The key areas CIOs need to address to minimise the risk of their cloud journey being a rocky one.
Security is very important to an organisation’s reputation and success. As more cloud services are adopted, cloud security has come to the fore as a critical factor when deciding whether to use cloud-based infrastructure and applications.
At Tracer Cloud we help organisations improve their cloud security capabilities quickly. Some aspects of cloud services require similar security practices seen with on-premises systems; however, many require new thinking and approaches. This is why education is such a vital component to cloud security success.
There are multiple facets of cloud which demand general security awareness, and an understanding is required so staff appreciate why cloud security is required. Security must be integrated into application, infrastructure and DevOps processes for coverage and efficiency.
Here are five cloud security tips for IT and business leaders to help raise awareness of how to take advantage of cloud security, and what to look out for.
1. Visibility
First, know and understand what cloud services you are using and the type of data you are storing in the cloud. Follow this with a firm understanding of how your cloud environments are configured. This gives you the information required to make good decisions so you are not guessing. Visibility is all about real data and is key to enabling options for integration and automation. With better visibility you can save time and allow your engineers and operators to focus on more important things. Visibility also drives cost efficiency from a security resource perspective – you don’t need to chase alerts once they are automated and instead can focus on business enablement and innovation.
2. Governance
What are the rules and guidelines you have in place to manage the usage of cloud services, and what does that mean from a security perspective? For example, is your organisation allowed to store certain types of data in the cloud? Is your organisation allowed to stand up new cloud environments by anyone with a corporate credit card? You need governance to ensure policies and standards are adhered to. With the correct governance and visibility, you will not be caught out with issues such as offshoring of sensitive data or corporate use of unapproved cloud services.
3. Control
With access to cloud services readily available, controlling access and the data stored in cloud is critical for any organisation. Control access to trusted users from trusted locations with industry standard strong authentication. This will provide assurance that your services and data can only be accessed by the correct people. Control access to cloud services and the ability to create and consume types of cloud resources. This will allow specific teams to deploy the systems and applications the business requires. Control cost and service consumption. This will enable granular cost control and reporting to enable accurate forecasting against budgets per business unit.
4. New skills
You will need new security skills in the cloud as the approach is often different. Even traditional IT security professionals can find themselves in a situation where they “don’t know what they don’t know” about cloud security. Improving your organisation’s cloud security is not just about technology, but also about educating your people for the future.
5. Cloud security as an enabler
In the cloud, DevOps, infrastructure and security go hand-in-hand. Often the business wants to move fast, but security is usually a blocker and often “fixed” with a bolt-on piece of technology. It is time to think about security up front and leverage it as a business enabler for a competitive advantage. Security is there to enhance the business and must be aligned every step of the way. Cloud security is about innovating with your business whilst ensuring appropriate protection is available.
Cloud Security Tip: Know what needs to be secured
Do you know what cloud services you are already consuming? It sounds strange, but many organisations don’t know what they are using in the cloud so it is important to find out and understand why.
About Tracer Cloud
Tracer Cloud is an Australian-based cloud services company that helps leading public and private organisations to get the best out of their cloud journey. We provide clients with strategy and security advisory, technology design, migration execution and management of cloud services.
Start your journey with Tracer Cloud today.