How to Secure Cloud Storage: 10 Tips to Keep Your Data Safe

Posted on August 24, 2021 How-To Guides

Did you know that McDonald’s reported some data stating that there was a data breach in two of their branches? This exposed the private info of their clients and employees in South Korea and Taiwan. This incident proves that data breach is a problem faced by organizations of all sizes. 

Among those vulnerable to data breaches include your cloud storage. This begs the question, if hackers can penetrate McDonald’s, who’s to say they can’t come for your files too? 

Don’t fret yet! While there is no perfect solution to preventing breaches, there are some steps that you can take to lessen their occurrence. Here are 10 tips that you need to apply to have secure cloud storage and your files within it. 

1. Secure Accounts With Strong Passwords 

The first step to attaining secure cloud storage is to strengthen your account. Even encryption can’t protect your data if you have a compromised account. As such, increase account security by using strong passwords.

A strong password has at least eight characters; the longer, the better. It should also have a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols such as % or $. Never make passwords on personal information as hackers can easily fish this information. 

As much as possible, refrain from using words present in the dictionary. Make your password as complex as you can to help lessen the risk of breach. 

For organizations, make sure your employees create a complex account password. Hackers can use their accounts as a passageway to breach your company’s cloud storage. This also goes for your business associates, especially small businesses. 

Due to lack of resources, small businesses are the target of 43% of cyberattacks. In most cases, cybercriminals take advantage of their poor cyber security. As such, it’s best to choose the associate yourself with companies that have high security. 

Two-Factor Authentication

Another method suggested by Cloud Security Alliance is to enable two-factor authentication. This tool serves as an extra measure to help secure your credentials from hackers. It requires the user to confirm their identity twice when they log in to their accounts. 

The first stage is by requiring users to enter their passwords. It is then followed by entering a code. You can either get the code by phone call, SMS, or e-mail. Even if hackers know your password, if they don’t have access to your phone, they won’t be able to get access to your account. 

2. Data Encryption

To protect data, you must direct data traffic into a secure cloud provider where it’s filtered. The cloud provider should have a secure channel. 

Here, encryption and authentication must be present. This helps secure the connection and prevent eavesdropping. 

As such, make sure to partner with a cloud service provider that can encrypt your data. Store your files, images, and videos with a cloud provider that uses data encryption. This will make it extra hard for hackers to hack your cloud storage. 

It’s best to choose a cloud provider that allows client-side encryption. This is because the encryption and decryption process only happens on your device. It assures that even if hackers can access your cloud provider’s servers, they can’t decrypt your files. 

3. Invest in a Strong Anti-Malware Program

Data transfer using cloud storage occurs over the internet. This is an environment full of lurking malware and viruses. 

As a preventive measure, install a strong anti-malware system on your devices. Such programs will help to prevent suspicious downloads and possible hitch-hiking. 

Further, make sure to create a backup copy of your files in case of emergencies, such as the server going offline. You can do this by personally creating backup copies on your external hard drives. 

You can also opt to partner with providers that offer data backup solutions. A good choice is NETdepot’s Disaster Recovery Services. This service protects various platforms such as Office 365 and more. 

4. Audit Files and Adjust Content Control

What’s great about cloud storage services is that it allows you to share files with ease. The downside is that it leaves your files vulnerable to unauthorized access. If rogue users find the links leading to your files, they can easily access them. 

As such, it’s best to implement file auditing on all the things you’ve shared. Remove inactive shared folders to limit possible access points. 

For the files that are still active, set expiry dates and use folder permissions. You can also take the extra mile and protect your links with passwords. 

5. Audit Connected Apps, Devices, and Accounts on Your Cloud 

Hackers are always looking for ways to penetrate your cloud storage. If they can’t access your account, they may use other accounts connected to your cloud storage. 

Thus, make sure to remove inactive third-party accounts connected to your cloud storage. Should the need arise, it’s easy to add them again. Meanwhile, minimize access points that hackers may enter by getting rid of them. 

This also applies to the devices and apps connected to your cloud. Every time you upgrade to a new device, it’s essential that you disconnect them to your cloud storage. This ensures cloud security in case whoever inherits them tries to get access to your data.

6. Make Sure to Turn On Account Alerts

Almost all cloud storage services can send alerts when a significant event happens in your account. They can send alerts when someone’s attempting to access your account. 

Either way, make sure to turn on such features. This will help you detect suspicious behaviors involving your account. 

Also, subscribe to features that send out notifications about the activities inside your account. This way, every time a new shared folder gets created or removed, you’d know. 

7. Update Your Operating System

Most users don’t take operating system update seriously. However, such is vital in decreasing your system’s vulnerability to downtime and malware. These updates contain solutions to system bugs that expose your cloud to risks. 

Choosing to ignore them will result in inconveniences such as slow running time. Thus, update your operating system as often as you can for better protection. 

8. Consider Managed Cybersecurity 

For greater security assurance, consider getting managed cybersecurity services. As cybercriminals become creative, preventing and strengthening cybersecurity is becoming a difficult task. This is especially so for individuals and organizations with no prior background in cyber system management. 

This is why we highly recommend bringing in the experts. Managed cybersecurity makes sure that your network is always monitored. It ensures that experts resolve all possible security risks in your network. 

NETdepot is a leading company that provides cybersecurity monitoring. We ensure cloud security through thorough threat analysis and assessment and implementing firewall monitoring. Our team also regularly audits cloud services to determine weaknesses and improve security. 

9. Use Secure Connections

Using complex passwords, setting up firewalls and anti-malware programs is useless when you keep using an unsecured connection. Unsecure connections make it easy for hackers to penetrate your system. All it takes to do the job is a small device and staying within 100 feet near you. 

Thus, as much as possible, avoid using a public wireless internet connection. If you do use one, verify the source of the connection first before connecting. 

Make it a habit to turn off your Wi-Fi feature when you’re not using it. When viewing sensitive content, always use a virtual private network. This lessens the risk of security breaches and data leaks. 

10. Invest in Cloud Security Solutions

Did you know that ransomware rose to 158% in North America alone? Ransomware complaints rose to nearly 2,000, which amounts to a damage cost of roughly $29.1 million. 

As such, don’t hesitate to invest in cyber security solutions. These solutions ensure that the transfer and disclosure of your data in cloud storage are secure. This means the chances of hackers getting their hands on them and using them to blackmail you is very slim. 

With NETdepot’s cloud security solution, your data is in the hand of state-of-the-art software. There is no need to worry about data leaks as every data undergoes encryption to ensure it won’t be easily compromised and accessed by hackers. 

Our service also comes with backup and recovery features. In case of emergencies, we can recover your data on our secure cloud-based platform. This is possible thanks to our recovery time (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO). 

We also use reliable technology that allows us to detect and create preventative steps for intrusion attempts on your cloud storage. Further, our regular cloud service audits help us determine areas that need improvement. All these assure a secure and reliable cloud security solution for your organization. 

Connect with NETdepot today

Inadequate cloud storage protection leads to data leaks that can cause harm to your organization. Consider using these tips to secure cloud storage and avoid costly damages. 

Looking for google cloud security? Partner with a company that has cloud security certification! 

Contact us today and talk to our team of experts. Allow us to create a suitable cloud storage protection plan for you. Reap the benefits of secure cloud storage starting today. 

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