Cloud file security is becoming more and more complex by the day, which makes it a great opportunity for the know-how of Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Businesses want agile access to their data but also require the security and compliance alongside it. Without such an offering, MSPs miss out on a huge opportunity and do their clients wrong by compromising their data.
SMBs don’t believe their data is safe in the cloud
The amount and value of this data stored in the cloud is growing rapidly. During the last year we’ve seen a huge increase in remote working around the world which made cloud file storage indispensable for companies. However, our recent research also shows that this came with security challenges, especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
61% of SMBs don’t believe that their data is secure in the cloud, 50% believes it actually makes compliance harder, and 60% have had painful problems migrating their data to the cloud.
So why is this? Our research identified three key worries:
- It’s harder to detect unauthorized access. With data stored on premise, there is a need to be physically present in the office to access these files creating a natural barrier from outside the organization. Moreover, IT can restrict access only to specific devices. With cloud-based storage, data can be accessed from anywhere in the world and on any device, greatly increasing the likelihood of unauthorized access.
- It’s harder to stop or prevent data theft from employees leaving. For exactly the same reasons, it is much easier to detect an employee stealing valuable information when it is stored on the physical desktop computer. Cloud storage makes it very easy for employees to steal data before they leave.
- Companies are still suffering breaches. Since moving to the cloud, 29% of companies have suffered a breach of files or folders stored in the cloud and the consequences of breaches have been incredibly damaging —15% say they have suffered significant reputational damage as a result of unauthorised access to sensitive business data stored on cloud networks.
Security & Cloud Storage
Cloud platforms offer businesses unprecedented efficiency and productivity, but the downside is the lack of ownership and control, and therefore security. Cyber attackers are quickly recognizing this opportunity. Cyber threats, which traditionally target on premise resources such as ransomware, identity theft, and data exfiltration, are now a growing problem for cloud storage services as well.
Added to this is the extra difficulty of jointly managing the security of on premise storage and cloud storage in a hybrid environment. A blend of existing IT infrastructure and public cloud provides the ‘right-choice’ for many companies, but privacy, security and compliance concerns soon arise.
SMBs are particularly vulnerable because they lack the expertise and resources to effectively secure their cloud deployments, and this is where MSP expertise can help.
Securing data starts with auditing file access
File access is at the heart of data protection. Files and folders remain the first attack option. Unchecked access to files and folders puts businesses at risk from theft, alteration or the deletion of valuable data. Prohibiting any unauthorized access is what makes data protection possible.
Agentless, remote and non-intrusive, FileAudit provides a simple but robust tool for monitoring, auditing and alerting on all access, and access attempts, to files, folders and file shares located on cloud storage platforms and the Windows environment. And with its new MSP console, MSPs can now manage all their customer’s licenses from one single platform and access ‘pay-as-you-go’ monthly billing, self-service sign-up and aggregate pricing.
This remarkable growth opportunity in cloud services represents a particularly exciting moment for MSPs. As more and more customers migrate to the cloud, MSPs need to provide the multi-layered security solutions needed to keep their data secure.
About the Author
François Amigorena is the founder and CEO of IS Decisions, and an expert commentator on cybersecurity issues.
IS Decisions software makes it easy to protect against unauthorized access to networks and the sensitive files within. Its customers include some of the most regulated and security-conscious organizations such as the US Department of Justice, the United Nations and Barclays — as well as several leading MSPs and many SMBs from across the world.
All statistics stated are from the IS Decisions research report – Under a Cloud of Suspicion.