Top Ways to Secure Your Data on the Cloud

In the modern age, the ways in which people store their data are heavily based on cloud computing. In fact, finding a company that doesn’t use clouds in one way or another is incredibly hard. Of course, all this is for plenty of good reasons, as cloud computing offers possibilities that were unimaginable even a bit more than a decade ago. The amount of data that can be stored by using a cloud easily beats any hard disk out there, both by performance and by price. Additionally, having your data off-site allows you to protect it more efficiently from any on-site issues. Now, cloud computing, like everything else, doesn’t come without its disadvantages. 

The main thing that people are worried about when using clouds is security. Of course, cloud providers do everything in their capabilities to enforce safety. But, having your data exposed in a server that can technically be tracked down can be a reason for some to opt-out of using clouds. Now, there is good news if you are personally conflicted on whether you should or shouldn’t use clouds because of security skepticism. There are a lot of things that you can do to boost how secure your data is on the cloud, and if you know what to do, your worries can be reduced exponentially. If you want to learn more, in this article, you will find all that you need to know about the top ways in which you can ensure that your data on the cloud is secured.

Focus on the encryption that your cloud service uses

When it comes to data safety, no factor is more important than encryption. If you’re not familiar with the term, encryption is the process in which the information is encoded in a way that makes it hard to decrypt it. This basically means that the stronger the encryption that your cloud service uses, the better the protection of your data on the cloud. So, always make sure that you do your research on the type of encryption of your cloud service. Additionally, it would be best that you avoid those services that offer no encryption of your data.

Third-party encryption

If you want to ensure that your data is protected to the extent that your cloud service doesn’t offer – there is a way to do so. Basically, you can utilize a third-party cloud security platform that will make sure that your data is as protected as possible. There are platforms that can offer you encryption of your data, separately from the services that your cloud service offers. This way, you ensure that your data is encrypted to the extent that barely any cloud services offer. 

Always opt for two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication might seem like an unnecessary hassle to some – but it truly boosts your online security exponentially. When it comes to passwords, they, of course, play an important role in how secure your files are. The thing is, passwords can be decrypted, given that the person trying to do so is persistent and skillful. Of course, this isn’t easy to do, to begin with – but it can be done. On the other hand, if you use two-factor authentication, you are lowering the chance of someone accessing your data. This is especially true if the two-factor authentication includes sending an SMS to your phone.

Don’t take password strength lightly

The fact that passwords can be decrypted has been mentioned previously, but let’s see how you can lower the chance of that happening. Many people aren’t aware of the importance of password strength. That is why they opt to use simple passwords that they can remember easily. The thing is the simpler your password, the higher the possibility of it being used against them. The same goes for those that use the same password on many different websites. So, next time you create a password – make sure to make it as undecipherable as you possibly can.

Only use trustworthy WiFi networks

When uploading your data onto the cloud, as well as accessing it – make sure that you never do so through a public WiFi network. Public WiFi networks are oftentimes way easier to hack into due to low encryption and high accessibility. This is exactly why a large number of hackers find their victims on those exact networks. All this is why it is incredibly important that you never use a public network when working with data that is on the cloud. 

Always read the user agreement fully

Reading user agreements is something that many of us skip as we deem this process unimportant. While this might be true for the majority of instances, it is not always the case. In fact, whenever you’re handling something that has security at stake – reading the user agreement is imperative. 

When signing up for cloud services, you want to make sure that you understand the vital parameters of how it protects your data. In some instances, by reading the agreement, you can run into the part that says that you’re giving them permission to sell and/or use your data. Of course, if you want to boost security, you want to avoid this. All in all – never sign up to cloud services if you don’t fully understand every clause in the user agreement. The same goes for reading and understanding any updates in your cloud services’ privacy policies.

Think twice before uploading sensitive information

Lastly, let’s finish this article by tackling how you should approach sensitive information and clouds. In general, you want to avoid uploading anything that can be used against you on the cloud. So, your personal data, and anything that can, if exploited, compromise your safety. Surely, you decide what you want to upload, but just be aware that some data should be kept safe the old traditional way.

Finally, it is important to understand that while our options for pretty much anything are lined up for us – we still must do our part. Optimizing security in the era where everything is online should be everyones’ top priority. As you’ve been able to see, there are a lot of ways in which you can do your part, most of them not even being that complicated. So, instead of opting out of different new and modern ways in which we can optimize whatever it is that we’re doing, informing ourselves should be the first step. Embrace the positives and tackle the negatives head-on – and you will get the best of both worlds!