The rapid development of technology has offered people more flexibility and easier life. Both customers and businesses are getting benefitted hugely from these advancements. Presently, cloud computing is one of the most popular technologies among mid-size and small businesses. Back in days, when this technology appeared in the market, it was not clear how its implication will affect the business world.
But, the cloud has changed how the business operates by delivering affordable, flexible, and scalable solutions that manage their data effectively. Moreover, the benefits offered by it have pushed companies to migrate their data and infrastructure to the cloud. Nonetheless, some companies remain immune to the major attractions of the cloud due to persistent doubts regarding security in it. To comprehend the notion of security in the cloud, we need to understand why we should have security in the first place.
Why security is so important in the cloud?
Initially, the main goal of companies that are moving to the cloud was to ensure that everything is safe and secure and there is no risk of hacking or breaching data. As the security landscape is constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated, it has become an utmost significant task for security professionals to protect data and fight against any threats.
Moreover, according to Statista, the global public cloud computing services market will bring in revenues of over 200 billion dollars in 2019 and forecasts also suggests that it could eclipse 300 billion by 2022. This statistic demonstrates that the use of cloud technology will increase as users want to access their data from anywhere at any time. This is leading to the increasing demands for security in the cloud.
Threats and Preventions
In today’s world, no topic gets more attention in the media than the hacking and breaching of confidentiality and security of one’s information. Since hackers are pushing forward, the threat to any kind of data is also intensifying. Therefore, organizations should be ready to address all the possible security risks related to the cloud. The following are some of security risks and their solutions.
- The problem: API Security
APIs (Application programming interface) need authenticated password and direct access to every app they connect with, making them potentially a security threat to cloud environments As the variety of APIs cultivate, so do the potential vulnerabilities for a security breach.
The solution: Implementing SSLÂ (Secure Socket Layer) encryption to create secure communication based on elements like incoming device identification, IP address, and geography can stop any potential threat.
- The problem: Data Breach
Security professionals have more control over the physical network and network infrastructure in on-premise environments. However, in the cloud-based environments, third-party partners supervise these controls. Because of this, the environment becomes prone to attacks. As a result, hackers can exploit this vulnerability to steal confidential information from organizations.
The solution: To prevent this, organizations should invest in data encryption, tokenization, and threat prevention tools. Solutions like intrusion detection and threat intelligence can easily detect a threat and minimize it.
- The problem: Insider Threats
Employees accidentally or intentionally can threaten the security of the organization. Some of the security failures driven by employees are poor security awareness, phishing, and social engineering. Through these, they jeopardize the organizations’ reputation and increase the chance of hacking or breaching data.
The solution: Encouraging safe and smart data access practices within the organization is a smart way of educating staff. In this way, the chance of any attacks reduces greatly.
- The problem: Disaster Recovery
In cases of power outages or natural disasters, data can be lost as organizations have do not have control over this. In addition to this, there will be no transmission of data until the access is restored.
The solution: Pre-planning the disaster recovery strategy will prevent any data loss. Thus, organizations will not lose their confidential data.
- The problem: DoS attacks
It is the most common attack used by hackers. The main aim of DOS attacks is to shut down a machine or network, making it inaccessible to its intended users. Since clients cannot access their applications or data, this leads to the embarrassment or even non-renewal of contracts in the long run. Although DoS attacks usually do not result in the theft or loss of significant information or other property, they can cost the victim a great deal of time and money to handle.
The solution: Using DoS protection services that could provide real-time protection for sophisticated DoS threats at every network layer is good for organizations.
- The problem: Loss of data
The key benefit of the cloud is the sharing and accessing data from anywhere at any time. In an organization, it gets tricky as the number of users is not defined. When these users work in the cloud at the same time, it’s easy to lose data. In addition, there is a chance of accidental file deletion, password sharing, and use of personal devices without any passwords. As a result of this, the main advantage becomes a pain point for organization.
The solution: Investing in cloud data loss prevention solutions is a great option for organizations. Because of the solution, hackers won’t be able to steal and use sensitive information for their own benefit.
Benefits of cloud security
Companies leverage the benefits of cloud security solutions so that they can have a secure environment where their data is protected against any threats. Some of these are benefits are reduction in technology costs, operate at a scale, and use agile systems that provide them a competitive edge. To protect from current and emerging threats, companies need to update their security solutions in the cloud that covers most of the operations. In addition to this, security in the cloud ensures that organizations meet data privacy and compliance requirements.
Wrapping Up and Looking Ahead
It is important to remember that the cloud service provider (CSPs) uses a shared responsibility model for security. The CSP is taking responsibility for certain security aspects while other aspects of security are shared among CSP and consumers (organizations). Finally, certain aspects of safety remain the consumer’s sole responsibility. Consumers’ failure to understand or meet their responsibilities is a leading cause of security incidents in cloud-based systems.
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