For many businesses, migrating business processes to the cloud is an important aspect of digital transformation. Even if just a portion of your apps or infrastructure is being migrated, the process may still be time-consuming.
As a result, only a few firms can undertake the whole transfer to the cloud at once. Cloud migration is generally divided into more manageable subtasks. It is a great strategy for preventing migration projects from becoming onerous on several fronts, including the budget, duties, and resources.
However, there is one area that requires further consideration before moving to the cloud, “security." Even though IT administrators have identified cybersecurity as a top concern for digital transformation, it is often treated as a distinct undertaking.
As such, we've identified the key practices to consider while transitioning your organization to the cloud.
Monitor Your Systems Regularly
Continuous monitoring is crucial not just throughout the migration to the cloud but also after it has been done. It requires monitoring all network traffic in real-time, as well as user activity, to identify and address any potential security breaches as soon as feasible. This allows companies to notice and handle any security issues that may happen during the migration process.
Implement Strict Access Controls
To guarantee that only users who have successfully authenticated themselves and been granted permission have access to vital data and applications, strict access restrictions must be prioritized. To prevent unauthorized access to essential data and applications, this strategy entails integrating many levels of access controls, such as multi-factor authentication and identity and access management, among others.
Encrypt Your Data
Encrypting the data throughout the data migration process ensures its security before, during, and after the migration. Keep in mind that data may be manipulated or stolen in some manner while it moves across databases. One technique for increasing security is to employ secure transport protocols such as the hypertext transfer protocol secure (commonly known as HTTPS).
Adopt a Phased Migration Process
If you want to migrate your data to the cloud soon, it is usually best to do it in phases rather than all at once. Resist the need to go through it all at once. If you carry out the procedure in phases, your team will have more time and flexibility to monitor the transfer of each asset.
To reduce any potential threat, begin with the facts with the least relevance. After you've completed all of that, you'll be ready to begin transferring the most critical data. Before proceeding with this step, ensure that the setup is operational and that any security problems have been identified.
Recognize Data Compliance Requirements
Compliance criteria may differ substantially from one company to the next. Businesses in the healthcare, internet commerce, and financial services sectors are often subject to severe rules. Before initiating a cloud migration, it is critical to assess the requirements for encryption, storage, backup, and data transfer. The sector in which your firm works, as well as the geographic location in which it operates, each has its own set of compliance standards.
Clean Up Your Data
Consider sanitizing your data. It is preferable to seek the advice of professionals on the technique for erasing your storage media. If you use the right wiping technology, which should provide robust workflows and enhanced process visibility, you should be able to wipe your storage media efficiently and securely.
Prepare Data Centre Decommissioning
Many firms do not have a decommissioning plan in place for any of their stored media after migrating to the cloud, which means that their physical or on-premise media may still be plenty. All businesses that are transitioning to the cloud will benefit from having a decommissioning plan. This strategy will include a variety of actions such as itemizing, planning, removing equipment, and sanitizing data. Furthermore, enterprises may collaborate with IT asset disposition (ITAD) vendor partners to outsource physical hardware decommissioning processes.
Furthermore, if you want to employ on-premise storage as part of a hybrid cloud infrastructure, you must have a complete security policy in place for both your on-premise and cloud-based architectures.
Final Words
The cloud migration process is challenging, and if you do not have a data security policy in place, you may expose your business to cyberattacks. If the company is not cautious, it may wind up exposing its data by adopting insufficient data security standards, making its databases vulnerable to attack during the transfer process. Because of this, hackers may easily access and break all important data without encountering any security constraints.
Maintain vigilance and ensure that the suggested practices outlined above are followed to improve data security and ensure that your organization's most important asset is not left susceptible at any stage throughout the cloud migration process.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).