From small businesses to massive enterprises, organizations of all sizes are very quickly adopting cloud strategies. Of course, the type of cloud strategies varies, but there’s one thing that they all have in common – the potential risks that cloud infrastructure has. There are vulnerabilities that you need to consider and manage, and each customer should know that your business is taken care of. Cloud security management aims to take care of that by adding security to the infrastructure to take care of all vulnerabilities, as well as provide a secure environment for your data.
Why Is Cloud Security Management So Important?
A common theme we’re noticing in the past couple of years is organizations trusting cloud providers for secure management of their assets. And for the most part, it’s a good idea because you get a cost-effective solution that allows you to scale as needed. This is crucial in today’s landscape where you want to evolve and remain competitive, and want every customer to clearly see that.
However, companies that provide cloud storage don’t always have a deep insight into the organization’s ecosystem and each component’s requirements, which is why we have vulnerabilities when it comes to that secure management. If a provider fails to provide adequate security, it might lead to a potential data loss or a system breach, and neither of those is good for an organization.
That being said, there are a few key steps when it comes to cloud security management that are crucial. Some are considered secure management tactics that help your business utilize the full potential of cloud networks and applications while minimizing the risks and vulnerabilities.
Auditing Cloud Services
When you’re trying to move to a cloud infrastructure, the first thing you want to do is look at every cloud-based product and service you (or your customer) will be using. Make a list of each product and service, and if applicable, make a list of alternatives too. Make sure you’re thorough in your process.
Once you’ve got an idea of what you’ll use, you should audit and analyze them all to have a grasp of any potential vulnerabilities or risks associated with using those services. Again, if applicable, do the same with the alternatives, so you end up with a list of every service that’s a better option safety-wise than some of their competitors.
In addition to this, you will find that each application or service can provide its own set of privacy settings. Your security team should analyze each of them, and see how you can take advantage of them to give your organization the best possible safety in every way.
Encrypting Your Data
Whether it’s your on-site data or the one you have as an off-site backup, if it falls into the wrong hands, that could be catastrophic for your organization. This is why every piece of usable data you have, every piece of usable information that means something for your organization, should be encrypted – it’s your responsibility to make sure that legitimate traffic gets through and any suspicious ones are blocked by secure management and confirmation of identities. Of course, confirmation of identities is sometimes easier said than done.
Monitor Devices
It’s true that switching to a cloud infrastructure allows you to significantly reduce the number of hardware devices you’re using, and reduce the amount of usable physical infrastructure in general. However, there are still some devices that you’ll need to use – even though data is stored in the cloud, you still need to access it somehow, don’t you?
When it comes to security, it is critically important to be able to manage and monitor the devices your company and employees use to access the data. Confirming device identities is a great way to make sure no unauthorized device can access company data, and to add to this, assigning identities to every device allows you to monitor who accessed what, when, and why. Having control over this is crucial for privacy.
Monitor Users
It’s not just the devices that need to be monitored, but in many scenarios, the users that use them too. If you want to only allow some data for specific users, you could opt for user-level controls where they’re applicable. This way, only pre-determined users will be able to access the most critical information, and you’re the one that has the option to manage user permissions as necessary and allow secure access.
Reports!
Last but certainly not least, reports are essential when you want to be able to have a written overview of everything that happens. This is so you can better assess and manage the situation, understand any potential risks, and determine where you could be improving.
You Need a Cloud Security Management Provider
As you can see, keeping your organization’s usable data safe and sound, away from prying eyes, isn’t as simple as it looks. There are far too many things to consider, and one of them failing could have a tower of cards effect and make your entire infrastructure crumble.
Of course, you could opt for an in-house team that will work with your cloud infrastructure provider to make sure everything is taken care of from a security standpoint. However, that requires you to dedicate a full team, make sure they have the right credentials where applicable, and they’ll still need to work alongside a whole different team – collaboration at large scales could be tricky.
Instead, here’s an alternative solution – kloudr as a cloud security management provider. We already have the knowledge and expertise to make sure that your customer organization is strong and all its data is secure in the cloud, and we can make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Our team of experts ensures that nothing goes wrong, and your data is as safe as it gets.