Let’s take an in-depth look at the security challenges of cloud computing and list some actionable tips for protecting your data in the cloud.

Understanding Cloud Data Risks

The first tip in any list of this type is to understand the risks that you face. Knowing the inherent security risks associated with cloud computing lays the foundation for implementing a robust strategy that focuses on the key risk factors.

These risks vary by industry. For instance, an eCommerce company would consider advanced inventory management procedures as being an integral part of a holistic approach to security, whereas this would have no bearing on the strategy of an accounting firm. However, there are common risks associated with any type of organization using direct cloud connectivity.

Among the risk areas common to cloud computing are:

• Data breaches: Perhaps the most alarming of risks, data breaches can expose sensitive information due to security vulnerabilities or compromised credentials.
• Unauthorized access: Inadequate access controls can lead to unauthorized individuals gaining access to sensitive data, potentially leading to data manipulation or theft.
• Insider threats: Risks not only come from external sources but also from within an organization. Employees or contractors with access to cloud services can misuse or mishandle data, intentionally or accidentally.
• Compliance violations: Failing to adhere to legal and regulatory standards can lead to significant legal penalties and loss of customer trust.
• Shared responsibility model confusion: Misunderstanding the security responsibilities between the cloud service provider and the user can leave gaps in protection.

Armed with the relevant information implementing a comprehensive strategy for protecting data in the cloud becomes a lot easier.

Best Practices for Cloud Data Protection

Gone are the days when a simple firewall and some robust anti-virus software were all that were needed to protect your data. Cloud data protection now requires a multi-pronged approach as described in the best practices listed below:

General Best Practices for Cloud Data Protection

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to cloud data protection, each organization will have its own needs and requirements to factor into the solution they opt for. However, regardless of the size and complexity of the model, there are general best practices that should be present in all circumstances.

Key critical best practices include:

• Data encryption: Protecting data both at rest and in transit is essential. By encrypting it, even if unauthorized access or interception occurs, the information remains unreadable without the correct decryption keys.
• Workplace data management procedures: The cloud computing model requires a comprehensive workplace data management strategy.
• Access control: Implement stringent access control policies. Use strong authentication methods and limit access based on user roles and the principle of least privilege.
• Regular security audits: Conduct periodic audits to assess and improve the security posture. These audits help identify vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with security policies.
• Data backup strategies: Regularly back up data to prevent loss in case of a breach or system failure. Ensure backups are secure and easily recoverable.
• Compliance with regulations: Stay updated and compliant with relevant data protection regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, etc. This not only avoids legal repercussions but also enhances trustworthiness.
• Employee training and awareness: Educate employees about security best practices for protecting critical digital assets and potential threats. Human error can often be a weak link in data security.

By integrating these practices into your cloud data security strategy, you can significantly enhance the protection of your data.

Incorporating Automation for Enhanced Security

The rise of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) has changed the face of computing. These are truly disruptive technologies that are already enhancing many facets of how we use and interact with technology – one of these is as an added layer of advanced security for protecting data in the cloud.

Some of the main ways intelligent automation is protecting data in the cloud include:

• Automated security monitoring: Utilizing tools that continuously monitor for security threats can significantly reduce the risk of breaches. Automation in monitoring ensures that threats are identified and addressed in real time, minimizing potential damage.
• AI and ML in threat detection: AI is playing an increasingly larger role in cybersecurity. AI and ML algorithms can analyze patterns and predict potential security incidents before they occur. This proactive approach to threat detection is crucial in staying ahead of cybercriminals.
• Streamlining compliance processes: Automation tools can assist in maintaining compliance with various data protection regulations. They can automatically update systems in line with changing laws, ensuring continuous compliance.
• Incident response automation: In the event of a security breach, automated systems can initiate immediate response actions, such as isolating affected systems, to prevent further damage.
• Enhanced data management: Automation can help in categorizing and securing data based on its sensitivity, ensuring that high-risk data receives the highest level of protection.

