Cloud computing has become an essential part of doing business, and hackers have taken notice. According to a recent study by the Thales Group technology company, 44 percent of all companies have experienced a breach of their cloud systems.
It’s clear that companies doing business in the cloud must implement security measures that protect the SaaS apps they use, sensitive proprietary data, customer data, financial data, and any other sensitive digital assets. In addition to preventing valuable losses, cloud security is also mandatory for regulatory compliance in many industries. Having a robust cloud security system in place also helps build trust with clients and customers.
What Is Cloud Security?
When people in the business world say the term “cloud security,” they are referring to the technologies, best practices, processes and the policies that are meant to protect a cloud computing system. The goal of cloud security is to prevent unauthorized access that can lead to disruptions, stolen data and more.
It’s important to note that cloud security covers three types of cloud computing environments — public clouds offered by a provider like Amazon or Google, private clouds owned by a single company, and hybrid cloud systems that combine aspects of both. The security measures used often depend on the type of cloud computing environment they are designed to protect. That said, the goal of any cloud system is the same.
The Importance of Cloud Security
Obviously, cloud security is important, and most companies have some kind of system in place, if only through default security settings on the systems they use. So, should your company improve cloud security measures to increase its level of protection?
Investing in additional cloud security undoubtedly translates into business benefits in three key areas.
Data Breach Prevention
Cloud computing systems are increasing both in scale and complexity. This combination makes securing cloud systems more challenging each day. However, facing this challenge is absolutely necessary because of the devastating impact of a data breach. According to a report from IBM, the average cost of a data breach in 2024 was nearly $4.9 million.
Efforts to improve cloud security directly address this threat. When you consider a company’s average investment in cloud security is less than $1 per employee, it’s a small price to pay to prevent a data breach.
Compliance
Many industries have regulations related to data security, with the strictest being in finance and healthcare. Companies and organizations in these regulated industries must take steps to ensure that personal and financial information does not fall into the hands of unauthorized individuals. There are also data regulations related to geographical location. For example, companies that do business in the European Union must prevent the release of personal information under the General Data Protection Regulation — more commonly known as the GDPR.
In order to remain compliant, companies need to invest in and improve cloud security systems. Not doing so can result in costly fines, legal action, or a business being forced to shut down.
Stronger Company Brand
Your company may be able to recover from the initial effects of a data breach, but the reputational damage can be long lasting. After major data breaches at retailers like Target, consumers will often stop shopping at these stores for fear of their credit card or personal information becoming stolen.
Today’s customers expect a certain level of cybersecurity. Making investments in cloud security goes a long way to meeting this expectation, and potentially staying out of the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Common Mistakes in Cloud Security
While every organization wants to protect its digital infrastructure and especially its cloud systems, the road to a diabolical data breach is paved with good intentions. In fact, common mistakes can often trip up the best-laid cloud security plans. Below are a few popular mistakes that your company should avoid when trying to improve cloud security.
Misconfiguration
Not changing default settings, overly broad permissions and basic human error can result in a cloud system being misconfigured. This is the top cause of cloud data breaches, and it can be easily addressed by following best practices. Regular audits can also identify any misconfigurations and address them before they can be exploited.
Using Unsecure APIs
Used for everything from management to data transfer, APIs are a popular target for cyber criminals. Hackers know that APIs often lack encryption and proper access control, making them vulnerable. Maintaining secure design principles helps to ensure that APIs aren’t left vulnerable for hackers to exploit.
Not Using Multi-Factor Authentication
Most commonly used to send security codes to personal cell phones, multi-factor authentication has become a standard security practice in recent years. If your company isn’t using MFA, a cyber criminal only needs to guess a user’s password to gain access to the system. This security measure provides an added layer of security with minimal interference.
Not Backing Up Data
Cloud security is designed to keep hackers outside the system, but it’s also focused on restoring a system if hackers successfully breach it. Not adequately backing up critical data is one common mistake that can make a data breach even worse. When this happens, a company must deal with extended downtime as IT staff scramble to recover or recreate lost data. The longer downtime drags on, the more it costs a company in terms of lost revenue, lower productivity, and customer service interruptions.
Not Updating and Patching the System
It’s a well-known practice among cybercriminals to search for outdated software and exploit known security vulnerabilities. Regularly updating and patching software forces criminals to move on when they scan your system. In many industries, regularly updating and patching software isn’t just a best practice; it is mandatory according to regulations. Therefore, not keeping up with security updates could result in fines and legal action against your company.
Best Practices and Tips for Your Business
With the most common mistakes out of the way, let’s move on to the best practices your staff members should be following to support and improve cloud security in your organization.
