Essay on Why Data Protection in the Cloud is so important?

Looking for a Shared Responsibility Model

               Many users will always wonder about the safety and security of their data in a cloud service. It is true that public cloud service providers have the responsibility of compliance and security for their users, and they will have to make sure that their cloud infrastructure is safe from any outside threats. In the early days, when cloud service was just gaining the attention of users, the security of the data was one of the biggest concerns. It was a debate that how cloud service providers will maintain the level of security to satisfy the concerns of customers, who are willing to use cloud services, or who are already using it. Since then, various cloud service provider platforms have done a wonderful job to make things more satisfactory for their customers. They have focused on the essence of security more than anything. It is a great stamp of authority for the great security of the cloud providers that even the CIA has started using cloud services for their strategic decisions. They are using the cloud service AWS provided by Amazon.

               It is vital for all stakeholders to understand why data protection is important in the cloud. It is important for the integrity and reputation of public cloud providers, because competition in this field is getting tougher, and customers are looking to use cloud providers, who are providing great safety and security at their platforms. The data security is important for customers or clients because there might be extremely critical sensitive information saved on a cloud platform, and if it is not secure, then things can get worst for the users. In this scenario, it is vital to understand that there is a shared responsibility to make cloud platforms safe and secure in every aspect. You should understand as a customer, what shared responsibility model is. The users should have this awareness that the security of the cloud is not only the responsibility of the cloud providers, but cloud users are also responsible for the security of any data, which they save on their cloud platforms.

               If a company is using cloud services on their premises, then they should make sure that cloud data is handled safely and securely. Every cloud provider gives certain guidelines about managing your cloud data, so it is your responsibility as a user that you follow those given guidelines. There can be a situation, where a company may use more than one cloud provider, so if they may need to migrate data from one cloud provider to the other cloud provider, and both cloud providers may have different security parameters. So, it is the responsibility of the company to ensure that they securely move data from one platform to the other.

               Let’s make it simpler for you to understand a shared responsibility model in the context of Office 365. Office 365 is a subscription service launched by Microsoft including the cloud services. So, if you are using Office 365, and wondering how the shared responsibility model works, then we explain it to you. If you are using Office 365, and saving data on its cloud platform, then there are few primary responsibilities on your end, and at the end of Microsoft. As s user, you are completely responsible for the Office 365 data, which you have saved on the platform. Whatever data has been saved on Office 365, it is your responsibility to make sure that it is safely accessed and used. You might have installed Office 365 on smartphones or on laptops; in both cases, you are responsible for the security of these applications. Moreover, you may have made multiple accounts to allow your employees to access Office 365 from various locations, so it is again on your shoulders to manage those accounts and identities and make sure no information is leaked. The network controls, as well as the operating system’s security in the premises, is also the responsibility of the customer.

               We have mentioned a few important security responsibilities for the customers as per the shared responsibility model, and now it’s time to look at security responsibilities held by Microsoft for its Office 365 users. It is essential to know that Microsoft has a global infrastructure, which they manage for their customers from all corners of the world. Office 365 resides within this global infrastructure, which means that the primary responsibility of Microsoft is to keep this infrastructure safe and secure from any kind of threat. They may have physical data centers, physical networks, as well as, physical hosts to manage Office 365, and they have to keep all of these infrastructure parts secure. Microsoft is also responsible for the security of its database, networking, as well as, storage. The data centers and data levels of Microsoft have to be protected by them from any outside threats because there are a variety of threats. For instance, an attacker can attack data centers, and hack the data for ransomware. The data centers may accidentally delete data or it may be corrupted by any virus or malware.

               In all such cases, Microsoft is responsible to protect data centers, because all data of the customers from all over the world, is residing at this datacenter. Microsoft 365 has also provided supporting technology such as Office 365 Data Replication for DC to DC geo-redundancy, as well as, Recycle Bin, which is used for short term data recovery. Looking at both responsibility of the Microsoft and users of Office 365, it is evident that in a Shared Responsibility Model, both are responsible for different levels of security. Therefore, it is vital for the users to look at the shared responsibility model of Office 365, and understand how they can make sure that their data is secure. It is a wrong perception that if you are using any cloud platform, then it is their responsibility to protect your data on all levels of security. You are also responsible for the security of data.