Cloud Security in the Era of Low-Code Platforms

Low-code platforms have simplified and democratized application development and have brought undoubted benefits to IT teams. However, they do present unique security challenges in cloud environments that need to be addressed.

These include:

• Vulnerability management: Low-code platforms can introduce vulnerabilities if not properly managed. Regular security assessments and updates are crucial to mitigate this risk.
• Access control in cloud-based application development: Ensuring strict access control within the development environment is key. This includes managing who can create, modify, or deploy applications.
• Data privacy and compliance: Low-code platforms must adhere to data protection regulations. It’s essential to ensure that these platforms are compliant with standards like GDPR and HIPAA.
• Integration security: As low-code platforms often integrate with existing systems, securing these integrations is vital to prevent data leaks.

Low-code platforms have opened up application development to a wide range of users. However, the low-code development approach should combine the agility of the platform with the need for stringent security.

Don’t Get Lost in the Cloud: The Importance of Data Security

The move to cloud computing has revolutionized the workplace and how we store – and secure – our data. While the benefits of each cloud security model are changing the face of many industries, caution is required when considering cloud data protection.

Robust security solutions should incorporate many of the best practices and tips listed in this article. A tailored and comprehensive security strategy allows organizations to reap the benefits of cloud technology while ensuring that critical data is not exposed to unnecessary risks.

The post Tips for Protecting Data in the Cloud appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

Let’s see how cloud-based solutions can help nonprofit organizations and why they are so useful. 

What are Cloud-based Software Solutions? 

Cloud-based software solutions are applications hosted on a cloud. In other words, businesses can reach them over the internet, without the need to create them in-house or install them locally. In-house software solutions require lots of resources when it comes to creation and maintenance. Thus, they’re not always the most suitable option for smaller businesses or nonprofit organizations. However, small companies are not the only ones benefiting from cloud-based software. Even enterprise companies find it easier to manage complex data via the cloud instead of doing it locally.  

There are various cloud-based solutions, but the most common categorization is the following:  

• Software-as-a-Service (Saas) 
• Platform-as-a-Service (Paas) 
• Infrastructure-as-a-Service (Iaas) 

Not every company needs all of these categories. But, it would be good to dive into the benefits of cloud-based technology for nonprofits.  

10 Benefits of Cloud-Based Technology and SaaS for Nonprofits

No matter what their focus might be, nonprofits need to operate efficiently and constantly improve their visibility. Despite initial doubts, more nonprofit organizations are opening doors for cloud-based technology. The main reason behind it – the several benefits that cloud computing and software-as-a-service solutions can offer. 

1. Cost-Effective

As the name suggests, nonprofits do not charge for their work. Therefore, they’re operating with limited resources, and need to pay attention to where they spend their money. Tech innovations are expensive most times, so it helps a lot that cloud computing is a cost-effective option. Cloud-based solutions help nonprofits achieve the same goal but with significant savings. Burdening personal device storage or investing in external storage accessories is no longer necessary. When data is stored in a cloud, that means that there is no need to use your resources. Thus, creation and maintenance are a lot easier, and what’s even more important – cheaper.  

2. Scalability

Software can usually be very complex and not all organizations need the same level of complexity. The more complex the software, the more expensive it is, mainly, because it requires some level of customization. Thus, a great benefit that comes with cloud-based solutions is their scalability. Different solutions can meet everyone’s needs, so all that nonprofits have to do is choose what suits them best. For example, they can go with a simpler version of data analysis solutions, but decide on a complex data storage option. 

3. Accessibility

Accessibility is another important benefit. Cloud-based solutions allow easier access for everyone within the organization. In-house solutions can sometimes be too complex for everyone, but that’s not an issue with cloud computing. Sharing documents among team members is much easier and there’s less chance that something gets lost since it’s stored online. Also, sharing documents with someone outside of the organization is much safer in this way. If someone from the organization has sent the wrong link to a third party, they won’t be able to open it without access.  

