When you are choosing or renewing cloud services for your business, it's essential to review the security measures your suppliers have in place. This means checking how they protect your data, prevent unauthorised access, and respond to incidents. Doing this at the right time—typically during the tender or procurement process—helps you avoid costly downtime, data breaches, and compliance issues later on.
Why security reviews matter for UK SMEs
Cloud services often hold sensitive business and customer information, so weak security can lead to data loss or theft. This risks damaging your reputation, losing customer trust, and potentially breaching UK data protection laws like the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. Additionally, poor security can cause service outages that disrupt staff productivity and your ability to serve customers.
A typical scenario
Imagine a UK SME with around 50 employees moving its email and file storage to a cloud provider. Without reviewing the provider's security during the tender, they might select one that lacks multi-factor authentication (MFA) or proper data encryption. Months later, a cyber attack compromises accounts, causing data loss and forcing costly recovery efforts. A proactive IT partner would have helped include security requirements in the tender and assessed providers' compliance with standards like Cyber Essentials Plus or ISO 27001, reducing this risk.
What to check when reviewing cloud service security
- Ask about data protection: How is your data encrypted at rest and in transit? Where are the data centres located?
- Authentication and access control: Does the provider support MFA? How do they manage user permissions?
- Incident response: What processes are in place if a breach occurs? How quickly do they notify customers?
- Compliance and certifications: Do they hold recognised certifications like Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO 27001, or PCI DSS if relevant?
- Backup and recovery: How often is data backed up? Can you restore data quickly if needed?
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs): What uptime guarantees and penalties are included?
- Audit readiness: Can they provide audit reports or support your own compliance checks?
- Internal checks: Review your own access lists and password policies to ensure they align with supplier controls.
Next steps
Security should be a key part of your cloud service tender process, not an afterthought. By asking the right questions and comparing providers on clear security criteria, you reduce risks to your business and customers. Speak with a trusted managed IT provider or IT advisor who understands UK SME needs and compliance requirements to help you design a thorough security review for your cloud suppliers.