The extensive benefits offered by cloud computing has encouraged many businesses to switch to this technology. Scalability, virtualized resources, better data security, streamlined processes and flexible infrastructure costs are some of its advantages that have helped businesses to work in a more efficient manner. However, one of the major decisions is choosing between the deployment of public and private cloud.

Given below are a few factors that need to be considered while deciding the right data hosting solution for your business:

Budget

If you own a small or medium business, you can go for public cloud. It is essentially a pay-as-you-go model in which the customers have to pay according to the resources used on the cloud. Also, you would not have to incur any costs on the management of hardware/software and hiring a dedicated IT staff.
On the other hand, if you have a large enterprise that requires to store a huge amount of data for long time periods, private cloud can be a more cost-effective option. You will have a better control over the customization of storage, networking components, virtual servers, hardware etc.

Security And Compliance

If your business operations do not involve storing and processing sensitive information, public cloud can adequately accommodate your requirements. As the hardware, storage and network devices are hosted by third party providers as well as shared among different users, meeting PCI, HIPAA or SOQ guidelines may not be possible. Private clouds are dedicated to and managed by a single organization. Hence, you can limit external and internal access to important files, implement firewall technologies and apply stringent security policies.

Hardware And Virtual Server Control

With a public cloud, you do not have any control over the hardware and network on which your virtual server will be placed. Only your cloud service provider is authorized to decide on all these aspects. If you need complete control over the technical issues related to the cloud, you should opt for private cloud. You can specify and customize the hardware, storage and network performance according to the requirements of your business.

Reliability

Reliability and operational efficiency can be quite a major concern in case of public cloud. Even if the providers conduct frequent testing procedures, outages are common due to excessive load on the network. This can affect your organization’s ability to function. Private cloud ensures uninterrupted services to the users by transferring to another server if such a situation occurs.

We, at Centex Technologies, provide efficient IT security solutions to the business firms in Dallas, TX. For more information, you can call us at (972) 375 – 9654.

Malvertizing, or malicious advertizing, is a cyber-threat that involves disguising spam code into online advertizements that seem to be legitimate. When a user hovers or clicks on any of these ads, it leads to downloading malicious software that can damage data, steal confidential information or even get complete remote access of the infected computer. Malvertizing attempts to exploit the unpatched software vulnerabilities in a computer without any need to compel the user to visit a malicious website.

How Does Malvertizing Work?

Malvertizements can appear on a website in any of the following ways:

• Legitimate Ads: The cybercriminal initially places a number of malware free advertizements on a credible website that allows third party ads. Eventually, he may inject a malicious code into the advertizement to infect maximum computers before it is banned or removed.
• Pop-Ups: Pop-ups can infect a user’s computer the moment the ad appears on the web page. In some cases, the malware may also be installed when the views clicks on ‘X’ to close the pop-up.

How To Protect Against Malvertizing?

• Disable Auto Play For Plug-ins: When you choose auto play for plug-ins, all Java and Flash elements will automatically run when you visit a web page. As most malvertizing attacks involve the use of malicious plug-ins, make sure you have complete control over the ones that you need to run.
• Remove Unused Plug-Ins: You should disable or uninstall all the browser plug-ins that you do not use, including Java. This will reduce the probability of a malvertizing attack by limiting the number of vulnerable software that can be exploited by the cybercriminals.
• Update Your Web Browser: Your web browser should be regularly updated to fix any security flaws. You can enable automatic updates to keep your browser protected against malvertizing attacks. If you have a plug-in installed, make sure they are frequently updated with the latest versions.
• Stay Informed: You should always be cautious of pop-ups that claim to remove malware or increase the speed of your computer. Do not click on any of these links as they may inject a malicious code or download spam software to your computer. Anti-virus, anti-malware software and browser toolbars should also not be installed through an advertizement or pop-up link. 

We, at Centex Technologies, provide complete cybersecurity solutions to the businesses in Dallas, TX. For more information, you can call us at (972) 375 – 9654.