Get your Business into the Cloud

Cloud computing has a lot advantages for your company. Simply put, it provides you with a better way to run your business, although it does represent a huge change for your business. In any company, there are established practices and culture. When you implement something like cloud technology, it means that you will have to make many adjustments, significant ones at that.

For a successful transition to a cloud application, you will have to help people understand that it will make their jobs easier; this way, you will have their support when making the transition. Communicate all the changes that will made to your troops so they can get onboard with the plan.

STEPS FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION

Before you can transition to a cloud application, you have an important decision in front of you. Do you want an in-house cloud service or do you want to outsource it to a cloud service provider? Once you have decided on a course of action you can begin the transition process.

1.      PLAN AND BUDGET

First step is to come up with a transition plan and enact it for a seamless transition. Specify what your cloud computing requirements are. The specs will determine the costs of cloud computing. It is also a good idea to invest in security software. This will provide a much needed security for your cloud application.

2.      MANAGE/PREPARE YOUR DATA

Most of the time a business’s data is inefficiently stored. You need to prepare it for the transfer to cloud application. Select the data that you want to move to the cloud and store it in an orderly fashion for a smooth transfer.

3.      TRAIN THE EMPLOYEES

Your employees will be the ones dealing with cloud computing. Educate them about the cloud application and train them to use all the tools of the cloud. Some procedures will be affected by the use of cloud application and will require an adjustment period.

4.      CLOUD FAMILIARISATION

You have to familiarise yourself with the cloud application you choose. You should know their protocols, tools, exit clause etc. Most importantly, learn what type of security they provide for you data. You are putting sensitive data in the cloud; you should assure yourself of its safety.

5.      DISASTER PLAN

Always have a plan B in place. If, for some reason, your data is compromised on the cloud, you should a have back up in place so you don’t suffer any losses.

Bring your business into the virtual era with the help of the steps mentioned above. They will ensure an efficient and effortless transition process so you can start enjoying the many benefits of cloud computing.

Tips To Ensure Cloud Security

Some people still hesitate to use cloud-based software but it is the need of the 21st century. It has already revolutionised the way business is done. While security threat is present in any kind of software, the cloud is not devoid of it. For users, here are some tips to ensure security while using cloud computing and making your experience a smooth one.

Try Encryption

Encryption may require some effort on the part of the user, but it will also scramble your credentials so it is not easy for anyone to procure them. It is a great idea whenever possible and as a cloud user, you must apply it. Your cloud security tools provider might also be able to help you with your security concerns, so never hesitate to ask.

Delete Data When It Has Outdone Its Time

With limitless data storage, who would bother deleting anything? Yet, it is wise to delete when something is of no use anymore, as you may not know it may become potentially dangerous later on. Simply delete an email or warning message when it has outlived its worth.

Use Anti-Virus and Anti-Spy Software

The access to the cloud is from your system first; hence, a system at risk puts your online data at risk. Never be lazy about installing and using antivirus software and keep a regular check. A key logger may get to your cloud vendor password and all data may be lost in any case if you do not encrypt.

Determine Security Level

As a company, understand and know your security needs and be informed about how public clouds handle security. Educate relevant personnel on the job about security protocols, and this is just the starting point. Security protocols to protect different kinds of data, like health or finance, will be different. Also, ensure that the right cloud application security tools are utilised and routine cloud application risk assessment is carried out.

Determine the App Providers Security Level

Examine data classification and protection policies, and ask if your data will be transferred via secure channel to the cloud. Enquire about your app provider’s internal security policies and ask them about physical security measures such as protection against natural disasters and disaster recovery planning.

Do Not Assume Anything

Validate the security mechanism of the cloud to be assured that your data is in safe hands. It is important that for highly sensitive data, organisations hire a professional to test security provisions. Carry out routine cloud application risk assessments, and never take security on the cloud as granted.

Top Cloud Computing Apps

Cloud computing has changed the way business is done and this is facilitated by different apps which are based on the concept of cloud computing. These apps and services allow better integration, file sharing, and accessibility, which are crucial to business success in this age. Which are the tops apps, which have conquered the cloud arena and facilitated business processes the most? Read to find out.

Box.net

Box.net is a constant innovator, which makes it fun and easier to use as time passes. It provides dedicated photo sharing services, which are simply unbeatable by other apps. Businesses use it to centralise their marketing data and it provides options such as customisable synchronisation, uploading photos to discrete folders and the option of unlimited storage.

Joukuu

Joukuu provides a storage maintenance service, which displays the content of files stored in a single list. It can show file content stored to Google Docs, Dropbox, and Box.net. Joukuu is a true time saver when you have employees working on one project and they may be subscribed to different services. This happens in the case when independent contractors are paired together for one project.

