The Importance of Cloud Data Encryption

 Cloud is a secured place to store data. Yes! But it doesn’t mean you don’t need data encryption. Just think of your mobile phone, how many protections glasses have you added over it? Now think about the data in the cloud. How precious it is? Data Encryption is the perfect way to safeguard the data when it is in rest, in use or in transition. Cloud data encryption is an important security measure that should be considered by any organization that stores its data in the cloud. This is especially true in this era of rampant cybercrime. In this blog, let’s get some insights about how important is cloud data encryption. 

What is Cloud Data Encryption? 

Cloud data encryption helps prevent unauthorized access to your confidential information by locking down your data with strong encryption algorithms and keys. When you need to access your encrypted data, you can decrypt it using the same key that was used to encrypt it. 

It is a service availed by cloud service providers to secure and safeguard the data. By incorporating certain algorithms and regulatory standards the data is encrypted and transformed into ciphertext which is a non-readable format. With encryption key, the organization can decrypt the encrypted data. 

Any organization before shifting towards cloud, must consider the following things to avoid loop holes. 

• Be clear with which kind of data needs encryption 
• Under which phrase, it needs encryption like in the rest, in use or in the transition. 
• Handle encryption keys very cautiously 
• Transfer data under native web browsers and File transfer protocol 
• Encrypt the sensitive data on-premises  

Importance of Cloud Data Encryption 

Data Security 

Cloud-based applications often store sensitive information about employees, customers, and other business partners. If this information falls into the wrong hands, it could compromise your company’s security and lead to financial losses or reputational damage. Cloud-based applications also process a lot of confidential information such as financial transactions and medical records, which if leaked could cause irreparable damage to individuals as well as organizations. 

Cloud data encryption ensures that no one except those who have permission can read what’s inside the encrypted file without knowing the password. This way, even if someone steals your files from the cloud, they won’t be able to make sense of them because they won’t be able to see what’s inside them. 

Refrain from hackers 

Hackers target businesses with environments housed on cloud computing platforms as well as those with on-premises data centers. Sadly, effective firewall rules alone are insufficient to safeguard crucial data and offer the authentication and authorization necessary for operational security and safety. At the database and application levels, thorough testing and security validation are required. Data must be protected both when it is in transit—moving from one location or network to another—and when it is in storage, where it is permanently stored on a device. 

Hackers complicate problems by gaining unauthorized access to data held by organizations, on the internet, or in cloud computing services using contemporary tools and techniques. The use of SSL certificates, data encryption, and authentication, as well as avoiding non-SSL connections, are therefore crucial. 

Data Accessibility 

Another reason why you need to encrypt your cloud data is that it helps prevent accidental loss of information. If you lose a laptop or smartphone containing sensitive information, you can use encryption software to ensure that only authorized users can access the lost device’s contents. This will prevent data from being accessed by anyone who may find it accidentally or deliberately tamper with it while they try to recover its contents. 

Compliance Laws 

Many industries like healthcare, finance, retail, and banking have stringent regulations governing how they should store and manage their customer’s personal information. Organizations need to comply with these regulations while storing their customers’ data in the cloud so that they don’t run afoul of any legal requirements related to privacy or security protection. For example, HIPAA requires healthcare companies to keep patient medical records confidential at all times. 

Looking for Cloud Service Consultants? 

At Continuum Innovations, we provide professional cloud migration services in Princeton. Our team helps your company take advantage of the power of the cloud without compromising on data security. Our comprehensive portfolio of solutions includes AWS-managed cloud services, DevOps consulting, and AWS cloud consultancy services.