Cloud Security Best Practices for SMEs

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March 4, 2025 Business

If you own a small or medium-sized business, optimizing your operations to maximize profit should be a top priority. This is essential because SMEs often operate with a modest budget and are expected to make enough money to pay staff and make the business a worthwhile investment for the owner. Traditionally, employees do most of the required work manually and in-person, but technological advancements have made it possible to automate some tasks.

SMEs can now use cloud computing to improve their operations and reduce their operating expenses. This allows them to employ remote workers, share files seamlessly, and empower coworkers to collaborate effectively on projects.

However, for SMEs to thrive, they need to use reliable cloud computing platforms like Azure. Azure is owned and powered by Microsoft and it allows companies to build cloud-based applications that help them accomplish their goals. However, to get these applications up and running, companies need to hire Azure developers who can build and integrate these applications with the existing IT infrastructure.

Once these applications and cloud computing platforms are active, business owners must ensure they minimize the security risks their companies face. Using cloud computing for businesses can be risky because company data will be stored on servers and data centers that must be accessed via the Internet. Without adequate security measures, cybercriminals can hack into the cloud systems and access data they should not be privy to.

When a company suffers a cyber attack, the consequences are often severe and wide-ranging. These consequences typically include operational downtime, financial losses, reputation damage, and a loss of customers. Business owners should adopt the following cloud computing best practices and other security measures to stay protected:

1. Implement identity management

Identity management is crucial to keep unauthorized personnel from accessing a company’s cloud platform. Identity management systems will require employees to enter their login credentials before they can access their company’s cloud computing platform. These ID management systems should be configured to only accept passwords that are a combination of alphanumeric and special characters to ensure they are almost impossible to guess.

2. Use multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) supplements identity management systems by requiring employees to take additional steps to prove they are who they claim to be when logging into their work accounts. This can work by the system sending a one-time password to an employee’s phone or requiring said employee to insert their company card into a reader while logging in. MFA is effective at stopping unauthorized people who obtain an employee’s login information from gaining access to their company’s system.

3. Conduct cloud security training exercises for employees

Business owners should conduct cybersecurity training for their employees to help them identify vulnerabilities in the cloud computing platforms their company uses. This reduces the burden on cybersecurity professionals and the likelihood that an attack will escalate into a full-blown crisis before it can be addressed.

Endnote

SMEs will benefit from adopting cloud computing because it makes them operate cost-effectively and empowers them to hire talented people who live far from a company’s physical location. However, they need to work with competent cloud software developers who can build apps capable of running on Azure and other mainstream cloud computing platforms.