Information Security Trends for Businesses
Information security trends related to businesses are actually focused on businesses becoming more proactive as opposed to taking a defensive stance in relation to security vulnerabilities. This primarily means that businesses and also industry regulators need to setup measures that organizations need to achieve to set up effective measures that will ensure that organizations keep up with technological advancements. This will mainly entail the detection and response of information needs within the organization to ensure that it remains at par with its competitors in the digital world. This does not only cover ransomware but other security vulnerabilities including the lack of a secure defense and regularly updated system (Drolet, 2017).
Adopting Cloud Computing
One of the trending information security measures is the need to adopt cloud computing within one's business and also to be adopted in an industry as a whole. Cloud computing is the storage and later access of data as well as related programs using the Internet as opposed to accessing them on the computer's hard drive (Griffith, 2016). Examples of cloud computing services available are the Microsoft 365 by Microsoft and Google Drive by Google.
Impact of Cloud Computing on Businesses
Cloud computing will impact businesses in various ways. Primarily, businesses will have the option of outsourcing the safe storage of data and or programs to third parties which means that the organization can focus on other core areas related to information needs of the organization. Most of these cloud computing services are quite affordable and in some instances cheaper in comparison to the cost of storing large amounts of data on your own. Outsourcing the storage of data to third parties ensures that the organization will benefit from the specialized services that such third parties will provide especially in relation to ensuring the safe storage of this information.
This means that businesses need not to worry about updates in relation to software as these have already been taken care of by third party suppliers who will cater for security updates that will lead to an effective storage management. Cloud computing is also beneficial to businesses in that people can access information anywhere. This makes it easier for large organizations to have efficient responses from people within the same organization who may be in different geographical backgrounds. This enhances communication from different regions making it easier for decision making to flow from the top management levels. Employees are therefore able to benefit from flexible working hours creating a work-life balance that suits different employees within an organization which is actually considered to be a more rewarding incentive in comparison to giving employees additional pay.
Addressing Security and Privacy Concerns
Industries need to take various steps to address the main issue surrounding cloud computing services, which is the security and privacy of data. If data stored on the cloud was to be hacked, this would put to risk the confidential information of so many clients leading to lost investor confidence and lost market share. Industries therefore need to primarily invest heavily in proactive strategies that focus on ensuring security systems are kept up to date. It is also imperative to conduct regular research on technological advancements and its vulnerabilities to identify areas in which malicious people may want to exploit. Industries should also come up with ways in which businesses can easily transition from one cloud computing service provider to another in cases where businesses would like to switch from one supplier to the other (Casey, 2015).
References
Casey, J. (2017, November 15). Top 5 cloud computing challenges | Trilogy. Retrieved January 29, 2018, from https://trilogytechnologies.com/top-five-challenges-of-cloud-computing/
Drolet, M. (2017, December 11). 8 cybersecurity trends to watch for 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2018, from https://www.csoonline.com/article/3241242/data-protection/8-cybersecurity-trends-to-watch-for-2018.html
Griffith, E. (2016, May 03). What Is Cloud Computing? Retrieved January 29, 2018, from https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372163,00.asp
