Avoiding Security Breaches with Cloud Computing

by | Jun 28, 2013

You have grown your business and you are expanding your customer relationship management. Your business is all connected on “the cloud” and everything is running smoothly. So what’s next? How often do you think about the security of your cloud computing? Was it a consideration before setting up your system? Security breaches can happen but by putting in a little extra effort, your business will be well protected and running efficiently for a long time to come.
Aside from comparing costs and format changes for cloud computing, security needs to be thought about. Here are three tips on making security breaches the last thing you need to have business anxiety over:

Before signing on with a particular vendor, do background checks and compare.

Every vendor is not the same. Look at their history for things like: How many other companies have services with the vendor? What are their reviews? What guarantees or extra protections do they offer? Also compare their protections: Is there any type of offsite backup in the event of a natural disaster? And are you even in an area where this would matter to your business?

Have a thorough vendor agreement.

Do not be afraid to have a third party examine the agreement to ensure it truly protects your business. Request changes as needed and do NOT sign until it is perfect. Make sure it covers every detail you might be unclear on. Watch out for loopholes that might give the vendor an out if something happens. Make sure words like “vendor will” appear instead of “vendor strives to.”

Embrace the technology.

It’s easy to stray away from cloud computing because of the unknown risks but with the abundance of benefits and time saving options, bringing your business to this new level of technology is important. Chances are you wouldn’t have armed security guards standing at the doors of your buildings 24 hours a day, seven days a week so if you aren’t on the cloud, you aren’t protected all the time. This new technology lets computers do the work more effectively and efficiently than people could. Many vendors offer encryption as well as many states offer laws that protect businesses from security breaches as well. Research these.

Many small businesses are floating to the cloud due to the many benefits. The benefits of cloud computing include low cost, requires no extra overhead, and no special environment. It can connect all your employees’ work and systems to make your business operations seamless. Assuming you’ve already taken these steps, you already know these things. Don’t suffer a security breach though through bad vendor practices. Having secure cloud computing is vital for your business to remain operating at its highest levels. Now you have the insight to make sure your business is on the right path.

(Photo Source)

Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.