Ensure Client and Provider Responsibilities Are Clearly Defined
Whether your company is using a cloud-based SaaS or storing data, there needs to be clearly defined cloud security responsibilities on both sides of the equation. While some tasks should fall under the domain of your company, the rest must be handled by the provider to avoid security gaps.
Have Clearly Defined Cloud Security Policies
There also needs to be clearly defined roles and responsibilities inside your organization. Cloud security policies should outline how to use cloud services in a way that’s safe and secure. Policy should also describe security configurations and how to handle incidents. Ensure these policies are easily accessible and properly communicated to all stakeholders.
Hold Regular Employee Training Sessions
There’s a saying that humans are the weakest link of any cybersecurity system. To shore up this weak link in your organization, make sure that your employees are getting regular cloud security training sessions. Well trained employees should be able to spot phishing attacks, create strong passwords and know how to report suspicious activity.
Conduct Regular Cloud-Security Audits
As we’ve noted above, cloud computing systems grow larger and more complex by the day. This increased complexity often results in security misconfigurations, which are vulnerabilities. Regular audits should focus on access controls, network configurations, and other security settings based on defined cloud security policies.
Least-Privilege Access
Recognized as a proven security practice, least privileged access involves granting the minimum positions required for each user to do their job. When roles change, access should be reviewed and adjusted accordingly. It’s also important to remove all access when someone leaves the organization.
Perform Regular Backups
Regular backups allow your company to maintain continuity in the event of a cyberattack or system crash. First, it’s important to identify critical data that must be regularly backed up, such as system configurations, intellectual property, and financial data. Next, it’s important to have a dependable backup solution that suits your cloud infrastructure. Finally, it’s important to regularly check backups to make sure that critical data can be recovered if necessary.
Secure Devices and Endpoints
Every single device that’s connected to a cloud service is a potential vulnerability. Therefore, it’s critical to lock down these endpoints. Use endpoint detection and response solutions to track devices and watch for suspicious activity. Best practices also include wiping lost devices, using disk encryption and employees using a VPN when outside the company network.
Encryption, Encryption, Encryption
If hackers are able to breach a cybersecurity system, encryption is the last line of defense against valuable data being stolen. Data should be encrypted while it’s being sent and stored. Cloud computing providers should offer encryption options for both, using secure protocols for data exchange between users and the cloud.
Use a Zero-Trust Model
Zero-trust is a cybersecurity model that requires verification from every single entity, assuming that every request of a cloud system comes from an open network. Users must regularly verify their authenticity and can only access resources specific to their role. This model is designed to contain cyber attacks and prevent hackers from moving across a network.
Clearly Spell Out Compliance Requirements
The best way to ensure that your cloud system doesn’t run into compliance issues is to clearly spell out the requirements for your industry. This typically involves mapping out how user activity will be logged, encryption methods for regulated data, data retention policies, audit practices, and more.
Most cloud providers offer services that comply with major regulations like HIPAA and GDPR. However, it is important to work with compliance experts to ensure your organization is remaining compliant and has the right policies in place.
Develop an Incident Response Plan
There’s no hiding from the fact that cloud security incidents will happen. Therefore, it is absolutely critical to develop an incident response plan that includes procedures for identifying, containing, examining, and recovering from various kinds of cloud security incidents. Your incident response plan should make accommodations for data breaches, malware attacks, DDoS attacks, attacks from inside your organization, and more. A response plan should clearly define roles, communication protocols, and responsibilities.
Conduct External Penetration Tests
Bringing in a third-party to conduct penetration tests is a cloud security best practice because it closely replicates how your cloud system might come under attack. External experts can reveal attack vectors that you may have overlooked so they can be addressed before the real hackers come calling.
Stay on Top of Updates
Because cloud providers typically handle all of the patches and updates to their system, it’s easy to get complacent and overlook the importance of updates on your side of the fence. While some updates are automatically applied by a provider, some updates might call for manual intervention. You and your provider should have clearly defined roles when it comes to updates and communicate about critical changes that address security vulnerabilities.
Use Automated Monitoring and Remediation Tools
Automated cloud security tools are getting more sophisticated by the day, and they can save your team last time when it comes to keeping your system secure. Make sure your tools are configured properly to identify and address security incidents, including a strange pattern of login attempts and suspicious network traffic. It’s important to note that human oversight is critical to make sure these automated tools are functioning as they are designed.
Taylored Systems Can Help Secure Your Business
At Taylored Systems, we have been helping Indiana businesses maintain and improve cloud security for many years. We’ve also been helping companies with cloud storage and backup solutions, ensuring that their cloud assets are there when they need them.
But our ability to secure your business goes far beyond cloud security. We also specialize in providing a range of security solutions for your facilities. These include access control systems, office building surveillance systems, and video surveillance systems. Whether your company is looking to secure its cloud or its physical infrastructure, Taylored Systems has got you covered. Please contact us today to learn more.