Is your data secure in the cloud? Security concerns surrounding sensitive information stored on third-party servers is an issue that’s discouraging a quarter of business owners from offering employees the benefits of telecommuting, according to the findings of a recent YouGov Omnibus study.
The study, which polled over 2,000 UK adults, found that 23% of employers weren’t offering remote working because they were concerned about data security and loss of productivity. Just over one in ten (12%) stated their company’s IT systems weren’t up to date enough to facilitate remote working.
In defence of telecommuting
If you’re not sold on the idea of telecommuting due to a concern about a dip in productivity, there’s a fair bit of evidence out there to suggest that offering remote working actually makes employees more engaged and more productive.
For instance, another finding of the YouGov Omnibus study was that over half (54%) of employees are now able to work remotely, and almost a third (30%) of those remote workers report it actually improves their productivity.
And offering remote working could also be key if you want to attract and retain the best talent, as almost three-quarters (70%) of those polled said it’s important for businesses to allow their employees to work remotely, compared to less than a quarter (22%) who believe it’s unimportant.
Another study on remote working took the views of 509 full-time remote U.S. employees, compared their responses to benchmarks calculated from “over 200,000 employees across all work arrangements”, and found those who had the opportunity to work away from the office were happier, more productive, and felt more valued.
If productivity isn’t a problem, it could come down to security concerns, so how does the cloud stand up when it comes to the safe storage of data?
How to stay safe in the cloud
Cloud computing is an effective way to cut business costs and improve the efficiency of your IT systems, as data is stored on dedicated third-party servers, saving your company the expense and time of setting up and maintaining its own server network.
Once you switch to cloud computing services, both you and your employees can access company data and applications using any device, anywhere there’s an internet connection.
But even though the cloud offers greater convenience and can cut overheads, it seems most of us are still reluctant to trust it with our sensitive data – only 10% of the world’s data is stored in the there.
If you’re concerned about the security of your critical data and systems when employees are given remote access, this infographic from business software specialists, Sage, outlines everything you need to know to stay safe in the cloud…
