Introduction

As organizations increasingly migrate their data and applications to the cloud, security considerations have become paramount. While the benefits of cloud computing are evident in terms of scalability, cost-efficiency, and agility, it’s essential to maintain robust security measures throughout the migration process. In this article, we will explore security best practices for cloud migration, covering key aspects such as data protection, access control, compliance, and risk management. By adhering to these practices, organizations can ensure a secure transition to the cloud while safeguarding sensitive information.

1. Conduct a Comprehensive Security Assessment

Before embarking on a cloud migration services journey, it’s crucial to conduct a comprehensive security assessment of your current infrastructure. This assessment should encompass the following areas:

1. Data Classification

Classify your data based on its sensitivity and importance. Identify which data requires the highest levels of security, such as personally identifiable information (PII) or financial records.

1. Vulnerability Scanning

Perform vulnerability scanning to identify weaknesses and potential security risks in your existing infrastructure. Address any vulnerabilities before migrating to the cloud.

1. Compliance Audit

Ensure your current infrastructure complies with relevant industry-specific regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS. Identify any compliance gaps that need to be addressed in the cloud environment.

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2. Choose a Secure Cloud Service Provider (CSP)

Selecting a reputable and secure cloud service provider is a critical initial step in cloud migration. Consider the following factors when choosing a CSP:

1. Security Certifications

Look for CSPs that have achieved industry-recognized security certifications and compliance standards, such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, or FedRAMP.

1. Data Encryption

Ensure that the CSP offers strong encryption mechanisms for data at rest and in transit. Encryption helps protect your data from unauthorized access.

1. Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Evaluate the CSP’s IAM features, including role-based access control (RBAC), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and fine-grained access policies.

1. Security Features

Review the CSP’s built-in security features, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and security information and event management (SIEM) tools.

3. Implement Strong Authentication and Access Control

Effective identity and access management are crucial for maintaining security in the cloud. Follow these best practices:

1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Implement MFA for all user accounts to add an extra layer of security. MFA requires users to provide multiple forms of verification before gaining access.

1. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Assign roles and permissions based on job responsibilities. Limit access to resources to only those who need it, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

1. Regularly Review and Update Access Permissions

Regularly review and update access permissions to ensure that users have the appropriate level of access. Remove unnecessary access privileges promptly.

4. Secure Data in Transit and at Rest

Protecting data in transit and at rest is fundamental to cloud security. Employ these measures:

1. Transport Layer Security (TLS)

Use TLS encryption to secure data in transit between your organization and the cloud provider. This ensures that data remains confidential during transmission.

1. Data Encryption

Encrypt sensitive data at rest using strong encryption algorithms. Ensure that encryption keys are managed securely and independently from the data.

1. Tokenization

Consider tokenization for sensitive data. Tokenization replaces sensitive information with unique tokens, reducing the risk of data exposure.

5. Implement Robust Network Security

Effective network security is essential to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches. Consider the following network security practices:

1. Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

Leverage a VPC or similar technology to create a private, isolated network within the cloud environment. This provides an additional layer of security.

1. Network Segmentation

Segment your network to isolate different parts of your infrastructure. This minimizes the potential impact of a security breach.

1. Web Application Firewalls (WAFs)

Deploy a WAF to protect web applications from common web-based threats, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

1. Regular Network Monitoring

Implement continuous network monitoring to detect and respond to suspicious activities promptly.

6. Maintain Strong Authentication and Authorization Policies

Authentication and authorization policies are the cornerstone of cloud security. Ensure these policies are well-defined and consistently enforced:

1. Least Privilege Principle

Follow the principle of least privilege, granting users and systems only the permissions necessary to perform their tasks.

1. Strong Password Policies

Enforce strong password policies that require complex passwords and regular password changes.

1. Regular Access Reviews

Conduct regular access reviews to ensure that user permissions align with their roles and responsibilities.

7. Secure Application Development

If your migration involves custom applications, prioritize secure development practices:

1. Secure Coding Standards

Enforce secure coding standards and conduct code reviews to identify and remediate security vulnerabilities.

1. Regular Application Scanning

Use automated tools to scan applications for vulnerabilities regularly. Address identified issues promptly.

1. Security Testing

Perform penetration testing and security assessments on your applications to identify weaknesses and strengthen security.

