5 Strategies for Building a More Secure Cloud

The cloud is an indispensable tool for businesses currently. If organizations don’t build a more secure cloud, they could put all of their operations at risk.

The use of cloud computing keeps growing. Over the next few years, more than two-thirds of small and medium-sized businesses plan to use cloud technologies more frequently. Although the cloud offers many advantages in terms of security, it also raises particular issues.

Security of the cloud should be a top priority as it becomes more and more essential to business operations.

This security must be built into businesses from the beginning rather than being added later.

Also Read: Three Processes to Consider in Hybrid Cloud System Management

These five methods can aid in creating a more secure cloud:

1. Consistently review cloud data and configurations

Businesses should never assume they are secure, even with a secure cloud architecture. Because of the cloud’s scalability and usability, it’s simple to forget what users store there or how it might change as it grows. There may be vulnerabilities as a result of this.

By routinely reviewing their cloud storage and architecture, businesses can address these vulnerabilities. They should delete or relocate any files or systems they find that they are no longer using. This data should be kept to a minimum to reduce the risk of security breaches and to make cloud management simpler.

In a similar vein, companies ought to periodically review their cloud security settings. The most common reason for cloud breaches is misconfiguration, so it’s crucial to never assume a system is functioning as it should. These vulnerabilities can be found and fixed with the aid of regular misconfiguration tests.

2. Take physical considerations into account

Companies must take security into account when planning their systems and constructing data centers because clouds should be secure by design. Physical factors like adequate cooling and storage redundancy are also taken into account to guarantee uptime.

Businesses should minimize dependencies, access, and endpoints when designing the software side of the cloud. For a secure cloud architecture, zero-trust architecture is the best choice. One-fourth of government security experts believe that since their organizations have already adopted zero-trust security, private companies should do the same.

It’s crucial to make sure everyone is aware of these factors. As background, improper construction execution affects more than 85% of data center designs. Companies should include security requirements in their service level agreements if they use an external cloud vendor (SLA).

3. Highlight IAM

The management of identities and access (IAM) is yet another essential component of cloud security. Users are frequently cited as a system’s greatest vulnerability by security experts, and IAM is essential to reducing these risks.

The least privilege principle should guide IAM policies. To lessen the potential effects of a breach, each user should only have access to what they require for their roles. IAM policies should be periodically reviewed because roles and responsibilities can change. Network administrators may need to give someone else more access or revoke some permissions that a user no longer requires.

Devices and cloud-based apps should also be covered by IAM. An endpoint or service could be compromised to cause extensive damage if it has access to more resources than it requires.

4. Embrace Automation

The cloud environment is flexible. As a result, regular updates are needed for their security. Given the likelihood of zero-day exploits or unpatched vulnerabilities, ongoing monitoring is also crucial for cloud security in 2022. Automation can help businesses meet both of these requirements.

By relieving the strain on human IT teams, automation decreases errors and resources. The majority of companies lack the funds and resources to enable human-driven continuous monitoring, and even if they did, human errors would still be frequent. Automated tools can fill in the gaps by monitoring cloud environments much more quickly and precisely.

Updates should be distributed across cloud environments using automated systems, according to businesses. They can update the system more quickly and avoid missing any components that way. Using automation to keep up with evolving regulatory requirements may also be advantageous.

Also Read: Analyzing CISA’s Cross-Industries Cybersecurity Performance Objectives

5. Train Users Thoroughly

No matter how well-defended a cloud system is, user error can still compromise security. The recent increase in phishing attacks proves that cybercriminals are also aware of this. To avoid critical errors, all cloud users should receive thorough training repeatedly.

Users with varying levels of access should receive different cloud security training. All employees should receive training on fundamental techniques like creating secure passwords and avoiding phishing scams. Users with higher levels of access ought to go through more cybersecurity training and testing on a regular basis.

Assessments are a crucial, but easily missed, aspect of cloud security education. Testing users after instructing them in the proper procedures can show whether training needs to be modified to be more effective or shift the focus to another area. Mock attacks and phishing simulations can reveal human vulnerabilities that need to be addressed, just as penetration testing reveals technical weaknesses.

Today, the cloud is a vital tool for businesses. As a result, businesses cannot ignore cloud security. Organizations run the risk of jeopardizing all of their operations if they don’t create a more secure cloud.