The cloud has undoubtedly become a significant technological development that’s changing how business is conducted across various industries.
Due to cloud computing technology, businesses may store data online, manage their digital infrastructure, access virtual IT services, and benefit from online services like cloud faxing. Cloud-based systems and storage solutions enable quicker, more efficient workflows, and allow employees to interact remotely. Cloud solutions possess many other advantages that have prompted many businesses to migrate to the cloud.
Moving your business's infrastructure, resources, and data to the virtual cloud is called cloud migration. The advantages of cloud computing are numerous, ranging from networking to storage. Your company can drastically change how it conducts business once it completes the cloud migration. For example, it can save time and resources by requiring fewer IT staff and enabling access to your data remotely.
Cloud migration isn't a straightforward procedure. So, there are certain things you need to be mindful of during migration to ensure data safety. Below is a guide on how to protect and organize your data during a cloud migration.
1. Assess The State Of Your Data
Years may pass without you reviewing the data you already have, which may be spread across numerous databases unless a problem necessitates it. It's possible that there aren't any mechanisms in place to distinguish between important and unnecessary data that has been held for years. As a result, the first stage in the migration process is to evaluate your data to ensure that it complies with your data governance guidelines. Data migration is a delicate operation that, if handled improperly, could open the door for hackers to access your data.
2. Use Cloud Faxing
Traditional fax machines can be a security problem for firms in some sectors, like the healthcare industry. For example, a passerby might pick up the patient's information from the fax machine. But there’s a fix—cloud-based faxing. One of the tools that firms may incorporate into their cloud migration strategy are enterprise Cloud Fax Services.
Cloud faxing enables users to send faxes online using their regular email accounts. You can upload, scan, or generate digital documents instead of using a traditional fax machine and then send them to your recipient using an app or online browser. There’s no need for a fax machine or an office to complete the fax-to-cloud process, which can be done from any device, anywhere.
3. Encrypt Data
During cloud migration, you should encrypt data in transit and at rest. Due to its exposure to the internet, the data in transit is extremely susceptible to cybersecurity threats. Therefore, it’d be best to use a secure transport protocol like HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) to secure your data.
You can also use a transfer appliance to securely move huge amounts of data, either through your provider or a third party. However, it’d be ideal to have the data encrypted before leaving your facility while using an appliance for cloud transfer. The transfer appliance must also be encrypted for optimum security.
4. Consider Having A Phased Migration
Carrying out a data migration in phases will improve security because it lets your employees gradually become accustomed to cloud technologies. To minimize risk, start migrating data with low priority. Then you proceed to more sensitive data slowly. Before migrating sensitive or vital data, you can test your configuration to identify any security flaws or problems.
5. Check Compliance Regulations
Different industries have different standards for compliance. Healthcare, finance, and e-commerce are examples of heavily regulated industries. Ensure to align your data controls to the relevant regulatory authorities for your activities that are essential to your business. Examine these regulations to avoid fines or penalties for noncompliance, particularly throughout the planned migration process. There can be rules you have to abide by when it comes to data migration.
6. Manage Authorized Personnel
During a cloud migration, businesses should adhere to stringent access protocols. Any critical data should only be accessible to selected employees.
By restricting access to trusted internal staff familiar with all security precautions, you prevent unauthorized users from accessing vital data. Organizations should prioritize implementing two-factor authentication and access control measures to ensure total data security.
When the migration is finished, you can safely restore all access rights while checking that all security measures have been taken. Limiting authorization during the transfer process is a crucial step in preventing unwanted actors from accessing momentarily exposed data.
7. Sanitize Data
Data sanitization is important. Ask professionals for advice on how to wipe your storage media properly. You should be able to wipe your storage media effectively and securely by implementing the right technology. During this process, you must be cautious lest you delete important information. If you lack the confidence to do it yourself, an IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) company can handle it.
Conclusion
The choice of cloud migration method, service provider, and your actions during the migration may affect how securely your data is transferred. Regular system monitoring is necessary to ensure the security of your data. You may be subject to cyberattacks during the cloud migration process if you don't have a data security plan. A lack of data security measures might cause an unsuspecting firm to expose its databases, making them susceptible during the migration procedure. To increase data security and ensure your data is always safeguarded during the cloud migration process, remain diligent and adhere to the best practices listed above.