8. Data Backup and Disaster Recovery

Implement robust data backup and disaster recovery (DR) plans:

1. Regular Backups

Regularly back up data to ensure it can be recovered in the event of data loss or a cyberattack.

1. Offsite Backups

Store backups in an offsite location to protect against physical disasters that could affect your primary data center.

1. Test DR Plans

Periodically test your DR plans to ensure they are effective and can minimize downtime in the event of a disaster.

9. Security Monitoring and Incident Response

Maintain continuous security monitoring and a well-defined incident response plan:

1. Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Implement SIEM solutions to monitor and correlate security events across your cloud environment.

1. Incident Response Plan

Develop a comprehensive incident response plan that outlines roles, responsibilities, and actions to take in the event of a security incident.

1. Regular Drills

Conduct incident response drills and simulations to ensure your team is prepared to respond effectively.

10. Compliance and Auditing

Compliance with industry-specific regulations is critical. Consider the following:

1. Regular Auditing

Conduct regular security audits and compliance assessments to identify and address non-compliance issues.

1. Automated Compliance Checks

Use automated tools to check and enforce compliance with regulatory requirements.

1. Documentation

Maintain detailed documentation of your security policies, procedures, and compliance efforts for auditing purposes.

Conclusion

Security is a paramount concern throughout the cloud migration journey. Implementing these best practices for security will help safeguard your data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud. By conducting comprehensive security assessments, choosing a secure cloud service provider, and diligently enforcing strong authentication, access control, and data protection measures, organizations can mitigate risks and confidently embrace the benefits of cloud computing while maintaining the highest standards of security.

Google’s hegemony is indisputable. In the Western world, it is the most used search engine holding more than 90% of the market share. Far behind him, his most serious “competitor” is none other than Bing, the search engine made in Microsoft holding nearly 3% of the market share. Then come Yahoo, Baidoo (Russian engine) and Yandex (Chinese engines) and the others who share the crumbs… Thus, when we talk about SEO, we tend to confuse Google. It is true that the dogmas of natural referencing are enacted to meet above all the requirements of the latter. But are there other alternative search engines on which the rules of SEO also apply? Are there engines offering another type of search and SEO on which it would be wise to position yourself? To put it another way, can we take advantage of the advantages of SEO without going through Google?

The answer to all these questions is of course “YES”. We are therefore going to give an overview of alternative search engines to Google and the different types of natural referencing. Hoping that this can be beneficial to your popularity on the web!

What is a search engine?

Summary

• What is a search engine?
  • SEO on search engines
• Alternative search engines
  • Bing
  • Yahoo
  • Duck Go
  • Ecosia
  • Qwant
  • Other search engines
• Search engine market share
• Does SEO only apply to the Google search engine?
  • SEO: an effective strategy on all platforms
• Should I be listed on an alternative search engine?
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • What are the alternative search engines that companies can look into for their SEO?
  • How to adapt to SEO on alternative search engines?
  • Why not just focus on Google for SEO?

Before getting to the heart of the matter, it is good to go back to the very definition of an internet search engine. Indeed, the term “search engine” is not necessarily associated with search results on the web. For example, on your operating system, whether Windows or macOS, you have the option of entering your searches in the latter’s menu. A search engine associated with this system will therefore start up and return a list of relevant results to you according to the query entered.

On the World Wide Web (the famous www.) search engines work on the same principle. Their goal is to display the most relevant search results for Internet users based on ranking criteria.

SEO on search engines

Take the most telling case, that of Google. In recent times, the SEO and search results ranking algorithm has been modified a lot with the aim of favoring pages rich in unique, varied and relevant content. All this so that the first search results are the most likely to respond to the entries of Internet users. It has focused a lot on the user experience, abandoning certain natural referencing criteria to fight against excesses (mass purchase of external links, keyword stuffing, hidden text in the script of HTML pages, etc.).

Each search engine has its own SEO for Recruitment Agencies algorithm. Thus, the criteria of SEO – natural referencing – vary according to the strategy of each engine. But let’s be honest, if Google is the most popular engine, it is also because it is considered by many to be the most efficient. Its competitors (like Bing, to name a few) are therefore trying to follow the same path by keeping certain specificities in an attempt to stand out.

Thus, being well referenced on Google is often synonymous with a good ranking on the majority of search engines.

