Is the Cloud Secure?

The booming popularity of cloud computing continues to increase and change the way the world can interact with and manage data, but as this new technology emerges, so do questions about security and reliability.



Many providers utilize the cloud to manage their large networks.  While the benefits of relatively inexpensive purchasing space in terms of cloud storage and distribution has attracted many users, recent outages along the with uncertainty of having information shared across multiple servers can cause concern for many companies.

With the growing number of businesses and organizations switching to cloud computing for their daily Internet needs, it becomes increasingly important for providers to answer the lingering question for many users considering migration: is the technology secure enough to handle sensitive information?

The simple answer is yes: cloud computing is just as secure, if not more secure, as standard computing and hosting. Unfortunately, despite billions of daily cloud transactions, coverage often focuses on the minuscule examples where something goes wrong.  Like Amazon and Google outage, this negative coverage can send users into a panic about their data.

However, it is important to note that while outages do occur, they are usually not any more significant than a traditional outage. The data has not been "hacked," and the outage does not mean that  information was lost.

Many cloud providers will also take additional measures to enhance cloud security. Their policies and even physical security on site are much tighter than traditional hosting platforms, with workers actively monitoring how the network is performing and taking immediate action when a potential intrusion is detected.

Another major difference between cloud computing and traditional computing is that most traditional hosts offer nightly backups. If problems occur, the latest backup is from the night before. Cloud computing is designed to back up after each transaction, instantly. Should something fail within the service, the last backup was only moments before the last transaction. For problems that exist inside the cloud, a single fix can instantly alleviate any problems experienced by consumers.

The future of data storage online is most certainly cloud computing, as it provides instant access to data under a heavy load and redundant backups for when a potential fail should happen. The security measures that go into protecting this future will only become more stringent as time goes on, so if you are considering migrating to the cloud, hopefully this post gives you a peace of mind.

If you're still unsure or would like to speak with one of IS Support's cloud consultants, in-depth, please contact us at anytime at 866-370-7142 or visit our website.

We'd love to give your company all the benefits of cloud computing while simultaneously providing peace of mind that your networks are secure.