 4. Improved Collaboration

On the other hand, with a simple “give access”, organizations can share their documents and files. By doing so, their internal and external collaboration happens smoother and faster. With many organizations working remotely, collaboration in terms of knowledge sharing is not easy. But, with cloud-based software, sharing study materials among colleagues is easier. These tools can also help nonprofits with implementing workforce empowerment strategies. Workforce empowerment allows employees to feel more in control of their career path and decision-making process.

5. Enhanced Security

Besides access rights, cloud-based solutions can deal with more complex security threats. For instance, data encryption and threat detection and response can be something where these solutions can help. By integrating security cloud-based software, nonprofits can protect their data from external threads. 

6. Data Analytics and Insights 

If a nonprofit organization is dealing with huge databases, then analyzing them is far from easy. That’s another place where technology for nonprofits, including the Best NPS tools, comes to the rescue. Cloud-based software can offer various data analytics and insights options. From charts, and data summaries, to different visualizations – all with the intention of better understanding data. Depending on the type of software, organizations can analyze different data. Some can be used for tracking website data, while others can help with social media interaction.

7. Compliance and Reporting

 Another great benefit of cloud-based software solutions is compliance. Compliance software and its reporting capabilities help nonprofits have visibility over their cloud assets. By doing so, they reduce the threat risks and ensure a higher protection level of the cloud infrastructure.  

8. Improved Project Management

Project management, tasks, and people organization is a very tough thing to do. There are cloud-based solutions that can help with scheduling and tracking projects. You can combine it with already available meeting scheduling tools and other project management software. In that way, the whole process is more streamlined. For organizations dealing with many projects, such as nonprofits, this can be a lifesaver. Improved project management results in higher productivity since good task organization is the core. 

9. Reduced IT Burden

As already mentioned, nonprofit organizations struggle with resources. Since the IT ones are usually the most expensive, it’s a great plus to overcome them. Cloud-based software offers just that – achieving the same goal, but with reducing the IT burden. When there is data automation, employees feel less IT burden and can allocate their time to more important things. 

10. Enhanced Donor Engagement

Nonprofit organizations live from donations, so it’s crucial to attract and manage donors. Cloud-based software can even help with that. They make it easy to manage donor databases, easily access them, track events, and keep an eye on the payments.  

5 Essential Tools for Nonprofits to Enhance Efficiency 

After explaining the main benefits, let’s see the concrete tools that can provide these benefits. 

• Comidor – automation software 

Comidor is a comprehensive business process management (BPM) and workflow automation software designed to facilitate digital transformation within organizations. Launched in 2004, Comidor offers a platform that empowers businesses to streamline and automate their processes, enhancing efficiency and collaboration. With a focus on cloud-based solutions, Comidor enables scalability, accessibility, and innovation. Its features include process modeling, workflow automation, collaboration tools, app development, and integration capabilities, making it a versatile solution for organizations seeking to optimize and automate their business operations.

• Billdu – invoicing software 

Billdu is a leading invoicing software designed for non-profit organizations, freelancers, and small businesses. It simplifies financial management with a user-friendly, cloud-based system tailored for unique budgeting and accounting needs. Nonprofits can efficiently create, track, and manage invoices, enhancing financial transparency and accuracy

• Slack – collaboration software 

Slack is probably one of the best-known and most-used communication software. It works as a chat platform where organization members can chat and brainstorm ideas. Moreover, it allows users to share files, links, and images. A very user-friendly software that, besides its paid version, also has a free one that offers more than enough features.  

• Donorperfect – donor management software 

Donorperfect helps nonprofits raise money by growing their community of supporters. They offer donor data and insights for a better understanding of where and when the donations are coming from. Also, they help with organizing donor events as well as different donor programs to stimulate donations even more.  

• Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) – cloud storage software

Amazon S3 stands as a versatile and scalable object storage service within the Amazon Web Services (AWS) ecosystem, catering to a diverse array of use cases.

