The prevalence of cloud computing means that virtually every business uses it in some way. A lot of businesses are now based primarily on the cloud, whereas others make use of the odd cloud application – even without realizing it.
There are many reasons why cloud computing has become the norm. It improves efficiency levels, provides greater insights, enhances collaboration, and so much more. Another major benefit is that it boosts security levels across the board.
Regarding the latter, however, it’s not all plain sailing. Plenty of care and attention is required to keep your business secure. With that in mind, here’s a quick guide on how to use cloud security successfully.
Understand your networks and applications
Before anything else, it is imperative you have a full understanding of your company’s networks and applications. You need to have full visibility of your cloud service landscape. This includes the apps you use, the devices that have access, and the users on your network.
Why is this consolidated visibility necessary? The main reason is so you are able to stay on top of everything. In particular, you can stay on top of elements like the application lifecycle, which includes the update of apps as and when required.
Manage access
Managing who accesses your cloud infrastructure is important. After all, you don’t want anyone simply jumping onto the cloud and gaining access to your data. Plus even if employees are granted permission to jump onto the cloud, this doesn’t necessarily mean they should be given full administrative access.
Assigning user access rights is important. Another vital element is the use of identifying and authenticating users. Multifactor authentication, for instance, should be part of your cloud security operation. The incorporation of multifactor authentication, where a user has to prove their identity in multiple ways, minimizes the chances of any unauthorized access.
Know the threats
How can you protect your business when using cloud security? One of the biggest points is to have a solid understanding about the threats that exist. As you may expect, there are numerous threats out there, ready to exploit and gain access to your all-important data. These threats include:
- Shadow IT
- Password recycling
- Credential phishing
- Brute-force attacks
- IP theft
When you know what threats exist, you are better prepared to defend against them. You can learn more about cloud security threats with this in-depth guide by Proofpoint.
Continually monitor and defend
Cloud security is not something which you only need to do occasionally. It has to be a continual process. If you let up for just a small period of time, this presents a golden opportunity for cybercriminals to access your cloud infrastructure.
As a result, you need to have procedures in place to continually monitor and defend your cloud computing. Don’t worry too much about this, however. This isn’t something your administrators have to do on their own. There are plenty of cloud monitoring tools available which track for threats, 24/7, and alert you to any potential security risks.
