Protecting Cloud Data is Everyone’s Responsibility

The momentum of public cloud keeps growing as Gartner predicted that in 2019, the worldwide public cloud services market will grow 17.3% to total USD 206.2 billion, up from USD 175.8 billion in 2018.

As companies of all sizes move to the cloud, it is important to understand who is responsible for the security and protection of data, applications, and the overall cloud infrastructure.

For SMBs, the cloud often completely replaces on-premises data centers. Larger organizations deploy a hybrid-cloud environment, extending their current data center into the cloud and moving data between on-premises and the cloud. Cloud-native organizations start in the cloud and scale their operations using cloud resources.

While deploying cloud solutions seems to be the rational move, last year, however, has been a year of reckoning for Hong Kong’s data security flaws. From network breaches to even security loopholes that expose Hong Kong CEO’s authentication processes, protecting data is now a top priority for all companies. 

Companies Are Responsible for Protecting Data

With organizations of all sizes and types with data in the cloud, the prevailing assumptions of data protection need to be readdressed. When data was at an on-premises data center, it was apparent that protecting the data was the IT organization's responsibility. But when data is in the public cloud, the ownership lines become blurred — identifying precisely who is responsible for what becomes essential.

Many public cloud providers are upfront about who is responsible. For example, some service providers outline that the client business must take direct action to protect its critical data and enable business continuity in the event of an outage or disaster. Most if not all cloud providers have a shared responsibility clause in their terms and conditions that outline that the public cloud provider is responsible for making sure the cloud infrastructure is functioning and available, but that the client business is responsible for protecting its data.

Data Protection is Key to All Businesses

On top of the shared responsibility models outlined by the cloud providers, protecting data is not only key to business continuity, but also for maintaining competitiveness, complying with regulations, and managing brand reputation. The Frost & Sullivan 2018 Cloud User Survey (paywall) found that, when moving to a cloud environment, 61% of the companies surveyed said security or unauthorized access to their data was a top concern. Also, 61% cited challenges with backup and recovery of cloud workloads as priorities, while 54% were concerned with ensuring compliance with appropriate industry regulations.

As a trusted provider of backup solutions that enable Intelligent Data Management, Veeam is committed to alleviating customers’ burden when moving to the cloud. At Veeam, customers are provided with solutions to help them protect data across traditional, virtual, and cloud environments. These solutions can scale to meet the needs of the enterprise as well as maintain simplicity and reliability for small businesses that don’t have the time or resources to worry about the availability of their data.

While moving to the cloud is almost inevitable, what matters is how companies can do that with peace of mind. They can turn to IT service providers that can offer customers a comfort level that allows them to extend that protection out into the cloud.

This article is authored by Joseph Chan, regional director - Hong Kong, Macau & Taiwan, Veeam.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CDOTrends.