When it comes to your company’s cloud storage, there are certain files that should not be uploaded at all costs. Your cloud storage is a valuable asset to your business, but a failure to take proper security measures could lead to data breaches, other serious issues, and additional assistance from managed IT services in Orange County. In this blog post, we’ll explore five types of information that you should never store on your company’s cloud storage to ensure the safety and security of your data.
1) Legal Information
When it comes to storing data on your company’s cloud storage, there are certain types of information that you should never store for legal and security reasons. When it comes to copyrighted materials, such as music, movies, books, and software, you should not store them on your company’s cloud storage. You could find yourself in legal trouble down the line if you do so.
2) Company Secrets
Your company’s secrets and confidential information should be kept private and secure. Many companies rely on their trade secrets to remain competitive. These can include formulas, processes, recipes, or marketing plans, so it’s important to keep these confidential and away from the cloud. With any email, memo, or other communication between staff members or clients should be kept private and not stored in the cloud. Storing any of these items on your company’s cloud storage could put your business at risk of theft or data breaches. Make sure that you are keeping sensitive information secure by not storing it on the cloud.
3) Financial Documents
Financial documents are some of the most sensitive information that a company possesses. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that you don’t store any of these documents on your company’s cloud storage. This includes anything related to financial accounts, including credit card numbers, bank account details, and tax documents. All of this information should be securely stored locally on company servers or protected external drives, rather than in the cloud. Storing financial documents on the cloud could potentially expose the information to hackers or other malicious actors, leaving your company at risk of fraud or data theft. If you must store these documents online, make sure that you use a secure and encrypted service.
4) Health Data
In the case of personal health data, this should be kept off of the company’s cloud entirely due to its highly sensitive nature. This data is usually subject to certain laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which sets strict rules for handling and sharing patient information. By storing health data on the cloud, your company could potentially be held liable for any mishandling or unauthorized access of this data. Furthermore, there are a variety of security risks associated with cloud storage, such as data breaches or malicious attacks. As such, it’s best to keep any sensitive information away from the cloud and stored in a secure physical location instead.
5) Personal Information
Many businesses don’t realize that storing certain types of personal information on their cloud storage can be a major security risk. To keep your company and its data secure, here are five types of personal information that should never be stored on your company’s cloud storage:
- Passwords and Usernames – Passwords and usernames for any online accounts or services should not be stored on your company’s cloud storage. If someone were to gain access to this sensitive information, it could lead to major security breaches.
- Social Security Numbers – Social security numbers are very personal and sensitive pieces of information. Storing them on your cloud storage could open up your company to identity theft and other forms of fraud.
- Credit Card Numbers – Credit card numbers should never be stored on the cloud. If credit card information is leaked, it could result in serious financial losses for your company.
- Health Records – Health records are extremely sensitive pieces of information and should never be stored on your company’s cloud storage. This type of information could potentially be used to access medical services or commit fraud.
- Employee Personal Data – Employee personal data, such as addresses and contact information, should not be stored on your company’s cloud storage. Such information should only be stored locally, in a secure location.
By taking the time to understand what should and should not be stored on your company’s cloud storage, you can keep your data safe and secure. If you need further assistance, contact a managed IT services in Orange County or a CloudStep professional today.