Cloud communications offers a host of benefits for the everyday user. Topmost of which include everything from cost efficiency to feature scalability. But in this technological climate, it’s easy to look past how it helps with data security.
And why so? Well, the fact that approximately 45% of businesses had a data breach in 2022 doesn’t help its case. Cloud communications proved to be a complex situation during the first few years removed of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
How is it in 2023, though? Have we as an industry improved our data security initiatives?
Cloud Communications and Data Security in 2023
The year isn’t off to such a great start, what with approximately 300 million breached records so far. These personal data breaches have been gathered and compiled by IT Governance, a UK blog dedicated to this endeavor.
As grim as these numbers may seem, they do offer valuable insights into what others did wrong. By learning from their mistakes, we can avoid any pitfalls along the way. Below are some ways we believe cloud communications can help improve your data security.
Encrypted Information
A great feature in cloud communication is that it commonly uses data encryption. This ensures that data is securely handled in transit; from point A to point B this data is encrypted. What this means is that no one can access and intercept the data while it is in transit.
How this works is that data is encrypted into another code, ensuring that only those with a decryption key can read it.
Support of Multi-Factor Authentification
Another great feature of cloud communication is that it makes support of multi-factor authentification easier. This is an added layer of security that makes hacking into a server a lot harder.
This is done by requiring an initial password input, followed by a code requirement. This can be done via email, text, or even phone calls to a secure number. This greatly improves data security and lowers the chances of identity theft.
Centralized Data Management
Another great feature of cloud communications is that it is centralized. What this means is that when you hire a cloud phone company, you pay them to host your lines. This means your data is stored in one secure server and can only be accessed by limited people.
In effect, this ensures that the risk of data breaches is minimized and lowers the risk of data theft. It also offers the added benefit of your office space being clutter free!
Better Backups
A big data security threat is the loss of information. This can happen through disasters like natural calamities, power outage, or possibly through a cyber attack. That’s why it is always important to backup your data
Cloud communications platforms usually offer automated data backups as part of their features. Moreover, they also provide recovery options via their secure servers. This helps prevent disastrous loss of data and similar situations!
Regular Security Audits and Data Compliance
Cloud companies have to undergo various security audits before they are allowed to do business. This is to make sure that their solutions are fit for commercial use and that they meet industry standards.
Moreover, these audits and data security training offer the company great value as it improves customer confidence. This shows that they are capable of safely collecting, handling, and storing customer data.
Cloud Communications is the Future
The cloud revolution is an inevitable reality. In fact, experts predicted as such way back in 2016. According to this Forbes article:
“Gartner predicts that by 2020, “a corporate ‘no-cloud’ policy will be as rare as a ‘no-internet’ policy is today. This isn’t just going to be the case for packaged application from vendors — who are now pushing cloud-first or even cloud-only offerings — but for home-grown solutions as well.
Despite what the last few years may show, cloud communications is the way forward. Accelerated growth through the Covid 19 Pandemic has proven that there is a niche for it. And now that we’re two years removed, the adaption of cloud communications continues.
It’s all about proper implementation, training, and management.