Conclusion

In an increasingly digital world, the power of cloud-based software solutions is huge. Their scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness are crucial for nonprofit organizations. From data security to collaboration, these tools help nonprofits to allocate their resources. By doing so, nonprofits can focus on their core mission and amplify their community impact.  

The post The Benefits of Using SaaS for Nonprofits appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

In this blog, we will take a look at how the implementation of sustainable technologies has created a positive social and environmental impact.

What is Sustainable Technology?

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But if you don’t have strong network support, you might face many issues. So, if you are someone who is looking for a cloud connection with superior data capacity and connectivity to help boost your business growth, direct cloud connectivity is the way to go.  

What Is Direct Cloud Connectivity? 

When your organization’s network is directly connected to the cloud service provider’s data centers and that connection is highly secure, dedicated, and private then it is said to be direct cloud connectivity. You can connect with a cloud services provider of your choice and that too on a point-to-point basis. Moreover, you won’t be using the public internet for it.

How Does Direct Cloud Connectivity Work?

Direct cloud connectivity works by establishing dedicated, private network connections between an organization’s on-premises data center or network and the data centers of cloud service providers (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle). When utilizing direct cloud connectivity, organizations can bypass the public internet and establish a private connection directly to the cloud provider’s network.

The direct connection is typically established through dedicated fiber optic cables or other high-speed networking technologies. This ensures sufficient bandwidth for large-scale data transfers and reduces the risk of network congestion.

Here’s a step-by-step explanation of how direct cloud connectivity works:

1. Select a Cloud Provider: Choose the right cloud service provider offering direct cloud connectivity options.
2. Set Up Dedicated Connections: Provision dedicated network links (physical or virtual) tailored to your needs to connect your organization’s network to the cloud data centers.
3. Configure Network Equipment: Adjust your on-premises network equipment for the new connections, including BGP setup and security measures.
4. Data Transfer and Performance: Start using the connections for data transfer and cloud resource access.
5. Enhance Security and Monitoring: Implement security measures like encryption, access controls, and continuous monitoring for optimal performance and security.
6. Ensure Scalability: Design the solution for scalability to adjust bandwidth and capacity as your organization’s needs evolve.
7. Build Redundancy: Incorporate redundancy and failover mechanisms for high availability and network resilience.

Top 6 Benefits of Direct Cloud Connectivity

As 94% of businesses are adopting cloud services, direct cloud connectivity is slowly becoming an integral aspect of business infrastructure automation. And the recent pandemic has boosted the remote work approach, making these services more critical to the organizations. Using direct cloud connectivity offers tons of benefits. Here are a few of them:

1. Increased Security

The major concern people hold about the cloud is its security. And in recent times breaches have become common news. But you can avoid having a cyber breach at your company by setting up direct cloud connections.   

In comparison to Public Internet Access (PIA), direct cloud connections are more secure. Because the latter are dedicated to the business and therefore have a closed system in contrast to the PIA which is open. This simple difference solves multiple security risks and vulnerabilities that you might see in other types of cloud connections. You can also use guaranteed Service-Level Agreements or SLAs that offer end-to-end protection and eliminate all third-party connections.  

 In a direct cloud connection, the data traffic does not flow between your office or center and the service provider through a public internet. A special connection is provided to you under a direct cloud connection which only you and your authorized personnel can have access to. So, there aren’t any threats of an eavesdropper or middleman here.

2. More Reliability

If you are going to let someone or something handle your information then they better be reliable right? If the system handling your company’s information is not reliable then it affects the quality of your work and then there is always a risk of losing all your data if something goes wrong.  

Moreover, your connection needs to be reliable if you or your employees are handling important files and data to do their job. They will need a secure connection that is easy to access whenever they want. Because any kind of delay in accessing necessary information might lead to huge losses. Easy access also helps them get things done quickly. This helps enhance the productivity of everyone in your company.  

In the previous section, we talked about the data flow between your service provider and your business. One of the advantages of this setup is that it eliminates the need for involvement from third parties. This not only strengthens the security of the connection but also increases its reliability. 

