many unanswered questions about how exactly it works. In this article, we’ll answer some of the most common ones:
- How does security work in the cloud?
- What’s the difference between traditional and cloud-based security?
- How are providers able to provide such tight control over their environments? And finally…
Can I trust my data in the cloud?
You can trust your data in the cloud because it is encrypted and not accessible to anyone other than you. The data is stored on a secure server that has multiple layers of security, including physical security and log monitoring. This means that only authorized people have access to your information, so there’s no need to worry about unauthorized users accessing or tampering with it.
It’s also worth noting that all information stored in the cloud is backed up every day by default–and some providers offer additional backup options at an additional cost (or even for free). This ensures that if something were ever lost or damaged on their end, you would still have access to everything on file without having lost any information at all!
What are some of the main security controls in a typical cloud environment?
- Encryption: The process of encoding data so that only authorized users can access it.
- Access controls: Restrictions on who has access to what information and how they can use it.
- Authentication: Verifying the identity of users before granting them access to a system or service.
- Data integrity: Ensuring that data has not been altered in any way after it was created or stored in a cloud environment. For example, if someone were to change your credit card number from 1234 5678 9012 3456 into 1234567890123456789012345678901234 then that would be an example of losing data integrity because you can no longer trust what’s written on your credit card statement because someone tampered with it! * Maintenance and monitoring (M&M): Maintaining all aspects of IT infrastructure such as hardware/software updates/configuration changes based upon policies set by management
Do cloud providers remove your responsibility for protecting sensitive data?
The answer is no. Cloud providers are responsible for ensuring that your data is protected and secure, but they cannot be held liable if a breach occurs.
Cloud providers are required to comply with security standards set by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which include:
- Protecting customer information from unauthorized access or theft;
- Ensuring reasonable safeguards are in place to prevent loss of data;
- Notifying customers of any breaches within 30 days of discovery;
The FTC does not require cloud providers to encrypt all data stored on their servers, but it does mandate that encryption be used when appropriate–for instance, when dealing with sensitive personal information such as credit card numbers or social security numbers.
Security is important in any situation, whether you’re using physical files or storing them online.
In any situation, security is important. Whether you’re using physical files or storing them online, cloud computing can help you to keep your data safe.
Cloud providers offer a range of services designed to ensure the safety of your information: backup and storage solutions; disaster recovery solutions; intrusion detection systems; firewalls; encryption software and other tools that protect against hackers. They’ll also work with you on policies around access control (who has access), data classification (what type of information it contains) and more so that everyone knows what’s expected from them when working with sensitive information.
Conclusion
The cloud is a powerful tool that can help your business grow and thrive. With the right security measures in place, you can leverage the benefits of cloud computing without worrying about an outage or data breach.
