Cloud Security Compliance Can Help Prepare for Cloud Risks

If your organization is moving to the cloud, then there’s a chance you’re worried about cloud security compliance. Security should be a top concern in the cloud. It’s particularly important because of the increase in breaches over the last few years.

A lack of experience can compound cloud risk. The public cloud essentially moves organizations into a self-service world. Unfortunately, that goes for security, too.

It’s the IT staff’s responsibility to protect data and assets in the cloud. Securing your cloud deployments takes time, investment, and proper planning to grow and mature. To learn more about how CloudBolt can help, check out more on our latest acquisition, Kumolus.

In the meantime, here are some cloud security best practices to prepare your organization for the move to the cloud.

CONTROL USER ACCESS

You need to implement a tight control of user access through policies. Policies help organizations manage users who are attempting to access your cloud resources. Always start from a place of zero trust. Only afford users access to the data and systems they need, nothing more.

When implementing access control policies, create clearly defined groups with assigned roles so you can grant access to chosen resources. Instead of customizing access for every user, you can add users to groups.

SECURE ENDPOINTS

Another cloud security best practice you need to implement is to secure user endpoints. Most users will access cloud services through a web browser. Therefore, it’s important to introduce advanced security measures on the client’s side. This will keep the users’ browsers up to date and protected from exploits.

Implement an endpoint security solution to protect end-user devices. This is particularly important given the increasing use of mobile devices that you have no control over to access cloud services. The solution should include antivirus, firewalls, and Internet security tools.

IMPLEMENT ENCRYPTION

Data encryption is one of the key cloud security compliance best practices. When using the cloud, you expose your data to increased risk since you’re storing it on a third-party platform. Sending the data back and forth between your network and the cloud service requires extra precaution. You should encrypt the data, both in transit and at rest.

Some cloud providers have built-in encryption services to help protect your data from outside parties. But this is a double-edged sword since it gives them access to your encryption keys. As a safety measure, you should implement custom encryption before uploading your data to the cloud.

VISIBILITY

Today, many organizations have adopted a multi-cloud or hybrid cloud model. A range of providers and geographies host these cloud services. This setup creates blind spots in your IT infrastructure, and you cannot secure what you can’t see.

The only way around this is to implement a cloud security compliance solution. This will give you visibility into your entire cloud ecosystem. You can monitor and protect cloud usage across all the disparate clouds.

Cloud visibility will allow you to implement security policies and mitigate risks.

TRAIN USERS

Users are the first line of defense in any cloud deployment. Organizations rely heavily on the knowledge and application of security practices to protect systems and data from attacks.

Make sure to train all users, both staff and stakeholders, who have access to your system, in secure cloud practices. Everyone should be on-board and aware of how to spot malware and identify phishing e-mails. Everyone should also understand the risks of breaching laid-out security policies.

For advanced users, such as IT admins and other technical staff, consider industry-specific certification and training.

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