Alternative search engines

Alt txt = Internet search engine

Although the Google search engine is the most popular (and the most used), you should know that it is not alone. There are other ways to access results pages based on your queries. Here is an overview of the most popular alternative search engines.

Bing

Bing has been the Windows search engine since 2009. Proud successor to MSN Search, Windows Live Search and Live Search, it is Google’s most serious competitor. Bing has a very complex natural referencing algorithm, taking into account more than 1000 signals. In particular, it is very advanced in the indexing of videos and images. Just like Google, it also offers several search options (sites, images, videos, maps, news, shopping, etc.).

On the other hand, it is commonly accepted that Bing is less good than Google at understanding the context around a query. It is therefore not as good as the latter in the relevance of its results. Bing is used more by an older audience than by Internet users born after the year 2000. It may therefore be wise to seek to reference you on it if you are targeting this audience. In addition, it offers lower advertising costs than its 4-color competitor.

Yahoo

Among the search engines present since the beginnings of the Internet, Yahoo! is somewhat of an exception; it is still widely used today. Indeed, the latter has existed on the web since 2005 and remains the third most used search engine in the world. This is also the search engine used by default by the Firefox browser.

As a good underdog, Yahoo! is obviously more than just a search engine and has its own ecosystem (with Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Answers). It also offers search by site, image, video or news.

Duck Go

Many criticize the sometimes-vague terms regarding privacy on Google. Data protection, search history and query tracking (officially to improve the user experience) are controversial today.

It is therefore to meet this growing need to regain a certain “digital intimacy” that DuckDuckGo was developed. This engine directly integrates private browsing and even has an extension to activate it on the Google Chrome browser. It does not collect the IP address or personal data of users to maintain their privacy. In other words, he advocates anonymous research.

You should also know that DuckDuckGo is what is called a “metasearch engine”. That is to say that he simultaneously solicits several search engines (including Bing, Yelp, Yahoo! or even Wikipedia) and summarizes the answers obtained for his search results. In total, more than 400 reference sites are used. The sobriety of the engine interface has also contributed to its success (but this remains at the discretion of each).

Ecosia

Ecosia is a search engine that is part of an eco-responsible approach. Indeed, the ecological impact of search engines – particularly with regard to data storage and the energy consumption of servers – is still little known to the general public. Nevertheless, many users are beginning to worry about their digital sobriety, and this requires the use of engines aware of environmental issues such as Ecosia.

Thus, this German ecological search engine works for the reduction of CO 2 emissions specific to research on the Net and acts in favor of reforestation. These charitable actions grow as the users are numerous… and they are! Ecosia seduces with its message focused on sustainable development, but also with its performance. Based on results from Yahoo! and Bing, it is able to respond appropriately to requests from Internet users. In this, Ecosia also places itself in the category of metasearch engines.

Qwant

The most chauvinistic among you will be delighted to know that there is an alternative search engine made in France, and the latter is none other than Qwant. Concerned about the privacy of Internet users, this engine takes the side of respecting the privacy of its users while avoiding censorship of the results as much as possible (two points attributable to the giant Google). Still in an approach to protect Internet users, the Qwant Junior version, intended for 6–13-year-olds, blocks access to violent, pornographic and advertising content. It therefore offers a simple alternative to setting up parental controls.

Announced as the “French Google “by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, we can still not say that this engine competes with the world leader in research on the Net. Qwant even had a difficult start when it was released in 2013, in particular because of the similarity of its answers to those of Bing or Wikipedia. That said, the support provided by the state and by the supporters of the project enabled him to make enormous progress on this point. In September 2019, the number of unique visitors per month was estimated at 5 million. A great success in view of the French delay in terms of internet research tools.

Other search engines

The list of alternatives to Google is still long, and it would be utopian to want to present them all in this article. However, if you are interested in this topic and want to diversify your presence on the web, you can be interested in the engines listed below:

• Yandex
• Baidoo
• Quora
• Yippy
• Usage
• Start Page
• Ask
• Peakier

These engines will also allow you to have a different approach to the SERP, sometimes with a preview of the results, which can be interesting to cross the sources of your searches. Juggling between several engines prevents you from falling into the trap of duplicate content by looking for forgotten or unreformed information on Google pages. This plurality also allows you to choose an engine advocating similar values ​​and/or closer to your expectations.

