Cloud computing

Using computing services, such as storage, software, servers and email, delivered over the internet by a provider instead of running them on your own equipment.

Cloud computing includes familiar services such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, online accounting platforms and file-sharing tools, as well as infrastructure services where businesses rent servers and storage from providers like Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services. You generally pay by subscription or usage rather than buying hardware up front.

The cloud can improve reliability and make remote work easier, but it does not remove your security responsibilities. Under what is often called the shared responsibility model, the provider secures its data centres and platform, while you remain responsible for your accounts, settings, access and data. Many cloud breaches result from weak passwords, misconfigured sharing or missing multi-factor authentication rather than flaws in the provider itself. Some Alberta organizations also need to consider where data is stored, for example to meet client contracts or sector-specific rules.

Practical tip: review sharing settings and administrator access in your main cloud services, enable multi-factor authentication for everyone, and confirm how your cloud data is backed up.