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Securing data in the cloud: these tips are not to be missed

You look at your screen, stunned. Why can’t you suddently open your files? You need the data in the files to do your job. Annoyed, you try again. The next thing you see sends you into a minor cardiac arrest: a ransom note from cybercriminals. The instructions are clear: pay up or the important cloud data will be lost or made public.

This example of a ransomware attack may seem like a distant one. But your employees can also fall victim to an attack due to insufficient cloud security. In this article, you will discover valuable tips to protect your cloud data.

Why is cloud security important?

Many organisations work with important, sensitive information. The benefits of the cloud allow you to collaborate on documents, make processes more efficient and access data from anywhere. This makes the cloud the ideal place to store data. However, working in the cloud does involve some risks.

For example, did you know that 45% of companies worldwide will have experienced a data breach in the cloud by 2023? That’s almost half! Naturally, you want to prevent this in your own organisation.

In addition, from October 2024, there is another reason to properly secure data in the cloud. Why? Because of the European NIS2 directive. This directive requires organisations to have their digital security in order. So that means that your data in the cloud must also be secure!

Data in de cloud beveiligen - deze tips mag je niet missen

4 dangers if you don’t have your cloud security in place

Are you thinking ‘Oh well, cybercriminals don’t know where to find my organisation’? It is precisely the organisations that do little in the way of cloud security that are easy prey. So you run a lot of risk if you do nothing about cloud security. Although large cloud providers invest a lot in their security, as an organisation you are partly responsible for securing data in the cloud.

However, if you have got your act together, things can still go wrong with the cloud provider. This is why it is so important to manage your suppliers well. If you don’t do supplier management (enough), the consequences can be serious. These four dangers can occur if you do not have your cloud security in order and do not make proper agreements with your cloud supplier:

1. Temporarily no access to data

Of course, you always want to have access to (important) data, even in case of an outage. If you don’t agree with your cloud vendor on appropriate redundancy, you may no longer be able to access data in the event of a failure or downtime.

2. Unauthorised access

Imagine: you have customer data stored in the cloud, without thinking about who has access. In this case, anyone can access the personal data, which could result in a data breach.

3. Mutilation of data

Data can be ‘mutilated’, intentionally or accidentally. Thierry van Delden, Privacy and Compliance Officer at Infoland, explains: “As a result of a successful cyber-attack, your data can be encrypted, with the information still existing but you can’t access it. Your files may also become corrupted, rendering them (partly) unreadable. The data is thus mutilated. If there is no backup, the information cannot be restored. You then lose the data. If it involves personal data, then you even have a data breach.”

4. Loss of data

Data loss can occur due to human error, for example if an employee accidentally deletes data. Cybercriminals may also delete important data from the cloud. Look carefully who is responsible for backing up. If the cloud provider is responsible, look carefully at where the backup is stored and how far back in time it can go. Does this match your requirements?

5 ways you unknowingly make it easy for cybercriminals

Without you perhaps realising it, you are giving cybercriminals more opportunities to penetrate your system. We will show you some things you can look out for to better protect your cloud environment.

1. Putting the responsibility for cloud security on the cloud provider

You might think that your cloud provider is responsible for protecting your data in the cloud. Unfortunately, this is not quite the case. While the cloud provider is responsible for protecting the network and physical infrastructure, you zyourself are responsible for securing and shielding the data in the cloud. So make sure your cloud environment is properly configured. Who bears what responsibility depends on the type of cloud service:

2. Storing too much sensitive data

The more sensitive information you store,the greater the risk of trouble by cybercriminals. Consider what data you need and do not store more than necessary.

3. Shadow IT

‘Shadow IT’ is the use of software, devices, systems or applications by employees within your organisation, without permission from your IT department. So make sure you have a policy around the use of cloud applications. Have your employees found a useful system, device or software they want to work with? Have them check within your organisation whether its use is allowed. Perhaps an organisation-wide alternative is already available. This will prevent proliferation, with all its dangers.

4. Using many third-party applications

If your organisationuses third-party applications or many APIs , you give cybercriminals more ways they can penetrate your cloud system and intercept data. Therefore, have a policy on third-party applications and the use of APIs and keep the attack surface as small as possible. After all, you want to prevent users from inadvertently accessing data in your cloud system.

5. Lack of visibility

By moving work and data to the cloud and the ease of acquiring new services in the cloud, you run the risk of quickly losing track. This creates security, privacy and compliance risks.

Establish a process within your organisation in which the commissioning of new cloud services should take place according to predefined frameworks.

4 gevaren als je jouw cloudbeveiliging niet op orde hebt

So how should it be done?

There are risks associated with storing data in the cloud. Therefore, it is important to get cloud security right. So how do you tackle this? Be precise with your supplier management!

By making clear contractual agreements and periodically assessing your cloud supplier, you always know where you stand. Moreover, you will then have optimal control over the security of your data in the cloud. You do this by:

  • Be critical when choosing a cloud provider;
  • Agree on appropriate redundancy to avoid data and availability loss in case of an outage;
  • Arrange access to your data properly with the supplier;
  • Review your cloud provider periodically;
  • Doing contract management;
  • Make arrangements for your exit strategy with the supplier. For example, you make agreements on the terms of termination and getting your cloud data back.

Take your supplier management to the next level with Zenya

So managing your suppliers accurately is important to properly secure your cloud data. Supplier management includes several tasks. These include capturing and assessing suppliers and identifying risks.

“Supplier management may seem like a big job, but Zenya makes it a lot easier. Indeed, with our quality and risk management software, you get all the supplier management solutions you need in one,” Thierry explains. “You can use all of Zenya’s modules for efficient supplier management.”

Met Zenya leg je de volgende processen vast:

  • Supplier application processes while choosing a supplier. This is possible with Zenya FLOW. Here you lay down mandatory assessments, an IB and privacy check, contracts, costs, notice period and contract duration.
  • Logging suppliers. This is possible in the cardfile. This instantly creates an overview of all suppliers;
  • The periodic review process. With Zenya CHECK you easily carry out checks over your desired period. In the cardfile of suppliers, you always have an overview of their quality;
  • Managing contracts in the cardfile with suppliers. Thanks to efficient document management you always have an overview of all contracts and agreements made.
  • Visualising risks. With risk management software you can identify the risks associated with a supplier. Moreover, you can take preventive and mitigation measures to avoid or reduce the impact.

So with Zenya, you have all the tools in one central place to do good supplier management. Want to know more about this? Then request a demo or contact our experts.

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