When I used to work in a tech shop, the cloud was a new concept and many people, especially businessmen and legal professionals, would have a lot of questions concerning the security of their documents when stored in the cloud. I would do my best to explain that only they had access to their account, but as the cloud was still a fairly vague concept to many people, explaining the benefits would often mean breaking down the features in the most rudimentary of ways. On more than one occasion, people struggling with the concept of cloud computing became angry at the idea their personal or work emails being stored in the cloud, never mind the fact that this had been the case ever since they started using email.
Since my days as a sales specialist, cloud services have grown to become vital for business, and a just a quick project management review, for example, will demonstrate how such services can significantly improve office efficiency. For professionals who handle sensitive company information or cannot disclose client details, security remains a big concern. As most Fortune 100 companies have switched their systems over to at least a number of cloud services, let’s discuss why not using cloud software could actually pose a larger security risk to your files in the long run.
Looking at the data
It’s a widely perceived misconception that data stored on a server at an offsite location is at a higher risk of being attacked. The truth is that viruses are unlikely to target a specific location; they are opportunistic and their designers target as wide an area as possible. And while you may think that your internal solution to accounting software is better equipped to fend off malware, traditional on-premise users experienced more attacks in the past year compared to online service users. On-premise users were faced with an average of 61.4 security threats compared to 27.8 for those using cloud services.
It’s out of your hands, and that’s fine
You might be tempted to think that servers maintained by your very own IT department are safe from attacks. Cloud servers face the same risk as those at the office, but whether a hub is located in Poland, Spain or in your basement, the risk to your documents lies in how well they are encrypted. Often, SaaS providers utilise highly advanced encryption software, because it’s their business to offer secure file-access solutions.
And I’m backin’ up, backin’ up, backin’ up
If your files are important, you want them to live in more than one place. Backing up everything is essential in case the blue screen of death comes to haunt you right after completing that 10-page report for client X. Some project management software automatically tracks document changes, even if you forget to. Store your files on the cloud and use your personal ID to access them from any device connected to the internet. Meaning that even if you access files on a public computer, your data is protected with the same encryption. If you’re worried you forgot to log out, you can always go in afterwards and reset the password to be sure.
Cloud storage is so much more than an extra hard drive somewhere. Cloud software allows teams to collaborate on projects, edit files in real time and communicate with clients in a direct, efficient manner that can cut email chains out of the equation. Any company wishing to take advantage of these contemporary solutions just needs to conduct a web hosting review, and then start benefiting from a modern online workspace, one that’s more secure and more efficient than traditional onsite systems.
