Enterprise Cloud Security: 4 Things You Need to Know
Regardless of enterprise cloud security concerns, a secure cloud environment is attainable for businesses that take the necessary steps to protect it; however, if not done properly, the transition from on-premises infrastructure to cloud-based infrastructure can pose numerous security threats. Understanding all facets of a cloud solution is instrumental in preventing security issues throughout the cloud adoption lifecycle. This blog will focus on four core concepts of enterprise cloud security every organization should know.Overview of Cloud Security
As cloud adoption continues to grow, it is crucial companies understand how security can impact operations in the cloud and what the ramifications are if their environment is not adequately protected. There are numerous components to consider when establishing your cloud adoption strategy and security policies, including data, users, applications, infrastructure, and more.Why is Cloud Security Important?
We all know the importance of cloud computing in business organizations. However, when not properly migrated and managed, the cloud can cause serious headaches. If security controls are not put into place within an organization’s cloud environment, their risk is significantly increased. This leads to consequences ranging from technical downtime, productivity issues, loss of profits, and consumer distrust. That’s why it’s imperative businesses planning their transition to the cloud understand the associated risk and plan accordingly.Cloud Security Challenges
Though the cloud is full of benefits, it does not come without its own set of challenges. Here are some of the most common enterprise cloud security concerns businesses face today.
Misconfiguration
68% of cloud breaches involve misconfiguration. Misconfiguration in the cloud occurs when someone – usually a system administrator – fails to secure a cloud storage bucket or misconfigures firewall settings or user permissions. This can stem from a lack of awareness, inadequately trained resources, or pure carelessness, and can lead to data loss or leakage, unauthorized access, and insecure cloud interfaces. If these vulnerabilities are exploited by an attacker, it could be potentially detrimental to business operations.
Human Error
Gartner’s research shows that through 2025, 99% of cloud security failures will be the customer’s fault. This could come in the form of the misconfigurations mentioned above or simply an uneducated employee making a mistake, such as sharing login credentials, that could lead to a breach.
Data Security
It is no secret that cybercrime is on the rise, including in the cloud. According to the 2020 Trustwave Global Security Report, the volume of attacks on cloud services more than doubled in 2019 and accounted for 20% of investigated incidents. The report shows that although corporate and internal networks remain the most targeted domains – representing 54% of incidents – cloud environments are now the third most targeted environment for cyberattacks. These statistics highlight the importance of implementing stringent data security policies for effective enterprise cloud security.
Compliance
90% of customers consider it very to extremely important to ensure continuous compliance when migrating secure workloads from on-premise to cloud environments. Compliance in the cloud can be tricky if the cloud environment is not configured correctly and strict user permissions aren’t in place. Compliance checks should be conducted on a regular basis to ensure there are no hidden vulnerabilities that could threaten your environment.
Securing Your Cloud Environment
Have a Dedicated Security Practice
Having a dedicated security practice is key with enterprise cloud security and governance. This includes having an individual or team dedicated to the ongoing management of your cloud environment, figuring out your risk, what your exposure may cost you, and what controls you need to mitigate that risk. All measures work together to improve your cloud security posture.
Partner With an Expert
Managing enterprise cloud security can be difficult, and is nearly impossible to do on your own. Consider if your in-house talent has the knowledge and bandwidth to move to the cloud and keep your environment secure. More often than not, they won’t. Partnering with a cloud service provider ensures your team can focus on other important company initiatives while maintaining optimum cloud security.
Perform Routine Assessments
Organizations need to understand their cyber risk in the cloud so they can make necessary adjustments to proactively protect their business from cyberattacks. By performing routine assessments, you have an accurate baseline of threats or vulnerabilities that exist within your environment, allowing you to proactively mitigate risks.
The Cloud is a Shared Responsibility
It can be challenging for an organization to determine what exactly they’re responsible for when it comes to the cloud, and if this isn’t crystal clear, it can lead to security issues. Typically, it is the responsibility of the organization to manage security “in” the cloud as it pertains to network traffic, resource configuration, and user activities. Cloud service providers will manage the security “of” the cloud from their data center. By taking this approach, businesses will enhance their security throughout the cloud lifecycle.
Interested in Moving Your Business to the Cloud? Check out these resources:
- The Cloud: Redundant, Resilient, Secure
- The Main Benefits & Challenges of Cloud Computing in Education
- How to Overcome the Most Common Cloud Migration Challenges
- The Ultimate Cloud Migration Strategy
How Buchanan can Help
Buchanan Technologies has dedicated managed security resources ready to help you secure and manage your cloud environment, and also offers cybersecurity consulting. Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation today.
