It's no secret (especially if you’re a long-time reader here) that possibilities of cloud technology as well as remote work and synchronisation options have become a real norm in business and corporate worlds, and rightly so. Thanks to the cloud, you can easily store and access files, and most importantly - it's very easy to share and work on them together, which, undoubtedly, adds great value.
The opportunities for collaboration are many: from a shared document viewed and edited by the team, working on a shared drive with employees from different departments (and even different continents), and / or a specific folder specifically created for outsourcing work for a particular project and a variety of ideas, all of which simply scream comfort, simplicity and a wonder of "How did we manage so far?"
Also, with today's technology level, public documents can be easily viewed, whether it is a small business or a huge company, and on the other hand, access to important and sensitive documents and data is only available to specific individuals, especially in an age where privacy regulations are strict, where those who do not properly adhere to them are sanctioned.
As we all understand that files, folders and data can be easily shared, and some data that should be kept private - we've prepared an article for you to summarise what you should store in the cloud, and what you should keep close to you anytime and anywhere, on your local servers.
What should you transfer to the cloud?
Some of your departments will integrate well in the cloud, and one of the reasons for that is very simple: even with the most advanced technology, human error is still prevalent, and can do unimaginable damage.
Therefore, most security experts agree that because most of the major security breaches are man-made, it is advisable to keep the following aspects on the cloud:
Wages and payments
If you ask a hacker what he usually targets when he breaks into an organization, he will probably prefer to go to where the money is. Not only is there a lot of money here that has changed hands, but comprehensive personal information including full names, phones, addresses, account details, payment methods and more. If you think that won't happen to you - big government institutions like those of the governor of Florida have been hacked this year and more than half a million dollars worth of information was stolen. So don't risk your money or others’, and go for the cloud.
Internal Communications
This may sound strange to you - but the conversations between employees can work better in the shared cloud. If, in any way, you transfer information and data in the team-work and regular work environment, why not communicate between you using the same channels? There are a variety of special tools for this, and the heightened security in the cloud will ensure that communications between parties remain secret and away from hackers' hands - especially phishing attempts run on traditional communication networks.
Secure backup
Nowadays, the need for backing up is not a matter of debate, and cloud storage is much more than saving information you have on your computer. Secure backup in the cloud allows you to back up countless types of devices, files, and drivers, and when they are there - hackers will find it harder to find their location, and if that is not enough - if you lost your external drive or suffered a physical hard drive failure, for example - your data is gone. Just for that, you are much better off keeping your assets in the cloud, and making sure everything is secure.
What should you leave out of the cloud?
Nothing is perfect, nor is the cloud free of risks and limitations, so there are a few things you should still encrypt locally.
Big projects
If you have a product, service, or development that requires large amounts of storage, you might want to create a "private cloud" where you store everything you need and keep your budget at a reasonable scale.
A good example of this is the sheer volume of traffic and storage that online games require, which is answered in the form of private servers - that are also considered a fairly secure option. Think of it this way - you can go for a regular cloud option, and find out one day that you've exceeded the traffic restrictions and now you don't have access to your data and files.
Confidential information
Some of the human error that we mentioned in the previous section is related to the fact that quite a few times in cloud work, you tend to forget who exactly has access to it, and even when you know - you can't know for sure that the person who is currently logged in and accessing the file (with permission), is actually the real intended user behind it. For this very reason - secret files should be kept where you know very well who has access to them.
Medical records and research
If personal information is important, then personal medical information - that contains much more sensitive data and carries greater risk than data from other fields - is absolutely critical (in some countries a medical data breach carries criminal penalties, not just civil). If you have such data in the organization, it is likely that those who have provided you with it, will trust you to keep the data in the best, most professional and prudent hands possible - and therefore, it is best to ensure that they remain with you, under the right encryption and away from any factor that may sniff you.
