The Best Response to Cybersecurity Threats? Migrating to the Cloud

In 2020 we’re expecting an onslaught of more intelligent cybersecurity threats than we’ve ever seen before. This might sound alarming, but fear not – there are ways to stay ahead of bad actors. In this blog, we’ll explore the rise in sophisticated cybersecurity threats, and discuss how your business can protect itself by migrating to the cloud.

The risk landscape is evolving

Phishing is an elaborate and evolving form of cybercrime. It began as the practice of sending emails that encouraged the reader to share personal information like bank details or login credentials. In the years since it began, it has grown exponentially. According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, in the last quarter of 2019, phishing attacks reached their highest level since 2016. With the proliferation of easily purchasable phishing kits and the emergence of phishing-as-a-service, it’s clear that there’s a lot to be gained by penetrating business environments. Some of the most common cybersecurity threats include:

• Business email compromise: One of the most common forms of phishing. These email campaigns mimic internal company emails, and encourage readers to click bad links, submit sensitive information, or download malware.
• Social engineering: Using elaborate techniques like deepfakes and sim swapping, it’s possible to spoof personal credentials and gain access to personal accounts.
• Ransomware: Much like malware, ransomware is sent via email for employees to download. Once downloaded, ransomware will encrypt an employee’s or a business’s data until a ransom is sent to the hacker. According to the FBI, ransomware hackers have stolen $140 million in just the last six years alone.

The pervasiveness and evolution of cyberthreats is unlikely to stop, so businesses must find a way to maintain a safe and secure IT environment. This is where cloud migration can make all the difference.

Migrating to safety?

Initially, IT teams were sceptical of the cloud. After all, wouldn’t storing all of a business’s data and architecture on third party servers be less secure? As it turns out, cloud migration is one of the best ways for enterprises to protect themselves from cybersecurity threats. Cloud vendors have been investing in some of the most robust cybersecurity measures on the market because protecting their clients’ data is their number one priority.

With threat detection services, enterprise security monitoring, device management and a team of licensed cybersecurity experts, these vendors are in fact building incredibly secure IT environments. When it comes to small to medium-sized businesses, this is essential, because cloud vendors can offer a far more secure environment than they could dream of building themselves.

Cloud migration has become popular in our highly digital business landscape. Throwing out the expensive-to-maintain servers and costly one-time license purchases of the past, businesses are choosing to migrate their data and applications to cloud-based environments like Microsoft Azure. Businesses are also letting third party vendors manage their cybersecurity, allowing them to protect their environments much more comprehensively. It’s essential that an IT environment is made as secure as possible with a multi-layered approach utilising cloud-powered tools and employee education.

Finding the right cloud-powered platform

Thanks to the proliferation of cloud-powered solutions, the market is saturated, and your business might not know how best to choose the right one. But don’t worry, we can make some recommendations for identifying the features that your business should prioritise, depending on your size and industry:

• Device management is essential if you have many mobile workers, like salespeople or those who work offsite. This will help you to secure any device connected to your network with high security standards.
• Protecting data for GDPR purposes is a consideration for businesses that work closely with sensitive customer or client information. If a vendor must be compliant with specific legal and regulatory standards, this is extremely important to consider.
• Ongoing anti-phishing services can be exceptionally helpful for businesses with large workforces, who require ongoing security training. A vendor who offers security support and education services can reduce a great deal of pressure on your IT team.

There are plenty of vendors who offer a large variety of services and solutions, but we would personally recommend the cloud-powered environment of the Microsoft Azure Platform. As Microsoft have pivoted to the software as a service (SaaS) model to provide both Windows and Office subscriptions, their cybersecurity measures have become among the best on the market. Azure is the backbone of Microsoft’s cloud services, and it’s an extremely robust environment.

Azure is a cloud computing service that allows users to build, test, deploy and manage their own applications and services. While admins have the power to manage their own internal environments, the hard work of cybersecurity is largely performed by Azure’s 3,500 global cybersecurity experts. Some of Azure’s features include:

• Real time threat detection
• Azure Key Vault
• Azure Disk Encryption
• 24/7 security support from Microsoft’s cybersecurity specialists

Escape cybersecurity threats with Talk Think Do

If you’re looking for a cloud migration partner, look no further. Talk Think Do works with the best-in-breed of cybersecurity services and solutions and offers tailored services that help you meet your business goals. We’re experts in developing bespoke solutions that transform business operations without compromising their security or overwhelming employees with change. Talk Think Do can help you build your perfect, secure business environment – so what are you waiting for?

To find out more about enhancing your cybersecurity with cloud migration, get in touch with Talk Think Do today.