Search engine market share

As you will have understood, alternative search engines to Google do exist. However, the latter has established itself as the undisputed leader, accumulating 92% of the world market share in 2020. The graph below will give you a better representation of this overwhelming superiority for the year 2021.

Source: https://www.oberlo.fr/blog/part-marche-moteurs-recherche

We then notice the presence of Bing, the eternal number 2, with nearly 3% of the market share and then that of Yahoo! with almost 1.5% of the shares. This is followed by the Russian and Chinese motors respectively: Baidu (1.2% market share) and Yandex (1% market share). The other engines mentioned above then share the remaining 2.2% market share.

In view of these statistics, it would be logical to think that adopting a natural referencing strategy would only be wise for positioning on Google. However, reality shows us that SEO is an effective strategy on all fronts.

Does SEO only apply to the Google search engine?

Source: https://www.codeur.com/blog/alternatives-google/

Let’s immediately put an end to received ideas, whatever search engine you use, natural referencing will be applied. Indeed, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization or “Optimization for search engines” and not “Optimization for Google”. Thus, whether on Bing, Yahoo! and consorts, it is natural referencing that will determine the primacy of one result over another (excluding advertisements). However, the criteria taken into account for the ranking, as well as their importance, may vary from one engine to another. No engine works according to the same algorithm, although all try more or less to equal the efficiency of Google.

SEO: an effective strategy on all platforms

Note that SEO is not specific to internet search engines, but also to the search engines of certain sites. For example, Amazon has its own algorithm to offer the products most likely to match users’ needs based on their queries. It works on other platforms offering multimedia content such as Vimeo, Spotify or Unsplashed. SEO also works for different tools in the Google ecosystem like the Play Store, Google Podcast, Google My Business, not to mention SEO on YouTube. You will even find it on social networks, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.

In short, as soon as a user has a search possibility, you can expect an algorithm to sort the results to offer the most relevant. Thus, you will have more or less limited possibilities to optimize your content on relevant queries. On some platforms (egg Vinted) it will be paid ads that will benefit from a real gain in visibility. But it depends on the support and how it is financed.

So “NO” SEO is not only linked to Google, but to all search engines in the broad sense. Taking this ranking criterion into account will be the best way to capture traffic from all the platforms on which you are present. As they say, don’t put all those eggs in one basket. Betting only on organic traffic from Google to generate more leads seems very risky. This is why we also advise you to take an interest in SEA, paid referencing.

Should I be listed on an alternative search engine?

As you will have understood, referencing yourself on alternative engines is interesting. If you are already well referenced on Google, this may even become a necessity. That said, you can also take the problem the other way around. Given that the competition on Google is strong, why not capitalize on more niche engines in order to more easily take the best positions? However, this strategy must take into account the typical profile of the users of the engine targeted. If these users check all the boxes of your customer avatar, your conversion rate will be even more interesting. This qualified digital marketing strategy will compensate for the lower number of visitors compared to what you might expect on Google.

Finally, we need to talk about one last point which concerns no-click searches. Best known as “zero click search “, it is a bias of the engines to offer the answer to the queries of Internet users without them having to click on a link in the SERP. These are the famous results in position zero that we can observe on certain Google searches. But this concerns all the results presented in the Rich Snippets; rich snippets from structured data in the HTML code of web pages.

If these directly displayed results are highly appreciated by Internet users, they are a little less so by webmasters. Indeed, who says “zero clicks” says “decline in traffic” and therefore “decline in conversion rates”. Thus, being referenced on engines that do not yet use zero-click research makes it possible to compensate for the drop in visitors that these no-click searches can generate.

After reading this article, you will understand that Google is not alone. Although it is far ahead of its competitors, seeking to gain visibility on other search engines is undoubtedly more interesting than one might imagine. When done right, listing on search engines other than Google can bring in more, more qualified traffic. It is a significant component for anyone wishing to optimize their visibility on the web. You should also remember that SEO is a principle that is wrongly associated with Google. But in fact, natural referencing is used by all search engines to offer the most relevant results to users. Now that you know the alternatives available to you, all you have to do is test them to judge their relevance.

Human capital management (HCM) refers to the strategic approach and set of practices that organizations use to effectively manage and optimize their workforce. It encompasses all activities related to acquiring, developing, managing, and retaining employees to achieve the organization’s goals and objectives.

