As you work or go on with your daily life, there is information you create or get. How you choose to store it is crucial. It would help if you considered its safety and how fast you can retrieve it. As businesses and even individuals move away from paper documents and storage to cloud-based storage services, security is crucial.
Working on your PC leaves traces of sensitive information such as company financial records, customer details, and employee data. If not stored properly and erased from shared networks, the data can land in the wrong hands leading to identity theft.
Some devices such as iPhones come with preinstalled cloud data storage units, making it easier to transfer your information to a safe cloud service. Is the iCloud storage full? This is something you need to keep on checking, and when it’s exhausted, free up space or buy more. Here are steps to ensure your data is protected.
Choose a Reliable Cloud Provider
Many cloud service providers in the market make it harder to choose the right one for your company or storage needs. As you choose, focus on your information’s security and a provider who helps you meet the data security compliance standards set for your industry.
Also, check the ease of managing the platform and how well the cloud’s architecture incorporates into your workflow. The provider’s customer care service, cost, and a reliable support system are other considerations to check before committing.
Encrypt Your Information
Before storing the data on the cloud, create a suitable password for the document before transfer. This ensures that even if anyone retrieves the information without the password, they cannot access its contents. Make sure to use hard-to-figure passwords that you’ve not used anywhere else. Avoid passwords that contain your name or the document name.
You’ll have to zip the files first with suitable software that allows password protection. Ensure the software has high-security levels, such as not letting anyone without the software and passwords access the document.
To make things even easier, choose a cloud platform that encrypts the data on your computer before storage. The cloud service will encrypt all the data and decrypt on request making sure even server admins and the service providers cannot retrieve it.
Update Your Software
Software providers regularly launch updates which upgrade their products’ security features. If you ignore the updates, you’ll expose your information to hackers, or you may be using software versions the provider no longer supports. Make sure you act on a software update soon after notification.
Other than this, lock all your apps, ensuring that no one can access the apps without your permission even when you lose the device. The security measures shouldn’t just be for the computers at work but every device you use, including smartphones.
It also helps not storing sensitive information on the cloud unless you’ve taken the necessary measures to protect it. If you can, avoid shared networks such as public wifi and if you use it, make sure you have a reliable VPN in place. Also, don’t leave traces of your browsing history on the devices you use, especially when shared.
