The cloud is neither safe nor unsafe in itself; what determines security is whose responsibility the data sits under, who can access it and how it is backed up. If you can answer these three questions clearly, your data is safe whether it is on your own server or in the cloud; if you cannot, changing its location will not solve the problem.
When a new piece of software, a customer assistant or a booking system is being discussed, one question comes up often: “Where will our data be stored, in the cloud? Is the cloud safe?” It is a fair question. But it often focuses on the wrong thing: which building the data physically sits in. What actually determines whether data is safe is less its location than who protects it, who can open it and how it comes back if it is lost.
Own server versus cloud: where is the real difference?
“Our own server” usually means a computer in a corner of the office or a server rented from a hosting company. “The cloud” means servers running in the data centre of a large infrastructure provider. The differences between the two show up in these areas:
- Physical protection. A server in the office is exposed to fire, flooding, power cuts and theft. Data centres have dedicated measures against these risks.
- Updates and maintenance. On your own server, someone has to install operating system and software updates regularly. An update that is not installed means a known vulnerability waiting at the door.
- Control. On your own server everything is in your hands; that is both an advantage and a burden. In the cloud the provider manages part of the infrastructure, and you manage your share.
In short, your own server means “we protect it ourselves”; but if nobody is actually doing that, the data may not be as well protected as people think.
Who protects what? Shared responsibility
In the cloud, security is split between two parties. The provider protects the building, the hardware and the basic infrastructure. The account, the passwords, who can see which file, the application itself and control over the backups are usually managed by the customer or by the software company working on its behalf. A large share of data leaks come not from the infrastructure being broken into, but from a misconfigured sharing link, a weak or shared password, or the account of someone who left the company and was never closed. These mistakes can be made just as easily in the cloud as on your own server.
Backups: the most forgotten half of security
Security is not only about stopping someone with bad intentions from reaching the data; it is also about the data not being lost. A disk can fail, an employee can delete a folder by mistake, ransomware can lock the files. In these situations the only rescue is a backup taken regularly and kept in a separate place. The questions to ask are:
- How often is the backup taken?
- Is the backup kept separately from where the main data is stored?
- How long are backups retained?
- When was restoring from a backup last tested?
The last question is especially important: a backup that has never been tested is a backup that has not been proven to work. For URİKEM products, we have set out clearly in the data security section where customer, booking and assistant records are stored, how often they are backed up and how long they are retained.
Access: who can see the data?
Who can open the data matters as much as where it is stored. In a system where everyone logs in with the same username, nobody knows who changed what. In a good setup, each person has their own account, everyone sees only the data they need for their job, the access of someone who leaves is closed the same day and, where possible, a second verification step is required at login. The same logic applies to websites and admin panels; keeping the site up to date, monitoring it and backing it up are part of this work. We describe how we handle this in our site maintenance and security product.
When AI comes into the picture
With an AI-powered tool, an additional question arises: what happens when text is sent to the AI service? We cover this separately in the article does AI learn from your data. In short: the data sent should be kept to a minimum, the contract should state whether the service provider uses the data for model training, and if the data is transferred abroad, this requires separate notice and consent with regard to personal data.
Questions to ask before deciding
- In which country, and on which provider’s infrastructure, is the data stored?
- Who manages the infrastructure, and who manages the application and the accounts?
- How often is the backup taken, where is it kept and how long is it retained?
- Who has access, and how is access revoked?
- If the service ends, in what format do we get our data back?
Points to watch
Do not base your decision on general statements such as “the cloud is safe” or “our own server is safer”. Both options are safe when managed properly and risky when neglected. If you process personal data, where it is stored and whether it is transferred abroad also matter under KVKK (Turkey’s personal data protection law); get the opinion of your own legal adviser on this. Ask the software company you work with for written answers to the questions above; a company that cannot answer them may not know how it protects your data either.
Frequently asked questions
Is the cloud safer than our own server?
Not automatically. The cloud provider protects the physical infrastructure; accounts, passwords, access rights and control over backups remain the responsibility of you or your software company. Both options can be safe when managed properly.
What should we do to back up our data?
Make sure the backup is taken regularly, kept in a place separate from the main data and retained for a defined period. Most importantly, restoring from the backup should actually be tested from time to time.
If we leave the service, can we get our data back?
This should be written into the contract from the start. Before you begin, ask in what format (for example Excel or CSV) the data will be handed over when the service ends and how it will be deleted afterwards.
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