Earlier, for data storage, we had external hard disks, CDs, DVDs, USB devices and others, but now we have cloud! A few of many reasons why we moved to cloud were the ease of accessibility, availability, security and many others. Our expectations while doing so were huge! However, today we are on the verge of completely moving to cloud and when we look back, there is nothing but disappointment! A few may not agree with us, isn’t it? But consider this situation- As we had one physical device and low storage space, it was mostly shared by limited number of people! So, the data in it got compromised when either it was stolen or the people sharing it had malicious intents! But the scenario has completely changed today! Millions of people share a cloud space and if anyone has to conduct a mass breach, he just needs to attack the service provider and data of thousands of people will become vulnerable!
The above-mentioned case is just one of the several risks that had come along with our decision of moving to cloud. Read further and know more about them.
Also Read : Cross Tenant Cloud Computing Attack: A Myth Or Reality?
Risks That We Have in Cloud Uniquely!
The risks mentioned below didn’t exist in the traditional IT systems but they do in cloud, let’s take a look at them!
1. Reduced Visibility and Control
When we are transitioning, we lose visibility and control over our data and operations. So, you are basically giving up everything to the CSPs (Cloud Service Providers) in order to avail the cloud services. Also, these highly depend on the infrastructure and policies of the CSPs. There are no predefined policies which aren’t subject to change, and thus we might be just doomed if something bad happens.
2. On-demand Service Invites Unauthorized Usage
It may sound a bit weird but ubiquitous services make sure that you get the desired service without hassles. This increases the risk of shadow IT in organizations. If the people involved in the IT department of a firm are not aware of a threat, they cannot patch it. But with cloud, keeping a check on this is daunting task!
Must Read : Top 10 Antivirus For Windows
3. Internet-Accessible Management APIs Are Often Compromised
The Cloud Service Provider APIs are accessible via Internet as well. If they are able to give free pass to authorized personnel then it is fairly possible that it can be exploited as well. These can neither be blocked nor can they be secured!
4. Data Deletion Is Incomplete
This exists because people do not have knowledge of where their data has been stored! It is a lot risky because when the CSPs take backup, they still have your data. This means if they are attacked long after you have deleted your data then also you are at risk. Moreover, the policies that allow you to delete the data is not similar! You’ll have to go through a lengthy document defining the entire procedure and then too you might stay unsafe from data breach!
5. Increased Complexity
Yes, the cloud offers simplicity at its best but in reality, it is adding more troubles to the IT team. They need to operate, integrate and manage the systems with cloud often. And this is not easy! Even personally deploying cloud for various services comes with a lot of added responsibilities!
This is not the exhaustive list of risks that we noticed, there are many more. It seems like we have just followed the crowd blindly and just added on our troubles! In a few cases cloud is helpful like the access to our data, but it comes with a catch! You need to have a stable internet connection for the same. Every advantage of cloud has a pitfall and we cannot overlook them! So, yes our decision of haphazardly migrating to cloud was a bit unwise! What do you think?
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