Increasing internet penetration, the rise of smart devices, and the cloud are three significant factors that determine how businesses operate today.
These three factors brought ease within business functioning and operations, thus enhancing productivity.
However, this ease of access contributes to potential risks in a cloud environment.
Cybersecurity services are breaking down network barriers as the demand for various functions by mainstream IT businesses is skyrocketing. At this juncture, companies must be cautious about how their data traverses networks and its high susceptibility to outside threats.
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Risk Framework and Threat Modeling Before Migration
A successful cloud migration begins with a proactive pre-migration security strategy. One of the most overlooked, yet mission-critical steps in this phase is threat modeling. By conducting early-stage assessments, organizations can proactively identify potential vulnerabilities, migration gaps, and exposure points before migrating data or workloads to the cloud, thereby gaining a sense of preparedness and control.
Key considerations include:
- Inventory of workloads and assets: Identify all applications, services, and data sets being migrated to evaluate sensitivity and compliance requirements.
- Data sensitivity classification: Map out regulated data (e.g., PII, financial records, IP) and determine its handling and encryption needs in the cloud.
- Exposure and dependency mapping: Understand application dependencies, access points, and potential new exposure areas post-migration.
- Threat modeling: Use structured techniques to simulate attack vectors, prioritize risks, and define mitigation steps.
Additionally, it’s vital to determine your cloud migration strategy, whether you’re rehosting, replatforming, or refactoring applications. Each method introduces different security implications. For example, rehosting may inherit existing vulnerabilities, whereas refactoring provides opportunities to integrate modern cloud-native security controls.
10 Key Security Considerations for Cloud Migration
Critical Factors to Evaluate Before and During Cloud Adoption
Before Cloud Adoption
1) Data Security
Understand how your cloud service provider handles your data across its lifecycle, from collection and transmission to storage and encryption. Clarify:
- What data is collected
- How it is stored and protected
- How it moves across environments
- Additionally, evaluate potential threat actors, regulatory risks, and the provider’s incident response strategy. Comprehensive visibility into these areas is essential to securing your data in the cloud.
2) Customer Support Quality
Security is not only about technology, it’s also about timely assistance. Evaluate the responsiveness and availability of your cloud vendor’s support team. Confirm whether they offer:
- 24/7 technical assistance
- Designated support channels (email, chat, ticketing)
- Clear escalation paths for security incidents
- Review their service-level agreements (SLAs) and FAQ documentation to ensure reliable support is in place when you need it most.
3) Ease of Access & Usability
A secure cloud environment must also be user-friendly. Select a provider with an intuitive interface and a user-friendly dashboard that is accessible to both technical and non-technical users. A cumbersome UI can lead to user error, misconfigurations, and operational inefficiencies.
4) Legal Agreements and Shared Responsibility
Carefully review the vendor’s terms of service and compliance documentation to ensure understanding. Understand your responsibilities in comparison to those of the provider within the shared responsibility model. Pay special attention to:
- Data ownership rights
- Access to stored data
- Jurisdiction and compliance clauses (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA)
- Security liability terms
During Cloud Implementation
5) Authentication and Access Control
Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all accounts and integrate strong password policies. Secure identity access is a foundational layer of defense in any cloud environment, particularly during migration when data is in motion and potentially more exposed.
6) Secure File Sharing
Implement strict identity and access management (IAM) policies to regulate who can share and view files. Ensure:
- Only authorized personnel have access.
- Access is granted based on the principle of least privilege.
- Sharing activity is logged and monitored by the provider.
- Educate employees on safe sharing practices and revoke access as soon as it’s no longer needed.
7) Link-Based File Sharing Controls
When using links for sharing files or folders, ensure they are time-bound or usage-restricted. Always turn off unused or outdated sharing links to minimize exposure and reduce the attack surface.
8) Cloud Security Configuration Awareness
Understand your cloud provider’s built-in security settings. Ensure your team is familiar with how to configure:
- View/edit permissions.
- Access roles (e.g., read-only vs. complete control)
- Audit logs and alerts
- Misconfigured settings are one of the leading causes of cloud data breaches. Visibility and oversight are key.
9) Endpoint Protection and Antivirus
Ensure all devices interacting with the cloud environment are protected by up-to-date antivirus and anti-malware software. Regular scans and monitoring for ransomware, phishing, and suspicious activity should be included in your endpoint security policy.
10) Monitoring Remote Work Environments
Remote access introduces security risks if not properly managed. Implement centralized monitoring for all remote endpoints. Best practices include:
- Using a secure VPN or zero-trust network access
- Avoiding unsecured public networks
- Monitoring traffic through SIEM platforms
- Integrating APIs for real-time alerts and forensic visibility
Emerging 2025 Trends: AI Detection, Confidential Computing & Quantum-Safe Encryption
As cloud environments evolve, so do the threats targeting them. Security strategies that were effective a few years ago are no longer sufficient in 2025 and beyond. To stay resilient, organizations must incorporate forward-looking technologies into their cloud migration planning.
Key emerging trends include:
- AI-Driven Cloud Threat Detection: Tools like Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and runtime anomaly detection, powered by advanced machine learning, automatically flag unusual behavior, misconfigurations, or policy violations in real-time. This AI-driven approach closes gaps faster than manual methods, providing a robust defense against evolving threats.
- Confidential Computing and Cryptographic Agility: Cloud providers are now offering confidential computing, which protects data even during processing. At the same time, adopting quantum-resistant encryption, a form of encryption that is immune to attacks from quantum computers, ensures long-term security, as quantum computing poses a threat to current cryptographic standards.
- Sector-Specific Threat Mitigation: Modern phishing attacks are leveraging deepfake-enabled social engineering tactics that bypass traditional filters. Enterprises must recognize the importance of tailored security measures to prepare for these emerging risks, particularly in highly regulated sectors such as finance, healthcare, and defense.
Case Study: Provisioning Cloud Infrastructure Requirements for Global Technology Client
A global technology client engaged Veritis to provision secure cloud infrastructure tailored to stringent compliance and performance needs. The client faced challenges including complex security policies, a lack of internal cloud expertise, and the need for seamless integration across regions. Veritis strategically designed a secure, scalable architecture across AWS and Azure, implementing identity and access management (IAM), data encryption, and monitoring controls, while ensuring compliance with enterprise-grade security standards. This approach not only streamlined cloud provisioning but also significantly reduced security risks, underscoring the importance of embedding security from the outset during the cloud adoption process.
Complete case study is here: Provisioning Cloud Infrastructure Requirements for Global Technology Client
In Conclusion
These critical ten factors help you secure your cloud environment before cloud selection and during cloud implementation, addressing key security issues in cloud computing that could arise throughout the process.
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