Storing information in the cloud has become increasingly popular in the last couple of years. It allows organizations to access their data from any location, on any device. Storing data remotely has a lot of advantages, but with it also comes risk. Users of Office 365 are no exception to these risks. A study done a couple of years ago by Aberdeen found that 47% of cloud data loss is because of human error, not outside threats. So the question remains, is your Office 365 data secure?
The reality is that no data is ever secure from user error. Mistakenly deleting files, accidentally overwriting files, improperly saving files are just a few common errors that can occur. It is true that Microsoft backs up all Office 365 data in case of disaster, but it can not however, protect data loss caused by your own mistakes. Microsoft is quoted saying “with Office 365, it’s your data. You own it. You control it. And it is yours to take with you if you decide to leave the service.” So, if you lose a file by your own negligence, you can never get it back.
But your data can still be secure. Office 365 can be secured through third-party solutions. Cloud-to-cloud back-up solutions offer the ability to restore and retrieve data in case of human error. Another option is for an organization to implement a “no delete” policy. Having this policy in place will train your employees to not delete and hopefully encourage them to backup items on their own regularly. Office 365 doesn’t automatically empty the deleted folder, so items can usually be found later.
The reality of our world is that any software or program, including Office 365, can be exposed to a security breach. It is also true that the users of all of these programs are the ones that usually cause the most harm. Data loss is a major risk with any cloud application. It could be caused by any number of reasons such as accidental deletion or unexpected sync errors. Your data is your responsibility and backing it up regularly and in more than one place is the safest way to go.
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