You’ve heard of the cloud – perhaps you are already using it. But the false assumption that your data is suddenly 100% secure once it’s in the cloud can be dangerous. Clouds have been hacked and data has been stolen. Your data is only as safe as the security measures of your cloud hosting company allow – and there are great differences.
You will get much more bulletproof Cybersecurity using the Microsoft Azure cloud than you will if you choose ‘Pete’s Discount Cloud Service’. This is not a place to go with the cheapest. Go with the best.
There are many ways to move to the cloud – many platforms and degrees of use to choose from. There are so many choices it can be mind-boggling, especially for anyone who is not versed in some measure of IT support and services.
With the tremendous upsurge in the Hybrid Work Model, some employees exclusively work from home, some in the office, and some mix the two environments – hence ‘Hybrid Work’. This upsurge correlates to a vast expansion of cloud users over the last 18 months. The ease, reliability, and security of cloud platforms has allowed for much of this transition.
The move to the cloud can be dangerous waters for a novice. If you want to move to the cloud but have a very small business with just a few computers and have not yet initiated a formalized IT support plan, doing it yourself may seem like an attractive option, but think twice. If you are still using your sister’s kid to pinch-hit as your IT, do not let them use your cloud migration as a learning opportunity. Even if you are not ready to sign up with a professional IT firm, consider using a pro on this project.
At IT Support LA, we have been contacted by many home-based businesses that glean knowledge from our blogs and downloadable materials for day-to-day issues but are daunted by a big step like moving to the cloud. Ask any respected and experienced member of the IT Support Los Angeles Community, and they will have had similar experiences.
For a step like this, consult with a top Managed IT Services firm, at least for the main cloud migration – it will be well worth it, because it will be done right.
Whether you choose to move to the cloud as a ‘do-it-yourself’ project or enlist a qualified and experienced IT support firm to do it for you, remember these basic tenets:
1) Choose the right people for the job: You (or your ‘IT Guy’) may know how to install a firewall on a local network, but cloud security requires a much higher level of expertise.
2) Choose the right tools: The move/migration itself is a danger point – you are moving your data from one protected area (your local network) to another (the cloud). The journey between the two is the weak point. Some use a ‘data-centric security’ approach, wherein the security is attached to the data itself rather than the start and end points.
3) Test the data after migration: Make sure it is still usable after the migration.
4) Analyze all security concerns before migration: Ensure that all steps have been taken to protect your data during the transition. As with Murphy’s Law, that security obligation that you overlook WILL be the one that hurts you. Guaranteed.
For more information on the process itself, please visit our page ‘Cloud Migration’ on this site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I choose the best cloud service provider?
A: There are as many levels of quality within the cloud hosting community as there are in the IT Services community. If you have a Managed IT Services vendor whose knowledge and experience you trust, they will already have done the homework – rely on their expertise.
Factors to be examined range from the most basic, such as a potential cloud service’s level of Certifications & Standards to a look at the prospect’s bottom line – how healthy is the cloud host’s company? Cloud Industry Forum provides a roadmap of the top ‘8 criteria to ensure you select the right cloud service provider’.
Q: Which cloud service type is best?
A: It depends somewhat on what your company’s particular needs require. In my book it’s Microsoft, with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google close behind. AWS and Google produce a fine product, but both companies’ trustworthiness in the marketplace remains a question mark. Google will not guarantee not to sell your data, and both have been known to shut down or censor enterprises for political reasons.
With the introduction of Windows 365, couple with the improvements and rebranding of Office 365 to Microsoft 365, Microsoft has sealed all of the gaps that other cloud providers are still just patching together. They have produced a platform that is truly fully integrated and negotiates full cloud operations with ease and the height of security.
On C-Sharp Corner, Mahesh Chand provides an intriguing breakdown in his article ‘Top 10 Cloud Service Providers of 2021’.
Q: Is the cloud completely secure?
A: Nothing anywhere is 100% secure. While the data you store in the cloud may be more secure than the data you store on your local network or computer hard drive, the best Cloud services providers use the strongest security measures available. Among others:
Security Updates
AI and Auto-patching
Firewalls
Data Backup Redundancies
Third-party security testing
As we always say, Cybersecurity is like a game of ‘Whack-a-Mole’ – crooks never ever stop finding new ways to get around security defenses. You stop one threat and another one pops up immediately. The crooks don’t sleep on the job – neither should you.
Q: Which is the most important challenge in migrating to cloud?
A: The number one challenge rules all others:
Failing to have a clear plan for migration. If this step falls apart, all others will follow.
Exceeding your budget for migration.
Cloud Sprawl, which means that your cloud plan is all over the place, resulting in too many variables such as different software applications in conflict with each other and unused yet paid for services.
Security weak spots; users who lack the skill to navigate a complicated cloud infrastructure.
Ask the BEST about Your Cloud Migration!
We have successfully and safely migrated many companies to various cloud hosting services. In fact, UpCity recently named us Best of Cloud Consulting and Best of IT Services!
For a FREE, no strings cloud consultation either fill in the form on this page or call us at:
818-805-0909
