Partner Article

63% of SMBs believe cloud storage providers should do more to protect their data

Almost two-thirds of small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) believe that more work needs to be done to protect their data in the cloud, according new research from cybersecurity firm IS Decisions.

Since moving to the cloud for storage, 29% of SMBs have suffered a breach of files or folders, according to the same research. Almost a third (31%) said that since moving to the platform, detecting unauthorised access has become much more difficult, and 22% admitted that hackers have gained external access using an employee’s login credentials.

The new report entitled “Under a cloud of suspicion,” is based on research conducted with 300 heads of security within small- to medium-sized businesses across the UK, US and France who are using Dropbox for Business, Google Drive, Box and Microsoft OneDrive. It examines the current perceptions of cloud storage security and how these perceptions are driving data-related security decisions.

Also, according to the report, just 52% of SMBs actively monitor sensitive files for unauthorised access, while the rest only do so either on an ad hoc basis or after a breach has occurred — or in some cases, not at all. Furthermore, while many SMBs are managing a hybrid-approach whereby they use a combination of on-premises and cloud storage, 56% of those surveyed say that it’s difficult to manage the security of data living in these hybrid infrastructures.

Commenting on the research, IS Decisions founder and CEO François Amigorena said: “There’s no doubt that the cloud has considerably enhanced the way that SMBs do business. But businesses who have moved to the cloud for storage are finding it harder to detect unauthorised access to company files and folders. The ease of sharing data among teams and simple integrations their storage can have with other cloud applications significantly increases the prospect of unauthorised access. Without the right access controls in place, the risk of employee credentials being misused or stolen makes detecting unauthorized access even harder”

“The last thing any business wants is to suffer a breach of data. Therefore, there needs to be a stronger and more efficient way to ensure that data in the cloud remains safe.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by François Amigorena .