It’s no surprise that we’ve seen a dramatic shift in business information infrastructure recently. Over the past decade, shifting to the cloud is more of the norm.
The cloud revolution brought many advantages emanating from economies of scale and focused specialization. Yet, no modern organization can reap the benefits of cloud computing without ensuring that its use of the cloud does not undermine its information security.
Here are few reasons why cloud security so essential:
Application vulnerabilities exist in the cloud
Migrating to infrastructure managed by a third party does not eliminate application-level vulnerabilities. Likewise, third-party apps that run in the cloud may not be perfectly coded either. As such, proactive security systems must be implemented, as well as countermeasures to detect and react to potential breaches.
Criminals know to target the baskets in which many organizations’ eggs sit
Hackers know that if they breach a cloud provider, they may compromise many organizations whose data and systems live on the provider’s infrastructure.
Sensitive data sits in the cloud
While cloud providers often offer encryption tools, a compromising attack on the provider may undermine their encryption. Encrypted data belonging to users of the cloud infrastructure may be accessible in cleartext to attackers. As such, additional encryption – with keys controlled by organizations using the cloud infrastructure – is a desirable component of cloud security. This is especially true in cases where regulatory bodies may punish organizations with fines in the case of a data leak.
Data can be lost
Organizations often store both internal corporate data and customer information in the cloud. This exposes such data to risks such as breaches, ransomware, and/or technical failures. Backing up and replicating are essential elements of a cloud security strategy.
Cloud providers don’t always cover losses
Cloud services agreements often limit liabilities of cloud service providers to a great extent. They sometimes cap damages far below the actual losses likely incurred by a client in case of a serious breach. Hence, ensuring proper security and insuring against losses are necessary.
Cloud providers have different priorities in case of a breach
Cloud providers and their clients do not always have aligned interests in case of a breach. A customer may find that a provider is unavailable to address their concerns, while the provider dedicates disproportionate resources to ensure that they address their highest paying customers’ concerns.
What does this mean for you?
A comprehensive security strategy can help mitigate the risks for an organization migrating to the cloud. Once you’re compromised, it’s too late to start putting these practices into play. Choosing a cloud partner who understands these risks is the proactive first step in protecting against threats.
The cloud has opened the doors for every industry to revolutionize their business processes with market-leading technology. Having the appropriate security measures in place directly impacts the future of all businesses. Stay smart, secure, and strategic when it comes to your data.
