10 Cloud Computing Security Tips for Small Businesses

While many small businesses find that cloud computing can account for an overall increase in the quality of their security protocols, you never can be too careful, so it’s important to ensure that the security of your information, especially if it’s potentially sensitive as in the case of accounting, is top notch.

Here are 10 cloud computing security tips for small businesses.

1. Identify risk areas

Part of being a savvy business runner involves being risk aware, or, in more real-world terms, identifying opportunities for risk. For most, this concerns the potential for information theft.

By identifying areas with the highest risk, you’ll stay aware and what’s more, you’ll be able to keep customers informed.

2. Rank your assets

There’s no getting away from it: selecting the right security level for your business is worth spending a significant portion of your time on. The easiest, most intuitive and effective means of doing so involves listing all areas of your company, and ranking them according to their security requirements. Once you’ve done this, you’ve got a handle on the big picture and will be able to select your level.

3. Educate yourself about regulations

Many transactions (particularly of the financial kind) will be subject to certain regulations. This can mean that you’ll have security requirements placed on you from step one. Be sure to thoroughly research these regulations regarding your proposed business endeavors.

4. Assess your requirements against risks

Once you’ve done the previous three steps, you need to weigh your risks against your requirements. Remember that security is always a worthwhile investment.

5. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Now it’s time to get to know the market. Part of this involves thoroughly investigating what’s out there, but a big part of it has to come from you. Be proactive. Ask lots of questions. Explain your requirements in detail.

6. Request security certification

A great way to rule out some options is by requesting certification of their security and reliability. Look to testimonials, but also to experience, and documentation on their practices.

7. Make security a contractual obligation

Much like any professional relationship, your correspondence with your cloud provider represents a contract.

If you make security a key part of that contract, you’re more likely to be doing it right.

8. Consider potential downtime

Whether or not you’re planning on shifting all company operations to the cloud, given that security is a prime concern, it’s safe to assume that you’ll be reliant on its reliability.

As a result, you need to consider the chance of downtime, and in turn, what your provider guarantees in the event of downtime.

9. Practice offline backup

Many switching to cloud computing fear for their loss of control. Cloud computing systems are still compatible with offline backup, and this can provide you with a great means of regaining control.

10. Read this

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