This first post in “Questions for Pythia” is about “Cloud Services”:
Q: Are Cloud Services safe?
Like anything else in your business, “The Cloud” is only as safe as the way you use it. In the vast majority of breeches, people are the common denominator…people are the linchpin to security. Cloud services in one form or another, are the future for most business. Cloud solutions can make doing business easier, less expensive and much more efficient. If you want the benefits of cloud-based technologies, there needs to be a strong foundation of policies and procedures that will insure the security of your data…just as there would be if everything were housed on site. Keep in mind, its an imperfect universe and nothing is 100% fool proof. You will need to find a trusted adviser that will research the latest threats (malware and ransomware attacks) and stay well-informed on the latest cyber crimes. This will make sure that you have the smallest possible attack surface, the strongest, layered defense for that surface and have the best possible business continuity plan in place.
Q: What Do I Do With the Cloud?
As a business owner, you need to decide what you would like to do and then discuss it with your trusted adviser. What are your business goals. Do you need data available to your team any time and no matter where they are? Do you have to meet regulatory standards.? Are you looking to improve the productivity of your team members? Do you want to streamline services? Reduce support costs? Answering these questions is critical before deciding how best to leverage the cloud.
The keys to success here are planning and forethought combined with the assistance of a trusted adviser.
Q: How does moving to the cloud work?
Migrating data and services to Cloud platform, although it is not uncommon, takes a specific knowledge and skill set. Consider: privacy, data integrity, fallback strategy, continuity, and security among other things.
Your Managed Service Provider (MSP) should provide you with complete documentation of your new infrastructure, passwords, policies and procedures that include IT security best practices.
We take it a step further than most MSP’s by making sure that we have a tech onsite on the very first day of operation in the new environment. The tech will be there from open to close to address any issues or to simply answer questions and provide training.
Thinking of moving services to the cloud? Give us a call at 352.870.2034 or email info@gnosysnetworks.com