Sixty percent of small businesses shut down after being targeted by cybercriminals, and yet more than half still fail to put a robust cybersecurity strategy in place. That’s not a smart business policy since small businesses are more likely to be targeted by hackers in the first place.

In fact, there has been a recent spate of cyberattacks targeting small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that have owners in a panic. From ransomware attacks to outright theft of data, hackers are continuing to evolve new ways of breaking through internal security and disrupting business operations.

If your company handles sensitive data, needs to comply with privacy or data protection rules or regulations, or will be compromised if data is blocked, stolen, or lost — you need to implement the highest level of data protection possible: Cloud security.

The Advantages to Switching to Cloud Storage

Cybercriminals are always looking for new and innovative ways to break through security and access your data. Cloud-based security gives you an advantage over internal systems by getting more secure with each vulnerability it finds and eliminates. That’s because most cloud systems harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to stay ahead of trends in cybercrime and monitor 24/7 for system incursions.

And, elements like document encryption ensures that even if your data is compromised, it can’t be accessed by cybercriminals without administrative credentials.

Added security is a significant benefit to transitioning to cloud storage, but there are many other reasons to make the switch.

Cost Reduction

Storing data in the cloud not only increases protection, but it also reduces pressure on in-house IT staff to keep up with maintenance and patches, so they’re free to focus their talents on other crucial operational tasks.

With a cloud solution, backups are performed behind the scenes without requiring resources to run or monitor, so you’ll experience higher productivity levels.

Finally, an internal solution that incorporates all the security bells and whistles, such as compliance solutions, monitoring tools, and more would be prohibitively expensive. However, these factors are built-in to cloud security, so you’ll pay less for your digital protection.

Scalability

Various organizations have different needs — and these needs can change as your company experiences growth and expansion. If your operational needs increase, your cloud capacity can scale easily and rapidly to provide a higher-performance solution with no up-front investment.

Disaster Recovery

Data loss is a company’s worst nightmare. It can hinder workflow, shut you down entirely, or even leave you exposed to lawsuits. Cloud-based security allows you to store data off-premises so that it’s available even if your brick-and-mortar site is out of power or your equipment is damaged or compromised. Flood, fire, or other disasters will be less devastating when your data is still accessible anytime, anywhere with an internet connection.

Productivity

Finally, storing data in the cloud allows staff with busy schedules to safely access data no matter where they are or what device they are accessing it from.

Your team will always have access to the latest version of any document, you’ll be able to easily follow a trail of document edits and changes for quick response to audits, and you’ll deal with less paper to simplify in-house storage.

And, since the cloud is always updated with the latest security upgrades and patches, data is always at its most secure, wherever it’s accessed.

With the Right Cloud Provider, the Decision is Simple

You’ll want to ensure the cloud provider has the latest — and most important — cloud components to offer when choosing a company to manage your data in the cloud. At the very least, they should be able to provide:

  • Advanced firewalls
  • Intrusion detection
  • Event logging
  • Encryption

The right cloud solution is like a Kevlar vest for your data and can give you peace of mind when it comes to data protection and disaster recovery.

If you’re ready to learn more about how data management in the cloud can reduce your workload, improve productivity, and enhance security, contact  an Intellinetics consultant today.