1. Concern: Is the cloud secure or can anyone access my information?

The truth is, the cloud is not one giant all-encompassing computer. The cloud is a word that is used to help describe a concept and is not an actual device that you can point to. The better security question to ask is: how secure is the particular cloud that I am looking at? The cloud does present some security risks but so does opening a company intranet to the outside world. The proper policies must be put into place to ensure the security of the information that will be put into the cloud. Most IT fears stem from the lack of control over these security policies. If you use a cloud system that has quality security in place and the best practice internal policies are followed, the cloud can be an excellent choice for your security system.

 2. Concern: Is information over the internet or cloud less secure than if the information was on premise?

The answer all depends on the specific cloud and your internal network security. Many cloud systems, for example Banks, have very high security systems in place to protect their information. Because information is so sensitive and important banks take exceptional care to protect their information. In these situations, they do not avoid the cloud, they only ensure that when it’s used it provides the proper security.

 3. Concern: Is the cloud something that only large companies should use?

The cloud is the perfect solution for many small and medium businesses. The cloud is highly scalable and you are able to use and pay for only the portions that your company may need. The benefits of this solution are that you get all of the features and functionality of a much larger system no matter how small your business may be.  A company can use the cloud for the security software even on a four door access control system. This system immediately gives you remote access to add and delete users and run reports from anywhere with the proper login credentials. The data stored on a cloud server will be redundant so that data recovery is covered and data backups are always preformed automatically. Upfront costs for security servers with these functionalities can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars with continued costs for maintenance and support. Using the cloud provides all of this for a small monthly cost and can be expanded or contracted as needed.

As long as the right cloud is used and you preform your due diligence on proper security, the cloud is an excellent solution for many security applications. Protection of your data is always important so whether you use the cloud or on premise solutions you need to ensure proper measures. Using the cloud does not exclude having good security.