Data is valuable to companies and cybercriminals alike, so when businesses in Toronto and across Canada started migrating their data and applications to the cloud, malicious actors followed suit. While cloud providers now implement stringent security protocols in their physical data centres and virtual networks, data breaches and tampering still occur, mostly because of cloud customers’ shortcomings. Often, customers fail to do the following:
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Configure their cloud properly (e.g., they make datasets publicly accessible instead of limiting access to authorized users)
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Apply change management that works on cloud-based systems
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Create and implement a cloud-centric security strategy that covers:
- Identity and access management
- Account takeover mitigation
- Endpoint management
In their eagerness to leverage the cloud to propel business growth, some business owners and managers forget that they need to implement data security solutions, too. Particularly, they need cloud-native security solutions. Here are two reasons why:
Pre-cloud security measures are not enough
Some users make the mistake of thinking that their pre-cloud cybersecurity measures (such as antivirus programs) will be sufficient for their clouds. They seem to forget that their cybersecurity measures must match the power of the cloud.
| Cloud | Security solution |
|---|---|
| The cloud rapidly changes – New features and capabilities are developed at breakneck speeds, with many updates and patches always following right after. | Your security solution must keep pace with rapid change. Automation may be key to achieving this, though businesses must be wary not to have another SolarWinds incident on their hands. |
| The cloud is highly scalable – When workloads increase or decrease, businesses can adjust more easily than they would with on-premises infrastructure. | The solution must enable admins to easily enrol new users and deactivate accounts of ex-employees or bad actors. It must also allow for the efficient rollout of security policies to individuals, groups, or the entire organization. |
| The cloud helps businesses be resilient – Data inaccessibility due to data deletion, ransomware, network latency issues, or power outages is mitigated by measures such as data backup systems and uninterruptible power supplies. | For a security solution to be complete, it needs to have business continuity and disaster recovery as well. |
You may be using more than one cloud environment
Hybrid and multi-cloud setups are not uncommon among businesses that serve many provinces and/or countries. Having multiple security solutions increases the overall complexity of your systems and may make it difficult to oversee and much more expensive to manage. However, these negative outcomes may be avoided if the solutions employed are cloud-native. This is because a cloud-native security solution:
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Is built with integration in mind – It can either be quickly deployed in popular public cloud platforms or be developed further so that it can be used effectively in the desired cloud environment.
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Can use cloud connectors – Cloud connectors are software agents that help integrate different cloud environments with one another, standardize security policy implementation among them, and centralize security management. In short, connectors eliminate variances in security policy enforcement that may lead to the formation of security gaps.
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Allows the use of a centralized console – Instead of having to switch between consoles, admins can use just a single pane of glass to quickly and easily:
- Gain broad visibility
- Update security policies
- Assess configurations and examine suspicious events
- Gather and analyze threat data
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Exercise granular controls
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Makes automation easy – Speed is critical in keeping data safe, which is why being able to automate threat identification and response is a boon for a cloud environment. Cloud-native solutions usually have automation frameworks that can span multi-cloud environments and allow for a unified response to cyberthreat events.
Organizations in Toronto and across Canada trust XBASE to apply and manage cloud-specific security. If you are concerned that your existing security is not a good fit for your cloud environment, talk with our Exponentially Better™ cybersecurity experts. Schedule a consultation today.