The adoption of good cybersecurity practices will help companies enjoy the benefits of cloud without compromising on safety, says IT security expert David Nagrosst.
It’s 1987, and to store photographs and documents you have to copy them to a floppy disk, which holds a meagre 1.44megabytes of data. Imagine, to store 1 gigabyte of data, you would need 711 floppy disks!
It’s 1997, and now we are provided with more options – we can use rewritable CDs, DVDs, or floppy disks to store data. Yet, to store our data, we still have to copy it to a physical disk, and the most common storage sizing would be 6 gigabytes.
It’s 2007, and Cloud Computing was still a foreign thought to large companies. By then, Amazon had started their web services through the Amazon Mechanical Turk, yet it was not commonplace still.
It’s 2017, and today, most of us are familiar with the Cloud storage, made mainstream by Google Drive and Apple’s iCloud Storage. Companies today have also made the move from private local servers to Cloud computing and storage, with some evolving even further to adopt the Hybrid Cloud.
Storage is no longer limited to the miserable 1.44megabytes floppy disks used to provide us – instead, we are open to cloud storage sizes of 128 gigabytes, to 1 terabyte, to even unlimited storage! We pay for what we use.
Yet, ask a layman, and they would not be able to explain to you what exactly the cloud is (aside from the obvious), let alone the various platforms and services that make cloud storage possible. More importantly, they are unfamiliar with the security measures one should start undertaking for cloud storage.
The evolution of cloud storage has evolved faster than companies are able to cope with. While companies are enjoying the flexibility the Cloud provides, they forget to evolve their security measures at the same time. With the Cloud, the firewall is dead. With the Cloud, you need more than just encryption and authentication.
Just take a quick Google search on ‘Cloud Security Breach’, and you’ll be surprised at how many large organisations (who supposedly should be at the top of their game for IT security) have suffered cyberattacks and security threats. 2017 alone has seen organisational giants like Verizon, HipChat and even Virgin America having their security compromised, where data of clients, company and employees were leaked.
Today, the majority of cyber-attacks have put on ransomware – a type of malware that locks down systems and computers until the ransom money has been sent. Aside from the financial cost of paying to get the system back online, companies face the threat of credibility and security. The lack of security can cause a dent in potential revenue, and these effects can result in a long-lasting impact. An article by CNBC reported that the average ransomware attack alone can cost companies over US$700,000.
Still think cloud security isn’t a priority? Operating without a secure cloud security plan is nearly impossible, and almost laughably ridiculous. Companies should look into adopting good cybersecurity practices and measures to continue enjoying the benefits of cloud without compromising on safety.
For more insights on cybersecurity, join David Nagrosst at ConnecTechAsia Summit 2018’s EmergingTech Track, where he will be moderating the discussion on how IoT can be weaponised for digital warfare. Marina Bay Sands, 26 June 2018.
