The cloud has become an increasingly popular way to store and share data. However, with the rise of cloud usage comes the need for greater security. As a result, cloud security is a top priority for businesses of all sizes.
We’ve compiled a list of best practices to help you keep your data safe and secure in the cloud.
1. Monitor and Defend
It’s essential to monitor and defend cloud-deployed resources just as carefully as on-premises ones. Here are some critical considerations when doing so:
- Keep track of all resources within the cloud
- Analyze both cloud and on-premises monitoring for effectiveness
- Coordinate with a cloud service provider (CSP)
You need to analyze cloud and on-premises monitoring tools and capabilities and identify gaps in coverage. Then, coordinate with your cloud service provider to ensure you get the necessary visibility and protection.
One key consideration is to use an agentless cloud workload protection platform (CWPP) to monitor utility storage. This platform can help identify and block malicious actions, such as data exfiltration or denial-of-service attacks. CWPPs can provide comprehensive visibility into all activity in the cloud, including at the infrastructure, platform, and application levels.
Another critical consideration is keeping an eye on user permissions and role changes. It is vital in organizations that use a “bring your own identity” (BYOI) model, in which employees use personal accounts to access company resources. In these cases, it’s essential to have a way to track and audit user activity.
Finally, it’s important to remember that the cloud is constantly changing, so monitoring and defense strategies must also be adaptable. By being aware of these critical considerations, you can ensure that your cloud-deployed resources are well protected.
2. Safeguard Information
As the world increasingly moves to the cloud for personal and professional use, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your data has the proper safeguards.
- Prevent Unauthorized Access. Ensure that only authorized users can access your data and that they can only access it from authorized devices. Several ways to do this include password protection, two-factor authentication, and device management.
- Ensure the Availability of Critical Data. Make sure that critical data is always accessible, even in the event of an outage or other disaster. There are some ways to do this, including data replication and backups.
- Prevent Disclosure of Deleted Data. Ensure that deleted data gets permanently erased and is unrecoverable. Some ways to do this include secure data erasure and encryption.
3. Carry Out Due Diligence
When evaluating a cloud solution, there are four key areas you should focus on:
- You’ll want to define your goals and objectives for the investment and create a budget. It will help you narrow down your options and choose a solution that fits your needs.
- Development and Deployment. During this phase, you’ll work with the vendor to configure the software and get it up and running.
- Once the software is up and running, monitoring operations closely is vital. You should track performance metrics and user activity to identify any issues or areas for improvement.
- When you’re ready to retire the software or switch to another solution, you’ll need to decommission it properly. It includes backing up data and removing all users from the system.
4. Manage Accessibility
By managing access to resources, organizations can ensure that only authorized users have access to sensitive data and that data gets protected from unauthorized access.
You need to analyze cloud and on-premises monitoring tools and capabilities and identify gaps in coverage. Then, coordinate with your cloud service provider to ensure you get the necessary visibility and protection.
Managing access includes:
- Identifying and Authenticating Users
- Assigning User Access Rights
- Creating and Enforcing Resource Access Policies
Improve Your Cloud Data Security
Utility storage security is vital for anyone who relies on cloud-based applications and services. Performing due diligence, managing access, protecting data, and monitoring and defending against threats are all critical components of a vital utility storage security strategy.
Following the best practices outlined here can help improve your cloud data security posture.