Cloud Providers Are Not Responsible for Your Data
You may be thinking, “What do you mean by the cloud provider is not responsible for my data?” With cloud providers and service providers in general, there is a concept known as the shared responsibility model (SRM). Every provider usually has them posted on their site, indicating what they do and what you do as the client concerning consuming their services.
In direct terms:
- Google Cloud is not responsible for your content (data) in any of its models [1].
- AWS is not responsible for customer data in any of its models [2].
- Azure is not responsible for information and data in any of its models [3].
What does this mean for you? If your business lacks a plan to back up or recover cloud data and relies on no specific cloud services for complete backup, you risk losing valuable data.
Shared Responsibility is Overlooked
A very staggering statistic from a Gartner report in 2023, as listed by Forbes, is that 99% of cloud security failures fall on the customer, not the cloud providers [4]. It is important to note that if you do not have a system that creates independent copies of data from the original files, you are not backing up information, and neither is your cloud provider. Solutions like OneDrive simply replicate data from one device to another, meaning if that data is deleted or modified, it is likely gone for good. The OneDrive retention policy is 30 days, so if you have a party that accidentally or intentionally deletes information (and you do not know it was deleted), it is typically unrecoverable after 30 days. This is the same for email platforms. If you do not have an independent backup solution for email, and something gets permanently deleted, it is likely gone for good.
Key Takeaway
The shared responsibility model for major cloud providers does not cover your data. Your business data is your responsibility, and you must ensure the solutions you have in place adequately address your backup and disaster recovery needs. There are dedicated and purpose-built cloud backup solutions that address these gaps, which IntelliSystems is prepared to discuss with you today.
At IntelliSystems, a qualified IT and Cybersecurity service provider, we offer comprehensive cloud capabilities to help businesses in Augusta, Columbia, Macon, Savannah, and Greenville ensure their cloud environments are secure and aligned with best practices. Whether you want to strengthen your defenses against cyber threats, optimize your cloud security posture, or ensure compliance with your required regulations, our services provide the support you need. Contact us today to start discussing our cloud capabilities and take the first step toward securing your cloud environment and safeguarding your business from potential risks.
References
[1] https://cloud.google.com/architecture/framework/security/shared-responsibility-shared-fate
[2] https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/shared-responsibility-model/
[3] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/shared-responsibility
