Expert Opinion: Is Cloud Security the Need of The Hour?

Cloud has gone mainstream amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations across all industries are moving to cloud platforms to discover new-aged applications and advanced analytics to stay on top of the competition.

When it comes to cloud migration, organizations try and keep various factors in mind, such as data center location, data security, pricing, performance, uptime, and availability. However, no one strategy fits all the business models.

Out of all these, do you think that the security of critical business information should be of utmost priority?

Ace Cloud Hosting reached out to some in the industry to provide businesses with their advice on why security should be one of the major concerns while moving to the cloud.

1. Drew “The Rapping CPA” Carrick

Drew is a multi-faceted consultant and entertainment personality, acting as an operations analyst, host, innovation strategy planner, as well as a millennial speaker and influencer, developing content mainly around business channels, as well as broader entertainment purposes.

Based in Long Island, New York, he works as a CPA and has a proven skillset to develop and implement systems and procedure logic. Find out more about his goals, aspirations, accomplishments, and skills via his website: www.therappingcpa.com.
Follow him on social media: Twitter and LinkedIn

Migrating to cloud platforms is more essential and necessary now than it has ever been before. Business owners should take this transformation process very seriously, and by that, I mean converting to the cloud is not the time to skimp on resources.

Play the field of cloud options. Dedicate human capital toward researching cloud platform options and viewing demos, and make sure representatives from all parts of the entity are present – if you leave out a division, their needs may not be considered and could result in problems down the road.

Additionally, each business is different, and the existing systems and IT infrastructure that each entity has is unique to their enterprise – decision-makers must consider which cloud platform works best for their business, and very importantly, must make sure it can integrate with the other systems that the business has in place.

Finally, data safety and security concerns must be addressed before moving forward with a cloud platform. Business leaders must question whether the current infrastructure can handle the conversion if the data storage and security are adequate and if there is a disaster recovery plan in place.

Doing these things will allow for the most efficient and effective cloud platform implementation.

2. Jim Asberry, Jr. CPA

Jim is a highly qualified finance leader with extensive experience in leading and improving financial and reporting functions, business operations, and accounting initiatives. He brings proven success in planning and introducing cutting-edge accounting and financial systems to improve operational effectiveness and efficiencies.

His background includes leading, encouraging, and training high-performance teams to accomplish organizational objectives. He’s also recognized as an expert in compiling and presenting error-free analysis and financial reports to executive leadership.

Follow him on social media: LinkedIn

Issues I have had are as follows:

1. Who owns the data and how do you get access to it in cases of dispute with the cloud provider. My recommendation is to always make sure you, as the owner of the data, always has a right to access or download in any situation.
2. If the internet is down and your accounting program requires full access to stored data on the cloud, your accounting staff will be at full stop. Recommendation is to make sure your software has some functions that don’t require the cloud data to function and will update when the connection is restored.
3. I work in hospital settings, and HIPAA laws require information security. Use a good quality VPN tunnel with the required level of encryption.

3. Shep Hyken

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert and the Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations. He is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and has been inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in the speaking profession.

Shep works with companies and organizations that want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. His articles have been read in hundreds of publications, and he is the author of Moments of Magic®, The Loyal Customer, The Cult of the Customer, The Amazement Revolution, Amaze Every Customer Every Time, Be Amazing or Go Home and The Convenience Revolution. Read more at www.hyken.com

Follow him on social media: Twitter and LinkedIn

Cloud platforms create independence in the form of easy-to-access information/data from just about anywhere. This is more important than ever as we migrate to more remote working opportunities. But with that independence comes security risk. Businesses must ensure the tools (computers, mobile devices, etc.) are secure.

Whenever transitioning to new technology in a business, be aware of extra steps or friction that the new technology creates. For a very basic and simple example, if saving a file to a computer takes two keystrokes, how many more (if any) will it take to save it to the cloud.

While the solution may look appealing, be sure not to cause extra friction that frustrates employees and potentially impedes productivity.

4. Jeffrey Brandt

Mr. Brandt started his career in the world of litigation support/eDiscovery. He has been a consultant, a vendor, and the CIO for several top US law firms.

He has worked on projects as diverse as

• Technology & Business Strategy
• Business Intelligence
• Information Governance
• Organizational Development & Design
• Change Management,
• Process Innovation & Improvement
• Strategic Analysis & Internal Consulting
• Knowledge Management, Leadership
• IT Executive Coaching

Follow him on Social Media: Twitter and LinkedIn

The biggest tip I would offer in moving to the cloud is to not treat it the same way you did your on-prem solutions. Cloud is different and requires you to rethink, change, or tweak your management, development, and planning processes in order to be successful.

Whether the cloud is a secure solution or not?

It really depends on the organization. There is certainly a move to the cloud that predated the pandemic. And there is much to be said for the elasticity of the cloud. I would argue that most cloud solutions are more secure than many, if not most, small and medium businesses’ on-prem solutions.

They typically don’t have the resources or the expertise in security that the big, reputable cloud providers do.

Wrapping Up

Integrating cloud technology with your business model can be stressful and take some time. Therefore, it is essential to clear up your mind before choosing a cloud service provider.

Have you made the transition to cloud yet? Share your experience with us in the comments section below.