One of the first questions people ask about cloud applications like GrabCAD Workbench is, “is it safe”? Spoiler alert: we think the answer is yes. But why we say that may surprise you.
Security is About Choices
The real question isn’t “is the cloud safe” but “is the the cloud safer than what I’m doing today?” If you store all your CAD files on a hard drive in a safe, you work alone, and you never share CAD files with anyone for any reason, then the cloud is probably not as safe as your current solution. For everyone else, the cloud is probably a safer alternative.
You’re Making Security Decisions Now, Even if You Don’t Know it
Let’s look at some of the security risks the way that a typical mid-sized manufacturing company handles CAD data:
- Loss - Files are stored in a variety of places, including on user’s individual computers, often with no backup system. If you lose a design to hard drive failure or simply because you can’t find it, it’s still gone.
- Damage - Many people have access to CAD data with no record of who does what. If a disgruntled employee messes with or destroys a design, you may not know until it’s too late.
- Theft - How do you share files with manufacturers and partners? Say it out loud - “email.” When you send an email, that data can be anywhere on the planet in seconds. Think about it - would you email your credit card information and social security number to someone - even someone you trusted? I hope not. And you shouldn’t send confidential information that way either.
- Error - Maybe you said “Dropbox” to the question above, in which case you have another risk - human error. Do you understand the Dropbox security model, and are you confident you’ve set permissions correctly? Or do you use one folder for lots of things, maybe the “Public” folder? What about the other employees at your company - are they all doing it correctly? Free file sharing services are great but they come with a whole new set of security risks.
- Hacking - Is your network secure? Are you sure that your admin has patched and updated every router, every database, every machine? Is every endpoint protected? Really?
We Think About Security a Lot
GrabCAD takes security seriously, and we’ve put in place a variety of measures to ensure your data is safe.
- Encyption - All data you send to GrabCAD Workbench is encrypted using AES 256 bit encryption, just like how your banking data is sent to your bank.
- Secure data centers - GrabCAD stores all data using Amazon Web Services (AWS). With AWS, the data is stored redundantly across multiple devices across multiple environmentally controlled facilities. AWS infrastructure and controls are subject to annual SAS-70 Type II audits and AWS information security management processes and controls have achieved ISO 27001 and PCI DSS Level1 certification.
- Network security - GrabCAD ensures that our network and application are secure by constant maintenance and regular penetration testing by third parties.
- Internal controls - GrabCAD grants access to stored data internally using the principle of least privilege through appropriate roles and only on a “need to know” basis. We manage our systems according to security industry best practices including the ISO 27000 series and NIST Security Publications.
Trust the Cloud with Your Data
Actually, you probably already do trust the cloud with your data - many companies already store financial data in applications like Quicken, sales and customer data in Salesforce.com, and manufacturing information in PLM systems like Arena. Now it’s time to apply the same security approach to your CAD data.
Let Us Know What You Think
Do you or someone in your organization have questions about cloud security that we haven’t addressed here? Leave us a comment and we’ll try to answer it.
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