Security tops the lists of concerns amongst companies that are reluctant to make the switch to cloud-based services. One of the biggest issues is that companies are often reluctant to allow the cloud to control all their data when they are used to doing so in-house. However, internal security can be limiting since it depends on the knowledge and availability of the IT department, quality of equipment and configuration. Here are some reasons why data can actually be more secure in the cloud than with a business’s internal security capabilities:
Problem With Firewalls
Many companies feel that their firewall provides adequate protection, but this isn’t always the case. The truth is, data that is transmitted to and from a private server is vulnerable because an internal firewall isn’t always enough. Most of the time, this data isn’t encrypted, which makes it possible for sensitive material to end up in the wrong hands. This problem, however, is solved with cloud services because transmitted data is adequately encrypted when data is moved to and from the cloud. Also, since cloud-based services offer a “pay to play” model, businesses can pay for the services that have the level of security an encryption that they need.
Lack of Resources
Businesses frequently don’t have adequate resources to take care of their own data security and it takes more than a good firewall and data encryption to make sure the system is truly safe. It also takes constant monitoring by a security professional to determine that the data security has been maintained. This includes physical monitoring by using security cameras and restricting access to the server as well as network monitoring so that any security threats can be detected and dealt with quickly. Many businesses struggle to meet these needs with internal staff, where major cloud providers do have those capabilities.
When businesses use in-house servers rather than cloud services, this could pose data security risks depending on the organization. Many companies, however, do have issues such as data encryption, inadequate firewalls, and lack of resources for monitoring the data for potential security concerns. While it is certainly possible to do all of this effectively in-house, most cloud services already have these measures in place.
