How to ensure your site is secure

A survey conducted by Peer 1 Hosting revealed that 25% of businesses are moving data outside of the US as a result of privacy scandals; 96% consider security and 82% consider data privacy their top concerns. There’s no denying the impact the NSA scandal has had on businesses globally, leaving the majority to wonder how to prevent their site from being compromised. 76% of eCommerce decision makers believe website experience directly impacts public brand perception. If your website is your livelihood therefore why would you compromise this?

Stolen data can result in fleeing customers, a damaged reputation and high recovery costs. In an ideal world, security and risk management teams would be able to sink as much cash as possible into their company's digital ecosystem to protect it. Most of them however, especially at the smaller end of the spectrum, struggle to find room in the budget for highly secure architecture.

Concerns over data ownership and control at the application level can be addressed by clearly defining who is responsible for maintenance of software in the cloud environment. If the host offers some of its own software, companies should ensure they would maintain ownership over the data that flows through those applications.
Cloud security usually revolves around the service level agreement and ensuring that the provider follows best practices. The problem with assuming there are best practices however is that every business has unique IT and operating environments. This means that even if focus is placed on a specific category such as application security, businesses might actually be in need of a different solution to properly protect their data.

The move away from the one-size-fits all approach to IT security has led to a growing need to customise intrusion detection systems to unique IT environments. Fine-tuning traffic thresholds, for example, can lower the risk of false alarms while increasing the likelihood that a real attack can be prevented.

Most data centres have smart monitoring features such as Relentless Intrusion Detection, which quickly alerts if humans, network worms or bots are attacking the system. The high level of automation in the tools used to detect cyber attacks in the cloud is a desirable feature, as business’s internal IT departments don't need to be constantly watching the company's network.

As well as the financial investment businesses make when choosing their hosting, they are also investing their faith and trust in the hosting provider’s abilities. The physical security of a data centre plays a crucial role in ensuring data is kept safe. In a well-protected data centre access is limited and closely monitored, with security guards present round-the-clock. More advanced data centres will use fingerprint, voice or DNA authentication through biometric access control systems, as well as interior and exterior CCTV.

Trusted hosting providers offering recognisable network security features, backed up by the promise of physical data centre protection, can increase peace of mind.