Organizations in all industries have recognized the benefits of cloud computing. However, one of the biggest challenges at any stage of cloud implementation is data security – being compliant requires that any services and systems protect data privacy according to legal standards and regulations. There are some sectors such as healthcare and FinTech that also have additional laws that come with mandatory guidelines and cloud data security protocols that have to be followed. Let’s explain more about what cloud data security is and how to achieve full data protection in cloud computing with the right cloud provider.
What Is Cloud Data Security?
Cloud data security is everything relating to protecting data and other digital assets from security threats, insider threats, and human error. It refers to the technologies, policies, and cloud data security controls that protect any type of data in the cloud. Cloud data security includes all security measures designed to protect cloud-based infrastructure, applications, and data. These measures ensure data and resource access control, data privacy protection, as well as device authentication. On top of that, they support regulatory data compliance and provide complete visibility into all data on the network. This is why, before moving to the cloud, you should have a proper understanding of all potential risks of cloud security policy.
The Importance of Securing Data – Why Do Companies Need Data Protection?
In today’s world, companies generate, collect, and store vast amounts of data. It ranges from highly confidential business or personal customer data to less sensitive data like behavioral and marketing analytics. The volumes of data have been growing and organizations still need to be able to access, manage, and analyze them. The cloud has become the way to achieve more agility and faster time to market. However, as data and applications are no longer living inside a data center and more people have worked remotely, it is nothing but crucial to protect data and manage access to that data as it moves across and through multiple environments. Data protection policies and procedures prevent data leaks and data theft, and these are critical for protecting your assets and maintaining customers’ trust.
What Are the 5 Components of Data Security in Cloud Computing?
As cloud data security is more essential than ever, organizations should take precautions to protect their assets and customers. There are five elements of data security in the cloud.
Architecture
You should understand the cloud data security limitations of your cloud service. This often depends on the collaboration model between you and the service provider. In other words, it is what your company is responsible for and what the cloud provider offers. Only if you know the elements of the cloud security architecture, will you be able to understand potential gaps in data security coverage.
Compliance and governance
Compliance with all necessary regulations is a vital aspect of cloud data security. It should be a priority for organizations as violations may result in hefty fines.
Monitoring and threat detection
The cloud evolves rapidly and so do threats. It is crucial to implement real-time data security monitoring and threat detection mechanisms to quickly identify and respond to potential data security incidents. Therefore, it makes sense to invest in performance management tools that monitor the health of your cloud network.
Authentication
While moving to the cloud, you should implement centralized login management systems, encryption, tokenization, as well as two-step authentication. Such mechanisms help ensure that only authorized individuals can access sensitive data. Also, you should establish robust backup strategies to make sure that data is regularly backed up and stored safely.
Due diligence
Don’t rest on laurels. You should constantly analyze and review your compliance and evaluate the security measures in place. Every day, hackers discover new points of entry. Be prepared and aware of the latest cloud security breaches!
Best Practices for Securing Cloud Data
There are three core best practices organizations should apply to protect cloud-based applications and systems. They encompass a holistic cloud data security program that manages using the cloud and helps detect and respond to data security incidents.
Data Availability – Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Implementation
DLP is part of the cloud strategy that helps organizations detect and prevent the loss, leakage, and misuse of data through data breaches and unauthorized access. Simply speaking, it is a set of technologies that scan and analyze data at rest, in use, and in motion across various channels. DLP enables organizations to comply with various data privacy regulations.
Data Confidentiality – Advanced Encryption Capabilities
Encryption encodes data and conceals information by altering it so that it appears to be random information, impossible to read for a person who doesn’t have the encryption key. Data should be encrypted both at rest and in transit.
Data Integrity – Identity and Access Management (IAM)
IAM (Identity and Access Management) is a cloud security program that enables companies to identify, authenticate, and authorize people and identities, and control their access management to resources, networks, and applications. The program imposes policies and restrictions on their access to protect data in certain cloud environments.
Business Benefits of Cloud Data Security – the Key Advantages of Cloud-Based Data Protection
Maintaining strong cloud security helps businesses achieve the now widely recognized benefits of cloud computing. Let’s dive deeper into the top advantages of cloud-based data protection.
Compliance with Cloud Data
Data security is a crucial concern for regulated industries and customers. Organizations that want to meet compliance and protect personal and financial data need to manage and maintain enhanced security around infrastructure. This helps them meet compliance obligations.
Easier and Greater Visibility
Immediate access to data requires security. The implementation of security protocols ensures your data and applications are readily available to authorized users. This also helps businesses instantly take action on any potential cloud security issues.
Backups & Recovery Features
There are numerous tools and solutions to help automate and standardize backups. You don’t have to involve your in-house team in manual backups and troubleshooting cloud security issues. Updates are automated and disaster recovery protocols let you recover cloud data in minutes.
Encryption for Sensitive Data Protection
No matter where and when the cloud data goes, you should be able to protect it and make sure no one who isn’t authorized cannot read it. Cloud data security tools enable you to implement various encryption solutions so that your cloud data is always fully secure.
Lower Cost of Data Management
Using the cloud for storing and managing sensitive data may help you reduce capital expenditure along with the cost of overhead administration. Also, you don’t need to pay for dedicated hardware.
Incident Detection and Data Breaches Response
Most cloud service providers invest in innovative technologies and state-of-the-art analytics you can indirectly benefit from. Any suspicious activities are immediately identified so that you can respond to cloud security incidents quickly.
Who Is Responsible for Data Protection in the Cloud?
In most cases, it’s a cloud service provider who is responsible for the security of the cloud. Responsibilities depend on the service and deployment model. The exact breakdown of cloud security responsibilities usually depends on whether you choose SaaS, IaaS, or PaaS as your cloud computing service model. For example, for public PaaS or SaaS, the cloud service providers handle a greater share of the security responsibilities when compared to the IaaS model.
Recap – How Cloud Solutions Can Help Businesses Protect Data in the Cloud?
As your business continues growing and expanding to the cloud, cloud data protection and data security become a more and more critical aspect of minimizing the company’s risks and protecting both data and brand reputation. Choosing the right cloud solutions is a way to protect sensitive data, become more competitive, and innovate by incorporating the latest technologies into cloud environments.
If you are looking for a reliable partner who will help your business manage cloud risks in today’s dynamic workspace, manage access control, and deliver state-of-the-art cloud services, choose STX Next – a leader in identity security for cloud enterprises.