When your connection is not shared with other users, you are unlikely to experience any downtime. And it is highly unlikely that your network will experience congestion and other issues. That ought to improve the overall performance of the cloud and reduce latency. In addition to that, even during peak periods, you can always rely on the connection’s consistent uptime.

3. Impressive Speeds

Your network is reliable if you access it whenever you want even in peak periods as well as you can access your information fast. Studies have proven that in the digital age, people have short attention spans online, and in the case of an emergency every second counts.  

A PIA would be slow as it traverses through a broader user base but a direct cloud connection is faster. You can rely on it to quickly move your data from your device to the cloud, and vice versa. You should be able to access your data, no matter what its size. 

With no middleman or third parties to interrupt your data flow, the connection speed is higher and the latency is reduced. So if you are someone who has to work with large files or use videos frequently in a remote location then such a high-speed connection is more beneficial to your work.   

For instance when a user uploads a file from a device to their cloud storage that file is directly sent to the server that manages the user’s storage service. When access to the same file is requested, the server sends the requested file directly to the device that requested the data. In this way, everything works very fast when you have a direct cloud connection. 

4. Supports Working On-the-Go

The pandemic has changed many companies’ approach to work. Businesses are being flexible and considering hiring remote workers for the job. After all, the GenZ largely prefers to work remotely.  

Direct cloud connectivity allows remote workers to securely connect to the cloud and easily access files or whatever data they want from anywhere in the world. A connection to the public internet would also come with latency and lag time issues which remote workers don’t have to face if they are working with direct cloud connection. 

5. Improves Collaboration

Remote working comes with many benefits. However, the biggest challenge remote work poses is collaboration. It’s hard to collaborate with colleagues on work, and share or access large files across the cloud, especially when it’s done from a very remote location.

What if during an important meeting, your cloud experiences a performance issue? This could harm your company’s reputation and affect the overall productivity as well. That’s why you need a direct cloud connection. 

A direct cloud connection with your app and other cloud services will ensure that you quickly collaborate with your team and clients on the projects securely and efficiently. With an uninterrupted flow of files and communication, not only does your remote work become seamless but also improves overall productivity. 

6. Better Scalability

Scalability is critical for businesses, maybe startups or enterprises. Because the market is continuously changing it keeps altering the requirements of a business. Now, depending on these requirements, a business may have to scale up or scale down at any given moment.

Using a dedicated cloud service won’t require you to invest in any hardware or infrastructure. Moreover, it allows you to quickly add new circuits to add new locations. Everything you need is offered on this single network and traffic management is pretty simple.

Final Thoughts 

Direct cloud connection offers some attractive benefits. From faster downloads/uploads to large storage spaces and many more cloud technologies can help you secure sensitive business information as well as improve productivity. So if your company is considering adapting cloud computing then direct cloud connection can prove to be a game changer for your company.  

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Some as Richard Stallman, GNU Founder warn that “Cloud computing is a trap, because Web-based programs will force people to buy into locked, proprietary systems that will cost more and more over time”

Others have said – including Tim O’Reilly, founder of O’Reilly Media and supporter of free and open software movements – that “open source doesn’t matter in the cloud because that once your computing workloads are hosted on a remote service, the most important things to the customer are reliability, uptime, scalability, interoperability and manageability – not whether or not the cloud software is based on open source”

Most open source licenses, including GPL are mainly concentrated on software copying or conveying issues, clearly not applicable to the Cloud and SaaS model where a software is used as a service. Even modified for the Cloud, licenses such as GNU Affero GPL License, which is designed to close a perceived application service provider “loophole” (the “ASP loophole”) in the ordinary GPL, do not in essence cover the free distribution of a “network server software” between server operators and server users. As a matter of fact, a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) required to publish the application code for a SaaS distributed software covered by the Affero GPL License, is not obliged to publish the Cloud software that he uses to provide the service (either an open source GPL licensed, or a proprietary closed software).

