Cloud Computing has become a trend of the technology market. Enterprise are aggressively adopting Cloud Computing because of the benefits it provides. Along with these benefits, there are number of security issues related to  Cloud Computing. Clouds are becoming prime target of hackers. Data Protection has become a major issue for security of the clouds. In this article we will look on the issues of data protection and how to  to tackle them.

Managing Data

Managing the data in the cloud is the first step to data protection. The very dynamic nature of Cloud Computing makes it very difficult to manage the data. Monitoring this changing environment is very necessary. Cloud Computing is getting deployed in many fields. Users demand keep on increasing. So, enough facilities should be made to host that growing data. Service providers should be flexible enough for handling the changing scenario. Choosing a right architecture is an important step to make sure that the data is managed properly.

Data Transfer

One of the most important steps towards data protection in the cloud is making sure it is protected during the data transfers to the cloud, not just while it is there in the cloud. Both integrity and privacy of data, while it is being transferred, must be maintained.

• One needs secured network to transfer the data in order to be sure that it is safe. HTTPS, FTPS, SSL etc. help in secured transfer.
• Encryption of sensitive data before it is transferred is highly recommended.

Data Security while in storage

The data which is stored in the cloud is of high importance. It should be organized properly and should be easy to retrieve. Most of the time, users leave it on the service providers for its security. In many cases though, users of cloud services do not know where their information is held. Data in the clouds are prone to attack and theft. If not stored properly, the data can be lost. Some good practices are -

• The user must know what security measures the service provider has implemented for protecting the data.
• It is also important to be sure that your cloud provider stores data in a location which meets your required data privacy regulations.
• The users also should be aware of the security of their sensitive data, what measures have been taken to secure them.

Privilege Issues

Granting access modes to different users should be done carefully. The service provider (being the DBAs and the system administrators) and other users to which access is granted have many options to access the data and can do many unwanted things. They can easily steal and copy the sensitive data and can go undetected. A cloud user must be concerned about this issue. The service provider must implement such system which detect any data accessing and inform it to the user.

If you want to go for Cloud Computing, you must be concerned about protecting your data. Make sure that the methodologies you have adopted fully address protection issues.