Cloud Security is the set of practices and tools that protect the data your agency stores in cloud platforms — your email, AMS, file storage, CRM, and so much more.
A common misconception is that once data is “in the cloud,” it is automatically secure. Cloud providers do work hard to protect their own operations, and they keep your data safe on their side — but that only covers their part. How your agency sets up and uses those platforms is still on you, and that is where most breaches actually start. Understanding why comes down to one concept: the shared responsibility model.
Cloud providers like Microsoft and Google secure the infrastructure — physical data centers, servers, and the underlying network. That part genuinely is handled for you and handled well.
What they don’t do automatically is secure how you use the platform. Is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) turned on? Who has access to which files? Was a previous employee’s account ever deactivated? Is a shared drive link set to “anyone with the link?” All of that is on you.
The provider secures the building; you are still responsible for locking the office door.
Most agencies don’t think of themselves as “cloud-heavy,” but the reality usually is: your email platform, agency management system, document storage, and often your CRM are all cloud-based.
Agencies that assume “the cloud handles security” are the ones most likely to have a misconfigured setting, an over-permissioned shared folder, or a former employee account still active months after they left.
Cloud security for an agency comes down to the half your provider doesn’t cover: who has access to what, whether MFA is on everywhere, whether old accounts and open share links have been cleaned up.
Those settings mentioned above are what stand between a normal Tuesday and a breach — and most agencies have never had anyone actually look at them. That review is what a cybersecurity assessment is: a review of your agency’s current security setup, completed to find out if your agency is exposed before someone attempts to exploit it and to ensure regulatory compliance.