On the other hand, Cloud Computing and Open Source share common goals in minimizing costs by not paying license fees. It is generally accepted that without open software, cloud computing would not be able to grow as rapidly. Today most cloud computing vendors utilize open software to develop their systems such as Red Hat for Cloud Operating System and Infrastructure, Eycalyptous and Openstack for Infrastructure as a Service implementation, The Cloudera for open-source Hadoop software framework, The OpenNebula for Open Source VM Manager The Xen Supervisor for Server virtualization Management, Cloud Foundry and OpenShift for Open Platform as a Service, etc.

To redefine the relationship between open software and cloud computing, one would have to pay homage to the soul of the open source movement.  On the technical front this means respecting the “open” philosophy that deals with software quality and evolution, while on the social/cultural aspect the “free” spirit with the “liberating” meaning of the word has to be maintained.

These two philosophies of the open source movement are represented by the Open Source Initiative (OSI) and the Free Software Foundation (FSF). According to their definitions:

“Free Software Definition states that the user of free software must have the following freedoms:

• The freedom to run the program for any purpose
• The freedom to have access and study the source code
• The freedom to redistribute copies or modified copies of software”

For conventional applications, the meaning of freedom is applied only to the actual software that the end-user is running since the data and infrastructure on which the software runs belong to the user. In contrast, for applications on the cloud, the end-user relies on unreplicable software and infrastructure supplied by the cloud provider. In this case, data are most likely stored in a “multi-tenant environment” and coexist with data from other users (such as other companies, etc), within the same physical device or the same database.

Thus for the end-user, it makes practically no difference even if a software is protected by an open/free license because:

a) The user cannot replicate the whole cloud functionality simply by copying and installing the software.

b) The user is not interested to copy the software since he has not paid any license fees, and theoretically has the freedom to stop his subscription and choose another provider.

Logically free software is useful to the cloud service provider/manager who utilizes the software in its conventional form and not to end-user of the cloud service. In the cloud, the end-user should have the freedom to:

– Adapt the service to his needs.

– Stop using the service.

– Replace an older cloud service with another, or to transfer to a private cloud, or to choose to migrate off the cloud to an on-premise solution.

– Transfer his personal or enterprise data or metadata where he wants.

– Transfer the data interrelations and their design (social data).

To parallel this to a physical relocation scenario, a user-citizen could move to another city or state, maintaining all this personal-company data while also keeping intact all his personal and social relationships (family, friends, acquaintances, etc). This implies a similar freedom in the cloud as one would have in everyday life where we have the freedom to move, change jobs, etc. Of course, because there is no user license that covers such freedom of action each user must carefully review the provided SLA and realize the granted rights and freedoms. If the SLA of a service is not specifically referring to the transfer capabilities of the whole service, then in essence a user is locked-in with the specific service provider.

Open Cloud Doors

Various groups, expressing interesting points of view, try to deal with these cloud issues and contribute in the effort to establish standards. No organization, with similar to the FSF standards, has been established to this date that provides a widely accepted definition an open/free cloud but  many open cloud groups have been created.

Opencloudmanifesto.org  examine the five main challenges for cloud computing, security, data and application interoperability, data and application portability, governance and management, metering and monitoring.

Open Cloud Computing Interface (OCCI) aim is the development of an open specification and API for cloud offerings cloud computing interoperability forum which is an open community promoting the standardization of cloud computing technologies.

DMTF Cloud Management Working Group has developed the Cloud Infrastructure Management Interface (CIMI) work-in-progress  specifications to help improve cloud management interoperability.

Open Software Service Definition (OSSD) states that open software service is one:

– Whose data is open as defined by the open definition with the exception that where the data is personal in nature the data need only be made available to the user (i.e. the owner of that account).

– Whose source code is Free/Open Source Software (that is available under a license in the OSI or FSF approved list), and made available to the users of the service.

It is apparent that with the rapid in-progress evolution of the Cloud the meaning of an Open Free Cloud will increasingly challenge the user, technical, scientific, and legal community.

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