Experts have warned as cyber-crime is on the increase, cloud users should ensure the technology they are using is secure.

"The toll of cyber-crime appears to be rising as criminals become more sophisticated and more focused on financial gain," said Grant Buckler, information technology expert.

"And while businesses are doing a bit better at protecting themselves, criminals have become better at bypassing the standard security measures."

Studies have shown security concerns to be one of the greatest barriers when it comes to cloud adoption. 35 per cent of 300 small and medium sized businesses cited this as their main concern when surveyed by ITBusiness.ca.

Brian Baird, chair of non-profit Cloud Security Alliance and chief technology officer of Identity Management Centre of Excellence, said cloud isn't necessarily less secure than other storage methods.

"If you’re running a completely isolated and private network on your own premises then there’s a pretty good likelihood of control," said Baird.

Baird also suggested since good security is costly, a major cloud service provider can usually do the job better than a small to medium business.

Lead analyst at Info-Tech Research Group, James Quinn, said the basics of security should be adhered to for cloud users - such as keeping anti-malware software up to date, applying security patches to software promptly and protecting the perimeter through firewalls.

Those contemplating a move to the cloud should consider "some kind of third-party validation of that cloud or the technology powering that cloud," said Eran Farajun, executive vice-president of Asigra Inc.

Written by Louise Boyd

Make sure your cloud is secure, urge experts