Increasing internet penetration, the rise of smart devices and cloud are three significant factors deciding the way businesses work today.
These three factors brought in ease within business functioning and operations, thus contributing to enhanced productivity.
But this very ‘ease of access’ factor is contributing to potential risks in a cloud environment.
Cloud technology is breaking down network barriers, as its demand in mainstream IT business for a range of functions is skyrocketing. At this juncture, companies need to be cautious about how their data is traversing through networks and its high susceptibility to outside threats.
Here are ‘10 key Cloud Security Considerations’ you need to check before Cloud adoption:
Factors Before ‘Cloud Selection’:
1) Data Security
Get complete clarity on how your cloud service provider is handling your data. This includes considerations of ‘what and how data is being collected’, ‘data movement between users and cloud’, ‘data storage’ and ‘data encryption, among others. Beyond this, have a complete idea about possible threat actors to your data.
2) Customer Support
Check how qualitative is your vendor’s customer support. Explore all possible ways to ensure all your queries can get addressed every time. Ask them if they have chat support or a specific mailbox to report issues or seek clarifications whenever required. Please take a quick look at FAQs about their service offerings. Ensuring the reliability of a cloud vendor is key to ensuring the security of your cloud environment.
3) Ease of Access
Give this a top priority when choosing a cloud service provider in the US. That means you should go for a vendor with an easily understandable and accessible user interface. Because hindrances in this area can lead to problems for your users and employees while operating on your cloud environment.
4) Legal Terms and Conditions
This is one area where most companies face challenges because of not reading thoroughly/adequately. Dedicate some time and read through terms of service to understand your responsibilities, factors your vendor stands committed to and the shared responsibilities between your organization and the vendor.
Have a close watch on how can access your data and be aware of all legal rights.
During Cloud Implementation:
5) Authentication
After selection, the critical factor is how you secure your cloud accounts. Ensure to have a strict two-factor authentication backed by unique and strong password combinations.
6) File Sharing
Ensure your file access and sharing mechanism is secure while in use by employers and users. Here is where identity and access controls play crucial. Make sure the right credentials are only shared with to right people in the right context and restricted to remaining others.
Educate your staff on security protocols and make sure they follow a need-to-know basis before requesting access. In such a case, let the access be given when required and restricted when done. Beyond this, your cloud provider should be tracking the file sharing and access activity.
7) File Sharing by Links
The most common cloud-style file sharing is in the form of a link. These web links point to a file or a folder with access rights clearly defined. In such a case, make sure that the links ‘no longer required’ are disabled to ensure the entry of possible threats.
8) Be Aware of Settings
Understand what security settings you have in place from your cloud provider. Ensure to have full visibility into who views your content. Make sure you are aware of ‘read-only access’ and ‘read, write, and edit’ permissions.
9) Antivirus
Make sure the antivirus is updated across all levels of your organizational activities. Perform regular scans and keep a close monitor on anti-ransomware, spams, malware, and anomalous events.
10) Monitor Remote Working
Ensure to have a central monitoring mechanism to watch your remote working operations. All remote operations might not necessarily be on secure networks. So, make sure your staff doesn’t land up in the spam or threat-causing sites. Ensure the data between endpoints is happening in a secure environment.
You may create API-driven integration between your cloud service provider and centralized Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform.
ALSO READ: Lift and Shift Cloud Migration: Benefits, Challenges and Strategy
In Conclusion
These critical ten factors help you secure your cloud environment before cloud selection and during cloud implementation.