Cloud storage solutions offer a multitude of benefits to businesses small and large when it comes to easy installation, reduced maintenance, and flexible scalability, so it's no surprise that experts predict 83% of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud by 2020. However, one particular issue always crops up when discussing cloud storage - security.

Similar to any technology in its initial rise to popularity, cloud services have been subject to heavy hitting attacks by hackers, leading to some notable examples of data or financial loss. Cases like this are likely why 66% of IT professionals stated security as their most significant concern in adopting a cloud computing strategy in 2017, despite the fact that the vast majority of cloud security failures are due to the end-user's actions or lack there of - not the cloud service provider.

It seems these concerns are dwindling, though, with a recent Barracuda Networks survey revealing some interesting findings around increasing cloud confidence.

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The survey of over 850 security professionals from around the world reveals a growing confidence in public cloud deployments. Over 40% of users now believe public cloud environments to be as secure as on-premise environments, with 21% even claiming they are more secure. On top of this, 60% say they are 'fairly' or 'very' confident that their organisation's use of cloud technology is secure.

This makes sense as, after all, cloud providers are able to run much more modern, secure infrastructures than many organisations could in-house. This means that cloud customers can benefit from the latest technology as opposed to legacy-heavy in-house environments.

One key note for users to keep in mind to mitigate cloud-related risks effectively is to find the right third-party solution for their business needs - ideally one including secure encryption of data and multi-factor authentication - and to establish a full understanding of shared responsibility in cloud environments.

However, it isn't all good news. Survey respondents still showed reluctance around hosting highly sensitive data in the cloud, with customer information and internal financial data topping the list with 53% and 55% respectively. As much as it is always good to be cautious with your more sensitive business data, it is worth mentioning that on-premise solutions can be compromised by hackers too, with the additional threat of physical damage too, so maybe it's time to take that leap of faith and make your move to the cloud.

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For more information about moving your data to the cloud, check out our Ultimate Guide to Cloud-to-Cloud Backup for Office 365 - this covers everything you need to know about the popular solution, from the business needs driving it, to the limitations of Microsoft's built-in protections, and a breakdown of all the key features and benefits.