Cloudfile, the data that we keep in the Cloud, bring great advantages to our business. But they also require that we previously establish a storage policy to guarantee the security of the information. This article explains the importance of a company to have correct management of data in the cloud from the point of view of efficiency, security and regulatory compliance.
Cloudfile: our data in the Cloud
Information is the main asset of each company, which gives it a competitive advantage to survive and grow. Protecting information is one of the most critical responsibilities of a company.
The rise of Cloud Computing has provided organizations with previously unthinkable facilities to generate, store and organize information. The global cloud storage market grows annually at a rate of 30% and will represent $20 billion in 2022, according to Research and Markets.
However, it has also generated new risks and threats that must be known and taken into account to protect the information. For this, it is necessary to adopt both preventive and reactive measures to guarantee the security of the information.
The security of information in the Cloud
Preserving the security of the information and data or cloudfile that we keep in the Cloud means guaranteeing its four basic properties:
- The confidentiality of information to prevent access or transfer of unauthorized data.
- The integrity of the information to prevent corruption or loss. That is, the Cloud provider has to preserve with measures such as backup copies.
- Have the availability of information, which the cloud service provider has to guarantee us through service level agreement agreements.
- The traceability of information, so that there is proof of access at any time.
Cloud storage policy
The best way to guarantee information security is to have a Cloud storage policy. It is a document that defines rules, criteria and procedures that all company personnel should follow when saving information in the Cloud. Issues that deal with the entire life cycle of information in the Cloud, from its storage to its deletion, should be addressed:
- In the first place, the classification of the information handled in the company must be carried out. This allows you to define your degree of confidentiality, its functionality and the impact its loss or unauthorized access would have.
- The previous step allows to establish what information can be stored in the Cloud, as well as the treatment that has to be applied (for example, encryption).
- It is also necessary to define the cloud storage services allowed, including whether they can be used for public cloud services.
- You have to decide whether to also make backup copies in the Cloud, valuing the sales and inconveniences.
- On the other hand, we must specify the security criteria that must be met by the cloud storage service provider that we are going to hire. It is necessary to know your security policy and regulatory compliance.
- Finally, it will be necessary to define how the deletion policy applies to the information stored in the Cloud.
How to comply with the regulation of data protection in the Cloud
We do not have to forget that the information we generate, manage and store can contain data that requires special protection because they are considered sensitive by the data protection regulations, such as personal data. Therefore, the Spanish Agency for Data Protection has collected in a guide the aspects to take into account when hiring services in the Cloud.
Among them:
- Do not forget that the person responsible for data processing is the customer, who must comply with European data protection regulations.
- The contract with the storage service provider in the Cloud, recognized as “in charge of processing “, guarantees compliance with the regulations.
- Be informed of the existence of third parties sub-contracted by the provider. These will also have to comply with the regulations.
- Find out about the geographic location of the infrastructure where the information will be stored and especially that subject to the data protection regulations. If the data is located outside the European Economic Area, we would be facing an international data transfer, which has its limitations.
- Require contractual compliance with the security measures required by the regulations. The client is responsible for making sure that these measures are implemented.
Conclusion
The cloudfile and the information that we keep in the Cloud must maintain its security and for that reason, we have seen how the existence of a cloud storage policy is necessary. However, like any policy, you have to make sure that compliance is a priority for all the staff of a company. In this the direct involvement of the management is fundamental. Finally, the cloud storage policy is only one part of the numerous security policies that a company must comply with to ensure the integrity, availability and privacy of its computer infrastructures (own and Cloud) and the information they contain.
