Your company’s data is one of the more critical elements in your organization. Keeping sensitive customer information safe and secure gains the trust of your customer base. If data is compromised your business is likely to go into a quick spiral.
Businesses which use cloud services to store data can learn more about this option through the following questions.
What Virtualization Challenges Do Providers Face?
Although virtualization is a necessary element for any cloud service provider this convenience comes at a cost. If a business has stringent compliance requirements users may need access into security protocols. Such access and increased visibility creates a potentially dangerous situation in a virtualized cloud environment.
If a provider wants to attract large scale, enterprise customers it’s imperative to take an in-depth approach to learning about these pressing virtualization issues to better win over this business. Finding the balance between visibility and securing the cloud remains a delicate dance for any provider and client.
How Is a Cloud Service Most Exposed to Cyber Attacks?
Certain elements of cloud services are vulnerable to attacks from hackers and other cyber criminals. Knowing soft areas such as a poorly conceived physical setup can give you a better understanding of what you need to shore up to feel safe and secure. Shoring up any are which can be potentially breached requires a rigorous testing to make sure the service is resilient to attacks.
What Kind of Cloud Should Customers Select?
Private clouds, public clouds or hybrids between the 2 give clients a wide range of options to choose from. Perhaps a business wishes to use a private cloud for its sensitive data or maybe a business uses a public cloud provided by a third party source.
Hybrid or private clouds may be more expensive but offer a greater level of control and security. Public clouds offer lesser upfront costs and improved savings but data may not be quite as secure as less management and control is available through this option.
Consider the needs of your organization. How sensitive is the data being stored? If you can’t possibly afford to have data compromised choose either a private cloud or hybrid model which offers greater controls and increased security.
How Is the Physical Environment Laid Out?
Knowing where the data is stored in the data center, the level of sharing within the environment, the location and operator of a data center and whether or not there’s a physical divide between networks clues you in to the physical environment. Knowing the physical logistics can help businesses better understand the cloud setup and can give companies greater confidence in moving forward with a provider.
What Specific Process Is Followed for Configuration?
Research the update and configuration process to better understand cloud services provided for your business. These vital security elements help to manage vulnerabilities. Find out the process for rolling out patches, testing and security updates and for managing configuration.
Now that you’re armed with the facts you can choose a provider which best fits your needs. Whether you require cheap cloud hosting to fit within your company’s budget, or you need a higher end solution, you can move forward with confidence in your decision.