I read an interesting post this week on the Inc. site about companies not doing enough in terms of cyber security. You can check out the article here.
I know it can be tempting to dismiss the idea of a cyber attack. “Oh, I’m a small company. I’m not on anyone’s radar.” So, we fluff it off. The reality? No matter what size your organization is…you have access to confidential data. Information that someone gave you freely with the expectation that you’ll keep it safe.
That’s why it’s important to figure out a good way to store information. It reminded me of this cartoon from Kronos:
Click to Enlarge
I’m still trying to figure out how the cloud fits into my business. Anyone out there using the cloud? How’s it working for you? Is it a safer approach? Let me know in the comments.
P.S. – My good friends at Kronos have invited me to attend KronosWorks 2012 taking place next month in Las Vegas. They say it’s “The Worlds Leading Information Exchange” and I’m looking forward to learning all about it. Hope to see you there!
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John Griffin says
Absolutely, using the cloud is sensible when executed sensibly.
My general observation is that for most companies, particularly smaller ones, the cloud offers more security than on-site systems. My company runs completely in the cloud with redundancy, recoverability, excellent performance at much lower total costs than had we built everything here.
By coincidence, I’m consulting with my previous employer, now part of a larger public company, that also is considerably in the cloud. Five years ago, management was concerned about the idea, but with time having proven the practice, now it’s just a fact of economically viable and safe IT existence.
Carolyn Sokol says
We have an article out comparing in-house HRIS Solutions vs Saas that you might find interesting… http://www.comparehris.com/In-House-HRIS-Solutions-vs.-Saas/ The only absolute is that HRIS is a must for any 21st century company.
Sharlyn Lauby says
@John – Thanks for sharing your experience. I think my apprehension about the Cloud stems from using Apple’s iCloud for the first time. I had duplicates of stuff, other data was deleted, etc. Just a mess. I know at some point I’ll give it another try.
@Carolyn – Thanks for sharing a resource!
Devan says
Security isn’t an issue talked much on for small businesses – really great that you brought this up.
I’ve worked with a software business who’s #1 security defense was that they were small — they “weren’t a target for hackers” because no one really knows about them. (not the best security strategy) However saying that sentence out loud, they realized they needed to do something. .. and so their next update on their software was a big security update.
Data security is something I don’t think small business owners focus on enough, or ever really think about — UNTIL something bad happens. Biz owners need to be proactive in keeping their company’s data secure and have back up plans for if something happens. What happens if your building is burned down – is your data still accessible from somewhere?
Sharlyn Lauby says
Hi Devan. Thanks for the comment. Totally agree – we have a tendency to think of security strategy only in terms of hackers but there are many more aspects to consider.