Technology has taken a big leap and given us the comfort and convenience which was not even dreamt by anyone 2 decades back. The cloud based applications and cloud computing services are some of those examples of technological advancements with the help of which one can work remotely from anywhere collaborating with the co-workers. But the convenience of cloud computing solutions may cost you adversely if not practiced intelligently and smartly. Before using the cloud computing services you need to go through the security and data privacy policies of the cloud service providers.

The process of moving your data to the cloud is very simple but the hardest part is to set your security criteria and to know whether the cloud service provider withstands every criterion or not. Let us go through some of the major criteria one needs to set before moving important data to the cloud.

  • Necessity of Third Party Service provider – There are many services in which you can host your data by yourself without going for a thirty party cloud provider like Dropbox. This decision depends on the technical strength of your company. If you are a large organization and people are there having the expertise in managing the cloud service, then you should always go for applications like Sharepoint which lets you host the data by yourself. Or else you should prefer third party providers who have their own set of expertise in this field.
  • Security Credentials and Records - Every time you move your important data on the cloud, there are certain risks involved. The foremost is you are always in a dilemma whether the data will remain secure or not. That’s why you need to explore and understand the security credentials of the service provider.
  • Access to the Data – It is always advisable to keep a limited access to the cloud data. It’s not just the hackers or impostors who attack and steal the data always, sometimes people from your own organization could be the culprits. Therefore, access should be given only to those who need that part of data to work upon.
  • Vigilance - There's a lot more to be done once you have moved your data to the cloud. Monitoring is the next part to ensure that your moved data is safe and secure. Never share your account and password details with anyone, this is a big security liability. Try to make the password as hard as possible so that even your nearest co-worker can’t assume it.
  • Updates - Every cloud service keeps on updating their security interface regularly, therefore you need to keep a check on your cloud services frequently to make sure that your cloud service provider is updating their security interface according to the norms.

If these factors are taken into consideration, you can be assured that your valuable data in the cloud is well protected from the outer world. Cloud computing solutions are one of the assets that have simplified functioning of every firm and company. Moving the data to the cloud interface is very beneficial but one needs to be very attentive while choosing the cloud service provider and taking a sneak peak over their terms and conditions to maintain the security.