Do IT Managers Really Understand the Cloud?

What do IT managers really know about how their company uses the cloud? Is there a confusion in the industry that leaves the door open for MSPs to be of value?

Cloud-based file sharing has been around for a while now. Most companies have adopted it into their business in one form or another, even if they aren’t aware of it.

Recent surveys show IT professionals may not have control over cloud use in their companies, opening the door for  MSPs to help businesses understand and implement cloud sharing.

44 percent of corporate data stored in the cloud environment is not managed or controlled by the IT department.

While IT departments are responsible for the flow of information in the organization, much of the cloud-based file sharing that goes on is not monitored by IT managers. One of the biggest reasons for this are employees bringing their own devices (BYOD) and how companies implement BYOD policies. Many of the cloud services used by employees are deployed by individual departments or by the employees themselves.

Only 34 percent of organizations have a security policy in place for using cloud computing resources.

IT managers admit that it is more difficult to protect sensitive information in the cloud using conventional security methods. As a result, many don’t have any safeguards in place to control the information that is sent through the cloud. IT departments need to learn to leverage the new forms of cloud security rather than rely on traditional security methods.

35 percent of IT professionals say it is a shared responsibility between the cloud user and the cloud provider, while 33 percent say it is the responsibility of the cloud user and 32 percent say it is the responsibility of the cloud provider.

This stat helps shed some light on how so many security measures fall through the cracks. Simply put, IT departments don’t know who is in charge of cloud security. Companies need to specifically define who is responsible for what when setting up their cloud based file sharing. MSPs working with IT departments should carefully outline what the business and its users will be responsible for when putting together a cloud network.

Only 52 percent of IT managers believe threats exist.

This statistic is particularly concerning and telling. IT departments need to understand the added risk that cloud sharing puts on their information if they are going to prioritize securing it. IT managers should not wait until the first breach to learn that their information is at risk. (And this is usually the case as IT managers get more experienced. For IT managers aged 55 and up, 87 percent believed there were threats from cloud security.)

Many IT managers simply don’t have the same knowledge or experience with cloud security as an MSP does. Bringing this expertise to a company is one of the major ways an MSP can set themselves apart from the internal team. Becoming an expert in cloud based file sharing is a way to differentiate from competition and prove real value to the company.