Is Your Cloud Data Secure?

Security is front of mind in this era of digital transformation. Driven by innovation is software-defined solutions and the cloud, our digital age is filled with opportunity. However, the cloud of data protection looms. And it would appear that as businesses trudge toward compliance, there is a divide between countries in how this goal is attained.

This week, Gemalto and Ponemon Institute unveiled the results of the “2018 Global Cloud Data Security Study,” illustrating exactly how large the divide is in regard to cloud security precautions in place. Data is the most valuable commodity in business today, and protecting customers should top the priority list for firms.

Unpacking the data let’s start at the top. Of respondents, 95 percent note the adoption of cloud services, with only 40 percent of data stored in the cloud being protected with encryption and key management solutions.

In general terms, nearly 80 percent of IT professionals believe cloud computing applications and platform solutions are important or very important to business operations, and the expectation is for this number to rise in coming years. Some 39 percent of IT professionals note the cloud is capable of meeting IT and data processing demands – again, this number is forecasted to rise in the next couple years.

Keeping to generalities, 33 percent of respondents are either unsure or do not feel their organization is committed to protecting sensitive or confidential information in the cloud. Taking this point a step further; nearly 60 percent of those surveyed show a lack of confidence in security practices when sharing abovementioned information with third-parties.

Let’s take a look at those nations taking appropriate actions to ensure cloud security. Germany tops the list, as 61 percent of businesses in the European nation secure sensitive information stored in the cloud. Next in line are the United States at 51 percent and Japan at 50 percent. Transferring data is a bit of a different story, as Germany stills leads the pack with 67 percent of businesses noting an increase in security when data is sent and received, Japan comes in with 62 percent and pushing the U.S. out of the top three is India with 61 percent.

"While it's good to see some countries like Germany taking the issue of cloud security seriously, there is a worrying attitude emerging elsewhere," said Jason Hart, CTO, Data Protection at Gemalto. "This may be down to nearly half believing the cloud makes it more difficult to protect data, when the opposite is true.”

Cloud security is nothing to shake a stick at, and in this time of growing compliance mandates, the growing prevalence of breaches and nefarious deeds it certainly doesn’t hurt to take a safe than sorry approach.

How secure is your cloud data?

Edited by Mandi Nowitz