Protecting business data is a priority for any company, especially if that relies on the cloud to run daily operations.
As organizations increasingly shift their business models to the cloud for innovation and success, cloud security threats are continually evolving.
In such cases, it increases the need for solutions that can protect any type of data with one cohesive strategy. Therefore, it is essential to know the best ways to improve cloud security for businesses before it’s too late.
This article will guide you through improving cloud security and its importance for your organization.
Defining cloud security
Cloud security is the practice of protecting information, systems, and assets in the cloud from cyber-attacks and threats. The cloud provides a platform for businesses to store, manage and process data.
Many companies use the cloud to store sensitive information such as financial records, customer data, and intellectual property.
With cloud security in place, it helps safeguard the company’s data from loss or theft by ensuring it is only accessed by authorized users.
Cloud security also ensures that data remains encrypted during transmission over the internet or an intranet network.
According to Thales Cloud Security’s latest report, 45% of businesses had experienced a cloud-based data breach in the past 12 months. But the majority of them cited “encryption” as their critical security control.
This indicates that cloud security has been on top of mind for many enterprises since the advent of cloud computing. It enables companies to have reduced costs, increased scalability, on-demand service delivery, and improved resource utilization.
8 tips for improving cloud security
Cloud computing has changed how businesses operate and have made it easier for them to scale up and improve their efficiency. But it also comes with its own set of challenges, so there’s always the need to enhance cloud security.
Here we have the eight tips for improving cloud security:
1. Deploy multi-factor authentication (MFA)
One of the best ways to improve cloud security is to use multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA is a technology that requires more than one piece of information to authenticate a user.
MFA adds an extra layer of protection and helps prevent unauthorized access to accounts even if an attacker has compromised the password database.
2. Test your cloud system regularly
It’s important to test the cloud system regularly to ensure that it’s still working as expected. This is one of the most important steps toward improving cloud security.
Regular cloud system tests could be done by running penetration tests, vulnerability scans, and other checks.
If these tests are performed regularly, companies can identify issues before they become serious problems. Also, this can help prevent any major attacks on the system.
3. Ensure data security
With traditional IT systems, organizations typically have full control over the data they store and process. This control is lost in a public cloud environment when multiple users share resources, infrastructure, and applications.
Data security is the heart of cloud security. It becomes a shared responsibility between the service provider and its users. Organizations must implement appropriate controls to ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive information.
4. Manage user access
One of the biggest risks in cloud computing is not owning or having control of the data center where data is hosted. This means that attackers gain access to data if there’s a security breach.
As mentioned previously, companies should ensure that only authorized users have access to data and understand how they can access it.
This includes restricting user access based on their role in the company and limiting the amount of data they can see.
It’s important not only for cloud security but also for compliance reasons, and this can help through proper user management systems in place.
5. Secure a data backup plan
A good data backup plan is also a vital part of any good cloud security strategy.
Cloud services can be hacked, which means data is at risk of being stolen. Even the most secure cloud provider in the world won’t prevent data loss if something happens to their servers or network connections.
Organizations should have a stringent data backup plan if data ever gets compromised.
6. Invest in automation solutions
Automation tools provide significant benefits to every cloud security strategy and have become prevalent in organizations nowadays. With automation solutions, companies are ensured that the right policies are in place.
These tools help reduce manual processes, minimize human error, and speed up response times in case of an attack or breach.
7. Security training for employees
Employees must be made aware of all of the dangers they may face as they utilize the cloud.
It’s important that all employees understand the types of threats and how they should deal with them when they arise.
Cloud security training is an effective way to educate staff members about these perils and how they can best protect themselves from them.
8. Ensure compliance with data protection regulations
Companies that use the cloud should comply with data protection regulations.
Data protection regulations vary from country to country and organization to organization, but some essential principles apply to all organizations.
Why improving cloud security matters
The importance of cloud security can hardly be overstated. In a digital world where companies are increasingly shifting to cloud services, effective cloud security is essential to protect against threats to business processes.
Investing in a cloud security strategy is a great way to improve business systems as well it can harness significant advantages to move a business to the next level.
