As businesses strive to keep up with the ever-evolving digital landscape, following best practices for cloud computing has become increasingly important. The cloud is a powerful tool that can help businesses increase efficiency, reduce costs, and stay one step ahead of their competition. Gartner estimates more than 85% of organizations will be leveraging a cloud-first principle by 2025, as well as cloud-native architecture and technologies.
But with so many different cloud services and technologies available, it can be difficult to know which strategies to implement. This article will discuss the cloud best practices every business needs to know in order to stay up-to-date and ahead of the curve.
Benefits of following cloud best practices
The benefits of implementing and following cloud best practices are vast. Not only will they help you increase efficiency, but they will also help reduce costs, streamline your operations, and improve security. Furthermore, the right cloud strategies can help you build a more engaging customer experience.
It's important to remember not all cloud strategies are right for every business. This is why it's critical to identify your business' needs and determine which approach will be the most effective for your organization. This can be especially important for SMBs that don't have the resources available to implement the most sophisticated cloud strategies.
Manage access control
Access control is a critical element of cloud security. If your company is sharing sensitive data with external third-party vendors, you will want to control who has access to the data. This can be accomplished through access control lists.
Access controls specify who is allowed access to your cloud assets. The access conditions include the type of digital asset, identity permissions, and severity level of data.
Stop data sharing to unknown devices
The ability to share data is one of the most important aspects of cloud computing. The way we share data is changing as people begin to "Share Everything" and "Bring Your Own Device". With these new sharing styles come new security risks, and you don't want to be one of the companies who shares sensitive data without taking precautions.
One of the most important practices you can adopt is to ensure your cloud solution doesn't allow data sharing to unverified devices. While it may be convenient to share a certain data set with employees who work remotely, ensure their devices have been cleared with your IT or security team, and certain policies are put in place to block any unauthorized access.
Establish a cloud governance model
Cloud governance models aim to bridge the gap between the physical and virtual worlds by creating policies which govern both the digital and physical aspects of your business. These policies can help you identify and manage risks, such as data breaches.
Cloud governance models typically involve a hybrid model, where you are using cloud services, but also keeping assets in-house, such as your data center. This hybrid approach helps to mitigate the risks of relying too heavily on the cloud while also giving you the option to quickly transition to a more cloud-only approach if needed.
Your cloud policies should ensure your governance model is comprehensive and covers all areas of your business. It's important to consider all of the various risks and threats your company may face, so you can build a comprehensive model which covers all bases.
Backup and encrypt data
When it comes to data protection and security, nothing beats having a reliable backup strategy in place. A recent report stated 45% of businesses experienced a cloud-based data breach in the last 12 months. Cloud best practices involve backing up data regularly and having a plan in place for ensuring it is secure and kept out of the wrong hands - or for restoring your systems in the event of a data breach or natural disaster. One of the best ways to do this is to use encryption.
Encryption is a method for scrambling data so it is unreadable without the proper decryption key. There are a variety of different types of encryption, and they all serve the same purpose: to make data unreadable without the key.
While encryption is a strong means of protecting data, it's important to remember that it's not a replacement for a reliable backup strategy.
Train your users
Cloud computing training can be an effective way to help employees understand and adhere to appropriate best practices. It can also help prevent regulatory issues, like data breaches and security incidents, by educating employees on the importance of appropriate security measures.
Leverage the services of an experienced partner
The cloud is a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes and industries. But implementing the right strategies to ensure your data is protected and your business is as efficient as possible can be challenging. Partnering with an experienced cloud services provider will ensure you find and implement the cloud solutions and best practices tailored to your specific business needs.
The cloud computing specialists at BCS365 can advise you on the right cloud platform and services to suit your business, help you implement best practices and policies to utilize your cloud environment, and fully manage your infrastructure for maximum security and performance.