Simply Security - News, Views, and Opinions from Trend Micro

Posted on October 22nd, 2012 in Cloud Computing, Cybercrime by Simply Security | Be the first to comment | Tags: cloud computing, cybercrime

Companies need to be sure they are carefully working to handle data safely.

While data protection may, at times, take a backseat to IT priorities such as cost control and network performance, Aconex CEO Leigh Jasper believes companies must always be cognizant of where corporate information is traveling and who has access to it. This means that logs of who accesses documents, how they are shared and how they are browsed should be looked at, especially in more tightly regulated industries.

"At first glance, it’s common to ask yourself whether the best option is your internal systems or cloud-based services. But maybe the first thing to ask is where the project information is being generated and work backwards," Jasper wrote in a recent guest column for Computerworld. "Chances are that a majority of information, and especially on multi-party projects, is being created outside of the firewall. Now think back to what your internal systems may offer and can handle, which is strong control of information generated behind the firewall that doesn’t work well with the first category of information that I mentioned."

With a cloud based collaboration service, for example, companies can very easily track information and processes across the entire project within the collaboration program, Jasper said. This means that companies can know who is accessing information through a mobile device, laptop and more. This should help companies secure their information assets and make sure that all workers are doing things as they should be within the collaboration program.

Jasper said having better data management shouldn't cost businesses a ton of money and should actually help companies learn more about the processes they use and how people work.

Most small businesses don't care about security
Perhaps most smaller companies don't realize how easily they can up their level of cloud security, but a report by Stay Safe Online, a National Cyber Security Alliance website, shows that 77 percent say their company is safe from things like hackers, viruses, malware or a breach. Meanwhile, 83 percent have no formal cybersecurity plan in place.

“We want U.S. small businesses to understand they cannot completely remain safe from cyber threats if they do not take the necessary precautions,” said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. “A data breach or hacking incident can really harm SMBs and unfortunately lead to a lack of trust from consumers, partners and suppliers. Small businesses must make plans to protect their businesses from cyber threats and help employees stay safe online.”

Companies need to keep data protection and cloud security in mind moving forward, as even the smallest breach could do irreparable harm to a business' operations and brand reputation.

Cloud Security News from SimplySecurity.com by Trend Micro.