How secure is your cloud environment? If you’ve outsourced to a managed service provider (MSP) and you’re referring us to its SLA for an answer, we suggest you think again. Cloud-based data and applications might be hosted remotely, but responsibility for security doesn’t stop at the data centre’s front gate.

In reducing complexity, costs and the burden of local support, cloud is rightly becoming today’s predominant business platform, but CIOs who believe that outsourcing the infrastructure means they’re also outsourcing responsibility for corporate cybersecurity are doing their employers – and themselves – a real disservice.

Security starts at home

The weak point in any security chain is more often than not human. Recycled passwords, social engineering attacks and a failure to implement 2FA/MFA are more likely threats than remotely installed malware or any kind of physical attack. CIOs looking to secure their cloud data should turn their attention first towards their users, rather than their supplier.