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8 Cloud Security Questions Your Business Needs to Ask

8 Cloud Security Questions Your Business Needs to Ask

8 Cloud Security Questions Your Business Needs to Ask

Does your business has an answer for these cloud security questions? Businesses are transitioning to the cloud at a frantic pace, adopting cloud-based solutions and integrating full-fledged cloud environments. However, while the cloud can be a great asset to your company, it can also become a major security risk if you aren’t careful.

To help establish and execute a solid cloud security strategy, there are several questions your enterprise needs to answer. If your business doesn’t have an answer prepared for these questions, then it isn’t adequately prepared to defend itself against cloud security threats. We’ve compiled eight essential cloud security questions that your business needs to ask itself below!

Looking for more info on improving cloud security? Our free MSP Buyer’s Guide has you covered! The guide contains profiles on the top cloud managed service providers for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask vendors and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

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What is my business responsible for in regards to cloud security?

When you use a cloud solution, both you and the solution provider are responsible for specific aspects of cloud security. Your solution vendor needs to protect the systems their solution is stored on, and your business is responsible for ensuring that only safe data is processed through the cloud solution. Solutions providers will outline specific responsibilities for both themselves and your business in their service level agreement (SLA).

Will my current security tools be enough in the cloud?

It might be tempting to assume your legacy security tools will be able to handle security for your cloud solutions, but this isn’t always the case. While some on-premise security tools do support integration with cloud solutions, it’s a safe bet that you’ll need to add new security tools to your infrastructure. These could be native security tools provided by your cloud solution vendor, or they may be third-party installations.

Where is my cloud data being stored?

Storing data in the cloud means that your data is stored on a server owned by your cloud provider — and those servers could be anywhere in the world. It’s not just important for your company to know where exactly your data is housed; it’s necessary if your company’s data needs to follow regulations like HIPAA and GDPR. When you store data in a cloud environment, your cloud provider needs to be able to tell you exactly which servers your data is stored on.

Are we encrypting our cloud data?

Encryption is one of the best ways to secure your data, and your company should employ it for data in the cloud. You need to ensure that your data is encrypted while it’s at rest and in motion. Many cloud service providers will offer forms of encryption natively; you’ll want to know what encryption methods they use and where they apply the encryption to your data.

Our MSP Buyer’s Guide contains profiles on the top cloud managed service providers for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask vendors and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

How will we know if a security breach occurs?

No company wants to think about what will happen if a security breach occurs on their system. However, your cloud security plan needs to address this situation, including knowing the signs that indicate a breach. This will ideally include all cloud security monitoring policies and tools your business uses to observe your cloud solutions for security threats. If you run a public cloud deployment, you need to know how your cloud provider will inform you have a security breach that occurs on their system. Regardless of whether or not the breach affects your cloud data, your company must be informed about it.

Do my employees need to be trained on cloud security?

Sometimes, the biggest security risk to your company’s cloud data is your own employees. If one of your workers uses your cloud solutions improperly, it could open your entire enterprise to a major security breach. Your enterprise needs to train its employees on cloud security and how to safely handle your company’s cloud solutions. This shouldn’t just be limited to employees who use your cloud solutions on a daily basis; any of your workers who will work with these solutions should be trained.

What if my cloud provider doesn’t meet their security obligations?

We hope it never does, but your company may find that its cloud solution and service provider isn’t meeting their security obligations. When this happens, your company needs to take steps to address the situation. If communicating with the provider isn’t working, you may have to drop the provider altogether. As we already mentioned, cloud security is not a one-sided affair; both sides of the cloud solution need to come together and work to protect their services and data.

Does my business have a solid data deletion plan in place?

Eventually, your company may need to remove your data from a cloud environment. When this time comes, your company needs to be assured that it can completely remove their data from the cloud. Simply moving it off the cloud isn’t enough; you and your cloud vendor need to ensure that the data is deleted from the cloud provider’s servers. Otherwise, you could be leaving sensitive business data behind that other users might be able to trace and access.


Looking for more info on managed service providers for your cloud solutions? Our MSP Buyer’s Guide contains profiles on the top cloud managed service providers for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as questions you should ask vendors and yourself before buying. We also offer an MSP Vendor Map that outlines those vendors in a Venn diagram to make it easy for you to select potential providers.

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