As employees bring personal devices into the workplace and adopt collaborative cloud services without the oversight of IT departments, businesses are faced with an increasingly challenging environment for managing and protecting data. To keep track of information in these conditions, companies will need to take the time to define data uses and track how new tools are being implemented.

A recent Dark Reading article profiled the challenge businesses face in managing information as new devices enter the workplace. According to security technology executive Branden Williams, companies can no longer expect to have absolute control of their data in an environment without the closed perimeters of the past.

“Once information is created, they’ve pretty much lost control of it,” Williams told Dark Reading. “Once it moves onto a laptop or personal device, even a corporate device or thumb drive, the business can no longer trust that a copy has been made.”

To control data and select an appropriate cloud computing solution, businesses must identify what their data protection needs are, according to virtualization and cloud expert Bill Kleyman. Depending on the level of privacy needed, some companies may be able to rely on consumer-grade services, but many will also want to tap into enterprise cloud solutions, he told Dark Reading. For instance, some companies may require some data or communications to be encrypted, while others may not have such requirements.

Moving to cloud applications

 
Navigating this information classification process can be difficult, and many organizations may find it helpful to work with a managed services provider to determine what their protection needs are and how different vendor solutions may be able to address these needs. According to eSecurity Planet, businesses should seek out transparency in any cloud computing solution. Working in close concert with a third-party IT consultancy can help guarantee this type of oversight.

“Don’t compromise your security profile as you move to the cloud,” eSecurity Planet’s Pam Baker wrote. “Make sure you work with the cloud vendor to reach an acceptable level of risk.”

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