How Secure are Clouds and Virtual Desktops?

More people are moving towards storing all their business information on a cloud service instead of stored locally.

This method is a lot safer because all the computing is done elsewhere, and everything is behind a corporate firewall. Cloud computing companies are responsible for keeping your information secure in 3rd party servers. Some people struggle with the fact that all their info is on a third party server somewhere where they have no physical access to it; they can’t see or touch it. For small businesses especially who do not have the resources to manage their IT, a cloud computing company in charge of managing your information will put you and your company at ease. It’s definitely a better and safer alternative to storing all business information on an employee’s computer, laptop or USB stick.

You still need to take precautions on protecting your cloud.  We recently wrote about Premium Cloud Security and how to take those further precautions in dealing with a cloud. Another precaution you should take, is checking into the cloud company you are working with.  Cloud data centers must be constantly monitored for attacks and breaches of security, perform background checks on all employees, and ensure data isolation so other companies cannot see your information.

There is a ton of hype around virtual desktops and their ease of use as well as increased protection against cyber criminals. There are variety of options when it comes to securing your virtual desktop, including deploying an entire VM and pulling it back, at the request of the user, complete with changed data files at the conclusion of a session. Some systems create an entirely new blank slate every time a new session is started, deleting unnecessary data after each logoff. Many virtual desktops do not allow the users to customize their desktop, which ensures that they are not downloading harmful applications and installing unnecessary softwares.

Just like the cloud, your company will choose a 3rd party system to deploy these virtual desktops. Therefore, you will want to check out these systems and the security measures they use to keep your information protected.

Overall, choosing to go with a cloud service and using virtual desktops will ultimately increase the security of your company and its information.