Is the Cloud Secure enough for my small business?
How do you protect your home valuables? Do you put them in:
- Your desk drawer under lock and key
- A lock box hidden behind your towels in a closet
- The bank vault
This is pretty analogous to most small business’ approach to one of their most valuable assets: their information. Do you:
- Keep everything on your computer, password protected
- Keep it all on a server, stored in a closet and maintained by a tech-friendly employee or a P/T IT person (according to the NYT, perhaps as young as 13)
- Store it in the cloud, maintained by companies that store billions of bits of data and/or have been providing cloud services for over 16 years.*
Two of the most often heard objections to moving from a server in the closet to the cloud are control and security, but in truth, they are the same issue. There is a sense of control when your business’s vital information is stored in your place of business, away from prying eyes and possible security breaches. But are they safe?
So what are the 3 primary concerns about the cloud?
1. Is My Data Really Safe?
As Jesse Lipson pointed out in a recent Forbes article: “Most cloud computing companies are like experienced airline pilots. They are well trained, have backup systems and contingency plans in case they encounter an issue, and they have a full staff of professionals regularly checking and maintaining their service. Cloud software companies, knowing the implications of a crash on their business’ bottom line, invest significant resources into insuring that such a disaster never occurs. Cloud computing companies can invest far more resources in data backup and security than your business can.”
Compare this, for a moment, the levels of protection that your employee part time IT person provides.
2. What if the provider goes out of business?
How many vendors, suppliers and partners do you rely on to run your company? Financial institutions, suppliers, delivery companies…the list is endless. As the CEO, President or owner it is your responsibility to first do your due diligence (how long has the provider been in business, who are their customers, what is their reputation, how solid is their operation) and have a back up plan. Yes, cloud companies can and will go out of business and there will be some down time. That is true irrespective of whom the provider is. Migrating from a server based operation to a cloud deserves no less scrutiny; check the vendor*; ask for references; try them out slowly, one app at a time. And have a back up plan for the most essential data. Print essential information, back up client information and back up financial data. Be smart, be realistic and be honest: try to remember when the last time the trusted online vendors your business relies on went down. I can’t.
Yes, even bank vaults can be broken into, but remember, the only things that are absolute are death and taxes.
3. What happens during a disaster? Do I lose everything?
From a provider perspective: Any reliable cloud provider provides redundancy, backing up your data in multiple locations around the country (see #1 above). If there is any one salient rational for moving to the cloud, this is it. Most small business either manually back up their data and store it off site (home?) or use online backup systems, meaning they back up their server to…..the cloud!
From a user perspective: I live in hurricane central (South Florida) and work in earthquake headquarters (California) so I am well versed in disaster preparation. The WSJ wrote an excellent article: How to Create a Disaster Plan In the Cloud that is worth reading.
Looking back on the last round of hurricanes we had (last one was named Zeta as we had used up the alphabet in one season), I recall two companies’ experience. One, a sizable old world law firm with satellite offices throughout the state had a top rate IT system, professional IT staff and a dedicated server floor. But, irrespective of all this security, they were out of business for 10 days due to a lack of power in their main office. They couldn’t communicate with their clients (couldn’t access their client management system), access their files or change their calendar.
The second, an online clipping service with multiple employees in remote areas and hundreds of thousands of users, had built their entire business in the cloud. Work was never interrupted and the South Florida staff worked wherever they found an internet connection. True they looked like a Verizon commercial (‘Can you Hear Me?) but their service was never down and their users never had downtime.
The cloud levels the playing field for small businesses, reduces expenses and increases productivity and mobility and is fast becoming a necessity in attracting new talent. Should you be concerned about security and privacy? Of course, just as you should be with all facets of your business. But you can mitigate these concerns by selecting reliable vendors, using smart security practices and creating back up plans. And the benefits of cloud computing out weighs the risks.
Now, for that lock box in the closet………………
We welcome your questions on cloud security so please email our tech team at keyon@infostreet.com with any of your concerns.
*InfoStreet, a Cloud app provider, has been providing cloud based apps to businesses of all sizes since 1994. Our system offers 99.99% uptime, daily back ups, and disaster recovery, all of which gives your business the security it needs. Contact us to see how InfoStreet can help your company, whether you have 100 employees or one.
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