Cyprus businesses urged to address cloud security and resilience

Nicosia, Cyprus. Cloud computing is now widely used by businesses in Cyprus, but companies must give greater attention to security, resilience, data control and reliance on service providers, according to Cyprus Information Technology Enterprises Association (CITEA) director Matina Zisiadou.

Cloud adoption

Zisiadou said cloud technology had moved beyond being regarded as a future development, with email, file storage, workplace applications, accounting systems and databases already operating through cloud services.

She said businesses often use such services without giving significant consideration to the infrastructure supporting them.

According to the latest available Eurostat figures for 2025, one in two Cyprus businesses with 10 or more employees used paid cloud services, placing the country close to the European Union average.

The European Commission’s Digital Decade 2026 report also describes Cyprus’ uptake of advanced technologies, including cloud computing and data analytics, as relatively advanced.

Security and recovery

Zisiadou said cloud services allow businesses to avoid initial investment in their own infrastructure when they need additional computing power, storage or applications. Companies can instead access services according to their requirements and adapt them as those needs change.

However, she said increased cloud use raises questions over where data is stored, who can access it, what happens if a service becomes unavailable, whether backups exist and how quickly a business can resume normal operations.

Choosing a provider is therefore only part of the process, she said. Businesses must also identify critical systems and data, manage access controls, establish backup arrangements and determine how quickly they could recover from a disruption.

Government policy

Zisiadou said the same transition is taking place within the Cyprus government.

She referred to the Republic of Cyprus Cloud Policy, approved by the Council of Ministers in March 2026, which introduced the “Cloud First” principle. The policy makes cloud services the default option for government systems and applications, while allowing alternatives only in exceptional cases with documented approval.