Cloud security can be a minefield. It’s not to say cloud’s unsafe, just that users don’t recognise the consequences of using the technology incorrectly.
Cloud is more secure than physically storing data, yes. But cloud-based cyberattacks can be just as devastating. And unless you dedicate time to your security, you’ll be open to them.
To help, we’ve explained what we consider to be the six principles of cloud security and how they benefit you.
Study the shared responsibility model
Both AWS and Azure provide their users with an outline of what they’re responsible for. The aim is to provide everyone with an understanding of what they should be handling, while also detailing what the platform itself manages.
Knowing what your cloud platform takes ownership of should be a prerequisite to choosing a provider. For example, AWS claims to be responsible for the security ‘of’ the cloud, and says the security ‘in’ the cloud is your responsibility. You need to understand the nuances of each.
Perform a data inventory
Once you’ve familiarised yourself with your responsibilities, remind yourself of what you need to protect. If you have customer data for instance, where do you store it? Do you want to move this across to the cloud, or is it something you want to keep on-site?
What’s more, these data inventories help keep you compliant. GDPR requires you to be transparent and proactive with the data you process. This isn’t possible if you’re unsure where it is. By simply creating a document that lists where your information is and who has access to it, you can safely migrate it to the cloud and create levels of user access.
Manage user access
Speaking of user access, you should only give this to members of your team if they need it. This isn’t solely to do with the threat of employee malintent – although that should be a concern. Instead, it’s to prevent mistakes being made.
If you allow someone access with limited experience, you’re running the risk of them breaking something or setting things up incorrectly – which could open you up to multiple vulnerabilities.
Practice Infrastructure as Code
Infrastructure as Code, or IaC, is the removal of manual intervention from application management and deployment. Instead, your team applies a coding language to automate the provisioning of IT.
This removes the chance of human error. You no longer have to wait for an expert to help scale your infrastructure, and your team can just repeat processes they’ve already mastered and apply them to new applications.
Test repeatedly
Cloud requires all kinds of testing to make sure that it’s fully functioning. Everything from availability to performance needs to be routinely monitored to ensure users aren’t having a poor experience
Security tests are no different. Usually they’re conducted through a simulation that models data breaches and subsequently provides insight into how a data breach would look against your current security. The result? You can proactively reduce risks and produce evidence to support any audits you may have.
Educate your team
It isn’t enough to simply block access if your team doesn’t understand. Only by explaining the threat of cyberattacks and cloud vulnerabilities, will you change staff behaviours.
And this shouldn’t just be a concern when things go wrong. It’s best to ensure your team is upskilled in time for migration. But if time is short, you might need to teach them as you move across.
Do cloud right
At ClearCloud, our engineers are experts in migration. Not only can we take you online, but also ensure your infrastructure is built according to best practice – and upskill your staff while we do it. This means you can build cloud engineers of your own who are capable of looking after your solution when we leave.
Sound good? See how we can help you by requesting a call back today.
