Traditional vs Cloud Security

Traditional servers and systems cannot provide profitable scalability of your organization’s annual data collection. Mostly, you could be storing data with a cloud environment, making it essential for you to differentiate between traditional and cloud security.

The Meaning of Traditional IT

On creating your IT infrastructure, you store your information by connecting the hardware devices to the servers available. Increasing users means increasing your physical hardware on-site, which is expensive. Though costly, you can enjoy controlling your data in a more significant way, enhancing your cybersecurity.

Who is a Cloud Services Provider?

To enable a cost-effective scaling, a cloud provider assists you in incorporating the internet as your storage location. But you need to get keen on the security controls your service provider is applying. Cloud computing has three formats as follows:

1.    Public Cloud

It’s popular with many people. It includes IaaS (Microsoft Azure all offer Infrastructure-as-as-Service), AWS (Amazon Web Services), AND Google Cloud platforms to enhance scalability. But malicious actors target the public cloud environments due to a lot of data that they store. According to the 2018 report by McAfee, 25% of businesses using SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) or IaaS have been victims of data theft.

2.    Private Cloud

If you want to avoid data security issues experienced with public clouds, it’s advisable to create your cloud. A private cloud will allow you to enjoy controlling and managing all your cybersecurity concerns and data centers, but it’s expensive. As stated by SearchCIO, a private cloud costs an estimate of $1.5, a budget that strains many companies.

3.    Hybrid Cloud

It is the use of both the public and private cloud, making it the best. For companies with a plan to scale, hybrid cloud is their best option. You can use the private cloud to store sensitive data like payment information and the public cloud such as PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) for storing other data like those that don’t require personal information, and you enjoy low costs.

Why Cloud Security Stands Out

Cloud environments is a game changer in the way we store and access data. APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) tools get used to allowing communication between your servers and devices to cloud servers. It is essential because the information doesn’t stay on your servers. But controlling who goes in and out is difficult as you do not control the locks. It then becomes a security risk as you work with all applications that connect to your devices, software, networks, and services to the cloud.

Ways of Mitigating Threats Associated with Hybrid Security

Cloud infrastructures are prone to cyber insecurities. It is made easier by the fact that you get limited to controlling who gets the right of access to your data. To prevent such security threats, use the following tips:

I.    Continuous Review of Cloud Stored Data

Data gets transmitted frequently between your cloud and on-premises infrastructure. Therefore, it is necessary to continually review the information stored there to know what gets saved and at the exact place of storage. Although constant sharing of data eases workloads, your cloud may end up with outdated information. Always do a review to ensure the data stored is what you require. Ensure your cloud software is updated frequently.

II.    Create a Vendor Management Program

Cloud service providers qualify as vendors, and to protect yourself from insecurities like data breaches, ensure you verify all their security controls. Ensure you sign agreements about controls with any APIs or cloud service provider you use.

III.    Understand the Controls Your Cloud Service Provider Uses

In all types of clouds, the service provider will store and transmit data. It is, therefore, advisable that you apply for appropriate data protection. Since you get to experience the damages, you need to understand how data gets encrypted by your service data, authentication, incident response plans, and controls access.

IV.    Get Familiar with Your Compliance Requirements

To get compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ensure that your provider of cloud services provides local data centers. Always get information from your cloud services provider to maintain compliance.

V.    Monitor Threats Constantly

Just like you monitor data environment, you should watch your cloud infrastructures’ threats as they evolve frequently. Remember that even though others maintain the controls, you get to own the risks.

VI.    How Cloud Security Enhances Better Control

Though it’s difficult to be everywhere at the same time, it’s possible to maintain documentation regarding your due diligence. Cloud security offers a platform that is risk-free, GRC (governance) SaaS, and compliant. Within the cloud platform, management of various tasks gets streamlined to ensure mitigation of any insecurity. All your documentation gets presented as initially received, creating a one-stop source of truth. You also get in touch with all the internal stakeholders responsible for your cloud security monitoring.

Author Bio Ken Lynch is an enterprise software startup veteran, who has always been fascinated about what drives workers to work and how to make work more engaging. Ken founded Reciprocity to pursue just that. He has propelled Reciprocity’s success with this mission-based goal of engaging employees with the governance, risk, and compliance goals of their company in order to create more socially minded corporate citizens. Ken earned his BS in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from MIT.  Learn more about compliance and cloud security at ReciprocityLabs.com.