Aug 22, 2017 | SMB Technology, Technology News
According to a recent research report “Assessing the Cloud Security Landscape” by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), 85% of business owners and IT professionals participating in a survey responded that they are Confident in their Cloud Service Provider. No wonder research firm IDC predicts the market for public and private cloud security to more than double over the next few years. What Cloud Security Concerns are top of mind with business owners, and what can you do to reduce your risk? Read more to find out… Cloud Security Concerns According to the CompTIA research, the biggest security concerns are: system downtime and business interruptions; exposure or loss of data during file transfers to the cloud; and concerns over encryption of data (either transactional or at rest). Rounding out the top five concerns from the research are physical security of cloud service provider data centers, and shared technology vulnerabilities in a multi-tenant environment. Many of the risks related to these issues can be avoided with appropriate technologies, and by adhering to industry compliance regulations. Questions to Ask About Cloud Security To help you sleep at night, there are a number of questions you can ask your Cloud Service Provider to better understand security considerations. You may want to know where your data resides. Understanding data residency could help you navigate standards related to regulatory compliance or specific country requirements on data residency. Consider asking your Cloud Service Provider about their encryption policies, business continuity and disaster recovery plans, and their data integrity and retention policies. Is the Cloud Right for All of My Data? Data that is strictly regulated...
Aug 10, 2017 | SMB Technology, Technology News
Your network is the backbone of your IT Infrastructure. Your network health is also an integral part of your defense against Cyber threat. Cloud Computing, Communications and Collaboration, Data Protection, and Digital Transformation put more reliance on your network. This begs the question, how is your network health? Ask yourself these three questions to find out the answer… How Well Does Your Network Perform? You rely on your network to communicate with your employees, customers, prospects, and suppliers. What’s more, your network links your company to public and private cloud services and applications that are critical to your business operations. Performance bottlenecks from social media, streaming applications, faulty hardware, and lost connections can impact your employees’ productivity. Offsite backup and other IT functions also rely on your network. Ensuring network health keeps systems running smoothly and available when you need them. How Secure is Your Network? Network security is an imperative for businesses of all sizes. Your business may face additional compliance requirements–for example, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Data protections standards are rapidly evolving, which could increase your responsibility and exposure to fines and penalties. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the European Union’s data protection rules, could apply to your business regardless of your location. Keeping your network in compliance through monitoring, endpoint protection, content filtering, and other network security detection and protection technologies is a good start. Train your employees on the implications of phishing emails and how to identify one. Teach them to avoid malicious links in unsolicited scam emails. Underscore the importance of a strong password and steps to take to keep...