Toggl

Toggl allows you to create projects and tasks and make them time bounding. It is a time tracking app, which allows you to assign time it should take or will take to complete a project. It helps companies give direction to their projects when many projects are ongoing side by side. They can know how long certain tasks are taking to be completed and how much time is left in a certain project.

Quickbooks

Quickbooks is an app that gives online accounting services. It helps with accounting tasks such as monitoring cash flow, setting budgets, creating business reports, and creating VAT returns. It is a very useful app for small businesses to fulfil and monitor their accounting needs.

Chatter.com

This app allows in-house social networking for business to facilitate co-workers collaborations. It allows employees to share files easily and collaborate on projects. It also allows cutting down on meeting time and decreases the number of emails sent by allowing to pose companywide questions or notices.

Mozy

Mozy provides backup services to prevent small businesses form losing any files or data. Businesses can continuously back up all computer and server files for a reasonable price. The files are retrievable.

Amazon AWS Security Mistakes to Avoid

Amazon’s AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a popular cloud computing application which is used by people worldwide. It can help business owners reduce their IT costs. You no longer have to purchase expensive machinery and hire extra IT staff. You can use this cloud application to pay as you go to cut monthly costs for IT services.

Being a relatively new service, users do find it a bit difficult to operate. Because of lack of awareness and neglecting the security protocols users make mistakes which can lead to many security risks. These risks can turn into real damaging situations which can harm your business.

PUBLICLY PUBLISHING KEYS

In their guidelines, Amazon specifically asks their clients to not publish their EC2 and S3 private keys publicly. But a research performed in Germany, by Centre for Advanced Security Research Darmstadt (CASED), suggests that AWS users are constantly publishing their private keys on the AMIs (Amazon Machine Images). With the access to these keys, any criminal element can access the data of a particular business and use it to damage the business. They can also use the data of companies to take advantage of their clients at the expense of the company.

Because users utilize their credit cards to gain access to the AWS, their credit card information is also vulnerable when a way to access their clouds is publicly published. When using the AWS, read the provided tips and guidelines carefully to avoid this risk.

CRITICAL IPS ON PUBLIC INTERNET

Some people leave their critical IP address open for public view. This can leave a door open to the cloud application and your important data is at risk of exposure. The critical IPs should be kept secure and access to them should be limited to essential users only.

PUBLIC ACCESS TO AMIS

Amazon Machine Images are created to store your sensitive data. Sometimes users leave it out in the open where anyone can access it. Set the access to private when creating AMI and use security software to keep it secure.

Amazon continually offers webinars and instructive videos to their AWS users so mistakes like these can be avoided. Read the user instruction carefully and take a look at some of those videos so you don’t leave any open doors to your data.

Hidden Backdoors into Your WordPress Page

Like every other popular service or software on the internet, WordPress is prone to hacker attacks. There are some vulnerabilities in WordPress itself. Other security risks are created because of user neglect and carelessness. Users create websites and blog pages using WordPress and all their information is at risk when proper care is not taken to keep the pages secure.

Following are some common security risks that users face when using WordPress, by avoiding these you can keep your websites safe:

WORDPRESS VERSION

WordPress personnel are regularly coming out with updated versions of their web software to remedy the issues that their users face. Most people don’t update or forget to update their WordPress to the newer version which leaves their pages vulnerable.

Another mistake made regarding the WordPress version; users display the version they are using on their page. This allows hackers to learn the version and their job is made much easier. By removing the version display from your page and updating to the newest version of WordPress you can avoid these issues.

PLUGINS USAGE AND VERSIONS

Users of WordPress have the option of customizing their pages by using various plugins and themes. These can make a website stylish and user friendly, but overuse can leave a backdoor open for hackers to access your page. Be very stingy with your plugin and theme use. Only use the ones that are essential and keep them updated to latest versions to negate risks.

USERNAME AND PASSWORD

Don’t use admin as your username and password. That would be equivalent to giving your house key to a thief. Choose a unique username and a complicated/strong password. If there are multiple users then make certain that they all adhere to this rule. Remove any user accounts that are unused.

SECURE HOSTING SERVICE

Not all hosting services are secure enough to host your WordPress sites. Choose a hosting service after ensuring that it provides adequate security to your website. WordPress security and your personal efforts will be futile if your hosting service isn’t secure.

BACKUP

Even after taking all the precautions there are still risks that are unavoidable. Because of that reason, you should keep a backup of your webpage. If there is an attack on your site which compromises it, you can use the backup to restore your site easily.

Keep the aforementioned precautions and advice in mind for the safety of your WordPress sites. The best option is to get security software which has features that will help you monitor your WordPress pages and keep them secure effortlessly.