Securing the Cloud is critical for digital transformation
Cloud Technologies will be at the forefront of digital transformation mainly for storage of data, easy access to data, Scalability, and many more. Cloud service makes it easier for small tech companies or startups to develop software without bothering about buying servers, infrastructure, and setting up networks. Buy a package from any of the major cloud providers and pay as you scale.
For large enterprises, it is mostly about convenience. The large swathes of datasets can be stored in the cloud, Data processing can be faster and easier. Software as a service is a godsend with everything related to software outsourced to the cloud partner.
It’s a relief for business continuity as companies don’t have to maintain the cold site, hot site, or warm sites. Everything is backed up in the cloud, employees work remotely. If the site, goes down in way of a pandemic or natural disaster, work can be up in seconds.
What can be a spoiler for a cloud party?
When we outsource to a cloud service provider (CSP), laymen have a misconception that CSP will take care of all the security as everything is going to the cloud. However, the customer is accountable for security, even though CSP is responsible for it. If there is a data breach, the customer has to answer the authorities, not the cloud provider.
The second area where cloud security fails is access control. The customer is responsible for configuring the access to the cloud and if it’s set weakly it becomes a target for hackers. Remember social engineering and weak passwords mean that your cloud and your data and its secrets are out for ransom and manipulation.
The third area where the customer has to analyze is how the strictly confidential data has to be stored. For example, as per the procedures, defined by the customer, it could be that strictly confidential information after its use has to be permanently destroyed. Will a cloud service provider give this facility? There are alternative methods like encrypting the data and destroying the key. Now it’s a question of trust, whether the said data is destroyed or can be recovered.
How to secure your cloud?
Securing the cloud can be done with governance, risk management, and compliance. For any cloud implementation, effective cloud controls are required to protect the cloud from vulnerabilities and mitigate the risk of malicious attacks. There are various frameworks for cloud security with the Cloud security alliance Cloud control matrix being the prominent one. Due diligence has to be done when selecting a cloud service provider. Audits and assessment results have to be reviewed and actions implemented. The company’s employees should know about cloud operations so that everything is not left to the cloud service provider.
How can agility help here?
As with any security, Cloud security has to be baked into the process. Being Agile is the best way to do it here. Have these cloud security requirements, get into the product or implementation as features, and then into user stories.
Conclusion
Securing your cloud is important as the major asset of your organization- the data and services will eventually move into the cloud as part of the digital transformation journey. Not everything can be in a private cloud as organizations need to move faster with development using SaaS or PaaS solutions. Then it becomes imperative that appropriate cloud controls are available to secure the cloud.
