Although there are ever-present risks associated with the cloud, there are steps we can take to protect our information. Here are 5 tips to staying safe in the cloud
Use strong passwords.
As these passwords will be the key to accessing data in the cloud, your passwords must: Be complex, be unique, and not used for any other site or service. Be protected with two-factor authentication
Research the cloud provider and read the user agreement.
Make sure the vendor has a good reputation for security and know how the service is going to be using your data by reading the user agreement. It may be boring but will provide helpful information regarding how your information is stored and protected.
Encrypt your sensitive files.
Certain cloud providers can encrypt your files for you when they are stored. Or individual files can be encrypted by you before they are sent up to the cloud. Either way, the encryption will be a strong protection for your most important information.
Sign out with not in use.
It may be convenient to stay signed into your account but for security purposes, its best to sign our when you have finished your tasks. Avoid using shared computers and having your borrower remember your cloud passwords.
Consider redundancy.
With important files and sensitive data that you cannot risk being lost, consider an additional form of backup beyond the cloud. This could be another cloud backup service or a secure external hard drive.
Remember, personal cloud services should only be used to save personal data and files, nothing work related. If available, use your company’s provisioned cloud storage solution for any work-related files.