HCM helps to align company goals with individual goals and design better strategies for better productivity. By effectively managing human capital, organizations can gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

As the term suggests the system is designed to manage the most important resource that is their employees. The HCM recognizes that employees are valuable assets or “human capital” and aims to maximize their potential and productivity. It involves various processes and functions, that have multiple benefits some of which are listed below. 

Better Recruitment 

Recruitment is essential for every organization as from there comes the human capital in the company which is crucial for the growth and development of the company. The process is costly one as it is observed that generally costs three to six month’s salary of the employee to replace them.

HCM helps in identifying and attracting qualified candidates for job positions within the organization, evaluating their skills and experience, and selecting the most suitable individuals. These are very important processes in the hiring process and HCM helps to streamline it and save a lot of time.

The tools such as the applicant tracking system automate resume screening. That not saves only time and effort but also increases the accuracy of the process reduces the manhours that are needed to do the hiring accurately reducing the overall need of the workforce in the process in the long run so that your HR team can invest that time in more strategic planning. 

Onboarding and Training

Onboarding is essential for the employees to be productive in the organization. Every organization has a different culture and the way people way do the work differ.

That is why everyone needs an adaptation period to get acquainted with their new workplace. They also need to be comfortable with the new teammates and the manager. The onboarding ensures to take care of these tasks as well as providing all the resources and knowledge to the new recruit to do their work effectively.  

The HCM software helps to ensure that the entire onboarding and training process goes smoothly. It provides asset management as well as training management where you can track employee progress too. 

Performance Management

You know your human capital is being efficiently used when you manage the performances well. The human capital management system provides robust performance management software. One of the biggest challenges in the process is that it has to be done continuously and you need to track various parameters for the goal.  

HCM helps in various aspects of performance management such as establishing performance expectations, setting goals, conducting regular performance evaluations, providing feedback, and recognizing and rewarding achievements. The system ensures that you can maintain an accurate database and maintain the transparency of the process. That way it also helps to gain employee trust and increase engagement in addition to enhanced productivity. 

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation and benefits are very important when it comes to hiring new employees to retain your present talent. The HCM system helps you in designing and implementing competitive compensation structures that help to ensure that you get top talent from the market as well as don’t lose your top performers to the competition. 

It helps to determine various crucial elements related to the compensation package offered to the employee such as salaries, bonuses, and incentives, as well as administering employee benefits such as healthcare, retirement plans, and leave policies.

Talent Development 

When it comes to the progress and expansion of the business recruitment is not enough. You need to ensure that there are no vacant positions in the company so that productivity doesn’t suffer as it’s crucial for brand image.

That means ensuring that all your employees are skilled to use the new technology and the firm doesn’t suffer due to a lack of workforce. One of the most important and difficult of all those in leadership planning as organizations may highly suffer due to lack of right leadership and you can’t keep these positions vacant for long.  

HCM streamlines the entire talent development and succession planning effort in the firm. It helps you at every step such as Identifying high-potential employees who can be groomed to become efficient leaders in future. It helps to identify the employees who can use some training and skill improvement to be more productive in their present and future roles in the company. 

Employee Engagement 

Employee engagement is a crucial factor for employee productivity as well as retention in the company. You need to take care of multiple factors to ensure that your staff stay engaged at work. Human capital management software helps you in various ways to improve employee engagement at work so you can increase employee retention.

An organization should always put effort into promoting a positive work environment along with fostering employee motivation and satisfaction. For that, you need to stay tuned into what your employees feel about the company policies, and how the recent changes affect them and their productivity. Conducting surveys to gauge employee sentiment is a great way to do that and HCM helps you to do that with a few clicks. You can get automated comprehensive reports on the data and analysis. Furthermore, it will streamline the decision-making and implementation strategies to retain top talent.

Workforce Analytics

HCM can help organizations to improve their management by leveraging data and analytics which can gain insights into workforce trends. That way you can identify various leave trends, manage your workforce requirements better as well as optimize the allocation of resources. That also facilitates better analysis of the demographics, employee performance, and productivity. Using this information, a company can make informed decisions that drive continuous improvement and profitability. 

Conclusion

Human capital management or HCM software is a tool that can help organizations to manage their human capital more efficiently. It also helps to improve the productivity of the company.