Things to Consider When Storing Data in the Cloud
Well, surely there are still many people who are thinking about this. Let’s examine these concerns one by one. We should pay attention to the following points:
1. Ensure that your Cloud Service Provider has security certification.
Ensure that the cloud service provider has ISO 27001 certification and an SLA to guarantee the confidentiality of your data. If the cloud service provider has provided a guarantee regarding this, you are definitely safe. This is because if a cloud service provider has customers whose data has been leaked and violates the SLA, their service license will be revoked and they will be prosecuted. The company also has a reputation for managing cloud data and is trustworthy.
2. How much data will you store in the Cloud?
We must calculate and sort data so that the data to be stored is not irrelevant, because it will increase your pricing when stored in the cloud. Cloud service companies will charge you based on the amount of data you have. The more data you store, the more we will spend.
3. Is your data encrypted during the process of uploading and downloading your data from the cloud?
How can we know whether our data is encrypted or not when uploading/downloading it from the cloud? Make sure that the cloud application provides encryption services when connected to your computer, notebook, server, or gadget. Look for https:// next to the URL in your browser.
4. Is your data encrypted when it is stored in the cloud?
You should check with your cloud service provider about the terms and conditions of the service. Generally, cloud service providers do not encrypt your data and grant access to the data in accordance with the data owner. Therefore, you must pay attention to whether the data you store contains information that should not be known to others. This means that if you store medical information, financial data, and highly confidential company data, you must ensure that it is encrypted when stored in the cloud and you must know how to decrypt your data when retrieving it from the cloud.
5. You know how to access your data in the cloud
There are several cloud service companies that share your online folders in the cloud. Therefore, you must know in detail how to access them. You can find out who last modified (read: edited, deleted, wrote) and made changes to your data. If you create a group to manage data access, you must know the details of who is in the group, whether you receive notifications when a group access makes changes, and whether the service allows your files to be stored publicly. If you want to complete the data, those who access it must be equipped with a name, account, email, and so on.
6. You understand and acknowledge that your cloud service may be hacked or your data may be lost.
You must be aware of the terms and conditions in the event of the above before using the cloud service provider’s services. However, even in the worst-case scenario, it is certain that normal conditions will be restored quickly. This must be known in advance before signing a cloud service contract.
Now, if you have found the ideal cloud service for your needs and have taken into account the points I have outlined above, you must implement internal policies that apply every time you use the cloud service. The policies are as follows:
7. Use a Strong Password
A good password has a complex combination of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols with a minimum of 8 characters. Passwords should not be easy to guess, such as user names, company names, or words that are easy for others to guess.
8. Do not use the same password again
For example, you have email accounts on Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, and even Facebook and Twitter with the same password because it is easy to remember. If a hacker manages to hack your Facebook account password, then all of your accounts will be hacked by the hacker. So try to have different passwords for your public email accounts and social media accounts.
9. Do not share your password with anyone.
Even though your loved ones are trustworthy, it’s not a good idea to share your password with anyone. All your important information is stored in the cloud. So never share your password with anyone.
10. Back up your data
Back up your data regularly. This also needs to be done in cloud services. If the cloud service has its own backup service, that would be better, but you need to make sure it is not stored in the same place as your data. You can also use a third party for backup; it is up to you to decide which is better and more powerful.
Well, hopefully everything I have explained above will make it easier for you to decide which cloud service to choose. Hopefully, it will make things easier for you later if you actually use a cloud service to store your data.
This week’s wise words are: “Before you decide on a cloud data storage service, fulfill the things I have explained above and then see what happens.”
By: Purwandi – Engineer at IndonesianCloud
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