Recent technical advancements in cloud virtualization and migration have made way for today’s new wave of remote working. In fact, migrating end user computing (EUC) to the cloud can offer huge advantages to organizations in terms of user productivity, including support for exponentially higher workloads and dynamic data scalability.
Yet, while the current shift to remote working in the cloud can help with economic survival and business continuity, the question must be asked: is this data flowing to the cloud from these unique remote sources fully secure and protected? How can organizations improve to stay protected from data breaches and lost data in this new work from home era?
The Responsibility for a Secure Cloud is a Shared One
Building a strong cloud data security infrastructure starts with a comprehensive plan of action and an understanding that security in the cloud requires a shared responsibility model. Take a deep look into your cloud provider(s) agreement and identify where they are supporting your security requirements. In a shared responsibility model, you need to know where the cloud provider’s agreed upon responsibility ends and yours begins. When this knowledge is gained, you can then better integrate your provider’s security controls into your overall security strategy.
Your security strategy could include an assessment of new assets that need to be budgeted for. Such as response software, threat detection or even swapping out legacy hardware that may have become high-risk with newer more secure devices. These strategies can be between departments as well. IT, security, and HR may need to work together to provide employees with new devices and train them on the software and security protocols.
Within your strategy, an understanding of compliance requirements is also critical to reassess. Once you see what your compliance needs are, identify and use the tools your cloud provider makes available to help you monitor and prove compliance. Certain tools can be utilized to centralize compliance data for quicker auditing and tracking.
Do you know your risk tolerance? A full understanding of this is important because knowing what data you need to secure and what risk you are willing to accept for that data is a critical part of a security strategy. Start by mapping out your data risk tolerance by type of data and the plan you will implement to protect it. By organizing your data based on its sensitivity, you will have a strong idea of which data sets you need to put at the forefront to protect the most.
Consult with Experts to Optimize Outcomes
For the best outcomes, it’s wise to utilize managed services and expert IT consultants to help architect and execute an effective cloud security plan while helping navigate the complexities of cloud data security protocols. Implementation of technology controls can help limit attacks and malware introduction into networks. Given the increase in remote users, it’s even more crucial to ensure data is not compromised and to limit access according to needs in work productivity. This data must be continually monitored to ensure a fluid environment. This type of protection demands regular assessment of the controls in place and the agility to adapt as situations change.
Focus on optimizing your security plan is a must to support any cloud model. By giving your trust to an expert with experience to guide you through the process you will know in advance how changes may impact your environment, and your security posture. It takes a team to provide compressive peace of mind and security of your most important data assets.
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