Securing Your Data on Cloud Usage

Securing Your Data on Cloud Usage :

     Cloud Computing Security ( Photo by Shutterstock )

Once you have selected a Cloud service, the next step is to make sure you use it properly.

How you access and share your data can often have a far greater impact on the security of your files than anything else.


Some key steps to take note :


1. Tips on Authentication:

 Use a strong, unique passphrase to authenticate to your Cloud account. If Included, Enable the two-step verification is highly recommended.



2. Tips on Sharing Files/Folders: 

The Cloud makes it very simple to share -- sometimes too simple. In a worst-case scenario you may accidently make your files or even entire folders publicly available to the entire Internet.

the best way to protect yourself is NOT TO SHARE any of your files with anyone by DEFAULT.

Then only allow specific people (or groups  of people) access to specific files or folders on a need-to-know basis.

When someone no longer needs access to  your files, remove their access. Your Cloud provider should provide an easy way to track who has access to your files and folders


3. Tips on Sharing Files/Folders Using Links: 

One common feature of some Cloud services is the ability to create a web  link that points to your files or folders.

This feature allows you to  share these files with anyone you want by simply providing a web link. However, this approach has very little security.

Anyone that knows this link may have access to your personal files or folders. If you send the link to just one person, that person could share that link with others or it could show up on search engines. If you share data by using a link, be sure you disable the link once it is no longer needed or, if possible, protect the link with a password


 4. Tips on Settings: 

Understand the security settings offered by your Cloud provider. For example, if you share a folder with ? someone else, can they share your data with others without your knowledge

 5. Tips on Antivirus: 

Make sure the latest version of your antivirus software is installed on your computer and on any other computer used to share your data. If a file you are sharing gets infected, other computers accessing that same file could also get infected

 6. Tips on Backup:

Even if your Cloud provider is backing up your data, consider making regular backups on your own. Not only does this protect your data should your Cloud provider go out of business, be shut down or for some reason be inaccessible, but it can be much easier to recover large amounts of  data from your local backup than it is pulling it down from the Cloud. 

Also, confirm how frequently your Cloud provider backs up your files. Do they allow you ? to recover prior versions of your files? How long do they keep your backups available