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Cybersecurity is – and always will be – of the utmost importance to businesses around the world. The onset of advanced technologies and Industry 4.0 has ushered in a new age of security in the cloud, and with it a growing list of potential threats. For manufacturers, these threats are becoming more critical than ever. This digital transformation, paired with an increase in the utilization of interconnected technologies, can magnify the concerns of manufacturers.

Navigating to the Cloud

For decades, manufacturers stored their mission-critical data using on-premise solutions, so when the first cloud providers made cloud computing available in the mid-2000s, there were valid concerns about moving it off-premise. Housing such important data on-premise had been the norm for so long; it was safe, reliable and maintenance convenient. Cloud companies had to adapt – not simply by providing a safe computing environment, but one that could be proven to be much, much safer for growing enterprises.

Today, managing everything in the cloud – from operations and supply chains to customers and factories – is commonplace for manufacturers due to the wide array of security measures put in place. Security-conscious cloud providers now offer cloud environments that are far safer than most on-premise solutions, and at a much lower cost. With more secure cloud computing environments, more manufacturers – and their critical business processes – are making the move to the cloud. But regardless, there are security concerns and fears that are worth considering when making the switch.

Cloud Security is Ever Evolving

In a recent article written for Security Magazine, Rob Janssens, QAD’s senior manager of process and compliance, highlights important security concerns to be aware of when navigating the cloud security landscape. The lack of testing and scanning capabilities, for example, creates a vulnerability for manufacturers. Since most manufacturers aren’t security experts, it is crucial that the cloud provider use vulnerability assessment tools and best practices to address vulnerability testing and environment scanning. Establishing a Vulnerability Management program, in this case, is a key to success in the cloud.

“Manufacturers often do not have the expertise, time, tools or automated ways to conduct ongoing testing and scanning of systems. It does not make sense to wait until an attack happens to find out if defenses are strong enough.” – Rob Janssens, Senior Manager of Process and Compliance, QAD

Global manufacturers running on QAD Cloud ERP can take advantage of full-featured performance along with the security needed for mission-critical applications. QAD data centers enable the security and reliability ERP customers need, exceeding those of most in-house IT environments. In compliance with GDPR, QAD has implemented its cloud environments using industry best practices and maintains numerous certifications for its cloud environments, such as ISO27001, SSAE18 and CSA Star.

To learn more about the top cloud security concerns to consider and suggestions on how cloud companies can address them, read the full story.

1 COMMENT

  1. Thank you for sharing these tips. We will be using some of these in our upcoming projects as well. Looking forward to more of your content.

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