Cloud computing has long proven to be great for business agility. Today, even the smallest of enterprises are migrating to the cloud environment, saying goodbye to legacy approaches. Although cloud migration is essential for a business to move forward in the digital age, striking the fine balance between security and maintaining agility is hard to achieve.
When migrating, misconfigurations or human error during the procedure can give rise to cloud security issues. One of the biggest reasons for misconfigured cloud environments is the underutilization of automation capabilities. When the cloud is deployed without much of a plan or a strong strategy, it could lead to cloud vulnerabilities that could have been avoided with a different approach. Experts insist on maintaining an organization’s dedicated data center model- although it is getting outdated fast- unless they have a solid cloud migration strategy that is foolproof and effective.
“It is safe to say that the success of your cloud deployment depends on securing the environment and managing the threat,” notes the expert spokesperson for Citrus Consulting, one of the UAE’s leading managed IT consulting firms. “To improve the chances of security success and reduce vulnerabilities, security experts recommend implementing a layered security structure and improving data privacy.”
Layered security, as the name suggests, utilizes multiple security layers. When implementing a cloud environment, you can start by deploying a private connection instead of a public one to a cloud provider’s network. Further, secure all mobile endpoints using anti-virus/anti-malware applications. As an additional measure, rely on Enterprise mobility management (EMM) to keep track and decommission all mobile devices that come under the organization.
The layering doesn’t stop with that. You can also encrypt stored data, monitor data usage, and take advantage of the latest technologies to add levels of technology to various types of data that your enterprise stores on the cloud.
Apart from stepping up security, focus on data privacy considerations. Ensure that all data backups are encrypted and collect the minimum amount of personal information necessary for app permissions. This will help you safeguard your business against legal complications in case of a data breach.
At the end of the day, your cloud provider is also accountable for the security of the cloud environment. If you suspect a data breach, you can call upon your service provider to keep the damage to the minimum from safeguarding your resources. Although there is no 100% guarantee that the cloud will not get attacked or breached, preparing yourself to mitigate the damage will help you keep your data and digital assets secure at all times.
