How Secure Is Your Cloud Data?

With employees working remotely at higher rates, business data is increasingly at risk.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused a massive shift to remote work. According to one estimate, the number of days spent telecommuting has risen 49% since the pandemic. 1 While the pandemic may have triggered the shift, there’s no sign things will return to normal once the crisis fades. In a recent survey, 83% of respondents said flexible work policies will remain in the foreseeable future. 2 It’s obvious why – productivity has been the same or higher according to 94% of employers.

While remote work and productivity rates are high, the same can’t be said about the security of cloud data that remote workers generate. In most cases, the home networks, personal devices and cloud apps that remote workers are using are less secure than their on-premises counterparts. Cloud productivity applications, like Microsoft 365, have made the transition to remote work a seamless affair. However, IT administrators are now responsible for maintaining the same high level of security for data that’s more dispersed than ever, and on networks that lack the same robust protection as office networks.

When IT organizations deploy Microsoft 365, they absolve themselves of the responsibility for maintaining a complex network of hardware and infrastructure interdependencies. But what they lose in the process is granular control over the containers that hold their business data. As long as everything is running smoothly, there’s no cause for concern. Challenges arise, however, when everyday data loss strikes: a disgruntled employee wipes his OneDrive clean, and empties out the Recycle Bin for good measure; someone resets permissions across an entire SharePoint collection site; or routine employee turnover leads you to pay for Exchange seat licenses you don’t really need.