How Do You Protect Data in the Cloud?

The concept of security is ubiquitous in our lives. We lock our homes and cars, and sometimes add electronic security monitoring systems to them. We keep cash, smart phones, and other valuables close at hand to protect them from thieves. Businesses hire guards and install cameras and other elaborate security measures to thwart theft. After all, if something has value, there is often someone unprincipled enough to try to take it.

But these are all physical items we can see and touch. What about data - especially data stored in the cloud? The advancement of technology has clearly resulted in the creation of valuable information which must be protected in new ways. The good news is that, while technology has created these new needs for security for our cloud-based data, technology has also provided us with new solutions. In this article we will discuss these solutions, and how ContractSafe implements them to ensure cloud security.

Proliferation of Data and the Cloud

Proliferation of data is nothing new. Even before the cloud, the use of computers led to the production and storage of massive amounts of data on discs, drives, and other devices. But it’s unlikely that most people saw just how rapidly it would grow. In fact, data creation is growing at a remarkable clip. According to a 2017 IBM report, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data (in layman’s terms – a lot) were being created every day. These numbers will only increase. The report also found that all of the existing data had been created within the past two years. While most of us have stressed out over trying to cram one more item into a crowded basement or attic, shoving a few quintillion bytes of data somewhere is a whole new ball game!

The Need for Cloud Security

Big data breaches have definitely occurred, and they are generally made very public. From Yahoo to Equifax (and lots of others), many businesses have been hacked. And how could we forget Ashley Madison, which proved awfully embarrassing for a lot of people. But what’s not reported in the news is that there are thousands of businesses that have not suffered these kinds of data breaches and that have done a wonderful job protecting data.

In fact, there are many technological solutions for protecting data, and it can be much safer for a company to place its data on the cloud with a third-party provider that specializes in secure cloud storage than to attempt to provide its own security. ContractSafe has taken advantage of the available technology to create its own data fortress. We’ll talk about some of these safety features below.

ContractSafe Security Features

As an initial matter, it’s important to note that ContractSafe takes cloud security seriously, and has implemented so many security features, we couldn’t possibly discuss them all in a single blog article. So, we’ll try to hit some highlights below, and address others in a future article.

• Continuous intrusion detection – At ContractSafe, we believe a fully integrated security approach includes both prevention and detection. Through continuous monitoring, we can monitor incoming traffic, watch for unusual patterns, and constantly watch for improper activity.
• Encryption Usage – All data and passwords are encrypted with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit encryption. The number “256” refers to the length of an encryption key which encrypts a data stream or file. Someone trying to hack such encryption would have to try 2256 combinations. With ContractSafe, all your data is encrypted while it’s stored, as well as while we deliver it to you.  
• Safe Data Centers – After data is encrypted, it is stored in Amazon’s AMS ISO 27001– certified data centers. This certification has international recognition and constitutes a best-practice framework. What’s more, data centers are audited to ensure compliance with the Amazon certification, as well as FedRAMP, DoD CSM, and PCI DSS. We could go into more detail about what all these letters stand for, but then you’d have nothing left to Google. Suffice it to say – that’s a boatload of security measures.
• Malware Detection – Even if someone attempted to invade with intrusive software, or if you inadvertently upload a virus or intrusive software, we have malware detection that’s constantly being updated. We believe in belts and suspenders.
• Hackers- Did you know we actually hire hackers (good ones!) to try to break into our site so that we can make sure it’s safe? By keeping these guys in our back pocket, we’ll be alerted whenever they notice something that could lead to a breach in security.

It’s hard to believe it’s time to bring this article on ContractSafe cloud security to a close, when we haven’t even discussed our daily vulnerability scans, trend micro virus scanning, audit trails, database backups, regular penetration testing, web application firewall, and lots of other features. While we recognize that we’ve been called “obsessive” when it comes to data and cloud security, we won’t take offense – after all, it’s true. If you’re looking for secure cloud storage for your contracts, we offer an easy-to-use, technologically advanced solution for your contract management. Start your free trial today.