Cloud Security: What Are The Best Practices?

Cloud computing has proved to be a transformative technology for businesses where it has facilitated them to process and manage the countless amount of data over the Internet (the Cloud), remotely.

The Cloud services like databases, storage, hosting, networking, analytics, etc. help lower operating costs and run a business infrastructure more efficiently, thus, expanding its scale to adapt to new market changes.

Although Cloud is a boon for the digital age, it also has some risks associated with it that need to be realized and analyzed before any data exploitations tend to cause a huge business disruption.

Almost 90% of the global enterprises depend on Cloud; nonetheless, to many, the idea of running digital assets over an infrastructure that is managed by the Cloud authorities (not directly by companies themselves), seems inherently insecure.

This calls for Cloud Security to come into the picture to holistically protect data and customer’s privacy.

Cloud Security is a phenomenon that encompasses robust technologies and processes, responsible to protect an organization’s IT infrastructure against cyber threats that are prevalent in cyberspace.

Cloud security is an absolute necessity to maintain business continuity as a major percent of organizations look to the Cloud as the future of business.

What are your biggest cloud security concerns?

Let us now list down the best practices to implement within an enterprise to ensure cloud security.

Top Techniques to Ensure Cloud Security Within your Business Network

#Choose a Trusted Provider
Handing over data to a third party raises questions about its reliability. While considering establishing a foundation of cloud security it is quintessential to ensure whether the cloud provider is trustworthy enough to deliver the highest level of security standards and best built-in security protocols.

Furthermore, every vendor has different methods for handling security procedures, so it is recommended to ask detailed questions about

• The geographical location of servers
• Most recent penetration tests conducted
• Disaster recovery plan
• Provision of technical support
• Authentication and encryption methods applied
• Compliance requirements supported by the provider’s services

#Understand the Shared Responsibility Paradigm
Partnering with a Cloud service provider is more of an alliance of shared responsibility that is set up when a company moves its systems and data to the Cloud.

In public cloud management, there is a shared responsibility model where the provider assumes responsibility for some aspects of IT security. Vendors (likes Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, etc.) provide documentation that states particular responsibilities as per the deployment type.

Thus, it becomes crucial to understand and review policies of the shared security responsibility model and learn carefully about the different cloud security aspects handled by vendor’s security professionals.

#Educate the Staff and Users Extensively
Cloud security is always vulnerable to hacking and cyber threats. The employees allocated with the duties to handle data servers, storage, and processing must be acknowledged and trained to spot malicious attacks and remediation techniques to respond to such activities.

The educative sessions should make them closely understand the inherent risk of shadow IT and provide extensive visibility into orchestrating data at all hierarchical levels.

Furthermore, users become the first line of defense when it comes to securing cloud computing. Their knowledge of security practices can either safeguard the systems or open streams for hacking. Thus, all the users, stakeholders, and staff must be made aware of malware detection and the risks of insecure practices.

#Secure User Endpoints
Endpoints are the direct areas/assets through which a service or a network is accessed. Users will specifically gain access to the cloud services via web browsers so it is vital to impose advanced security measures to keep the browsers up-to-date and shielded from potential web risks.

The end-user devices that are not owned by the organization (like personal smartphones, tablets, etc.) must be protected with firewalls, antivirus, and security management software tools to prevent intrusions and data compromises.

#Implement Data Encryption
Data encryption and authentication form the keys to strategize cloud security and ensure the safety of data during transit even it’s most vulnerable to attack. Storing data on third-party platforms and sending sensitive data back and forth from cloud servers to business networks get exposed to a lot of risks and vulnerabilities.

To ensure data is roped with the highest level of security layers, robust encryption and authentication are required whether it’s at rest or in motion. One can also set up their own encryption solutions before uploading data assets to the cloud.

This enhances visibility as well as maintains full control.

#Conduct Audits and Pen Tests
For an organization to continue to maintain its security of the digital assets, it’s necessary to run periodic audits that analyze the appropriate assessing and processing of data done. Security audits will clear the picture of vendors’ capabilities and will deliver insights into whether they conform to the agreed security terms and measures.

Next, penetration testing plays a significant role in deciding whether the current/existing security efforts are viable and sufficient enough to protect the security posture of your company. Whether you outsource data protection or keep it in-house, it is strictly recommended to run pen tests at frequent time intervals to identify vulnerabilities and risks to data at an early stage.

#Use CASB
CASB is Cloud Access Security Broker is a tool designed to enhance the security of the cloud. If your organization is using Cloud computing services with less expertise on its working, criteria, and procedures, or if your existing security solutions don’t support cloud environments, CASB can help you do the needful.

This tool sits between you and your cloud service provider and extends security controls into the cloud by monitoring and assessing unauthorized apps and access. The security toolset offers great visibility into the usage of cloud services and involves threat identification, compliance maintenance, enforcement of data security policies, and more.

So, Are You Cloud-Ready?

Cloud is one of the most reliable and renowned brands in the security industry and companies witness fewer security issues with cloud-based data security than with traditional data centers.

Still, it is necessary to be acquainted with the quintessential aspects of cloud security before you use its services or even if you are already dependent on cloud services for adequate and secure data management.

If you are looking for a partner who can help you migrate to Cloud effortlessly, look nowhere than CodeGlo. Our Cloud Infrastructure Services are crafted to facilitate the easy journey to the Cloud and get your business turbocharged and data-protected.