Organizations are moving to the cloud in increasing numbers to take advantage of the long list of cloud benefits, including data center distribution, cost savings, efficiencies in managing environments, and flexibility. The cloud can also introduce new competitive advantages, such as the ability to scale up and down with ease and provide a level of customer experience that’s just not possible with inherently slower-to-implement on-premises systems.
However, that competitive advantage disappears in the case of a security breach. If proprietary company and/or private customer data is exposed, the direct and indirect costs are significant.
So, what do you need to do to secure your cloud-based systems while enjoying the competitive benefits? In this post, we’ll cover the basics to give you a foundational understanding of what’s essential for security in the cloud.
Cloud security risk and control vary by cloud layer
The level of control you have over security and the associated risks differ for each level of the cloud. Although your security requirements are the same no matter what cloud level you’re dealing with, how you implement security will vary.
SaaS cloud security
On the SaaS level, you have the least control. Your SaaS provider manages everything, from the network and servers to storage and the application itself. Because control lies with the vendor, your best defense at this level is to choose vendors with high security standards. Look for companies that encrypt data and offer activity monitoring. Prioritize vendors that are SOC 2 compliant, since they’ve demonstrated an actioned commitment to security. When possible, capture appropriate logging to track access and updates to cloud applications.
