Seamless and secure access to critical corporate data is one of the prerequisites for implementing a successful business model. Thankfully, cloud computing solutions make it possible and transform your business digitally. The cloud technology is known for offering seamless data access in a secure way, but then, it is necessary for any company to know how cloud-based platforms ensure the security of their critical corporate data.
Prevalence of Cloud Computing SolutionsThe cloud technology becomes so rapidly popular that as per an official study, the public cloud solution will record a whopping 40% growth by the year 2020. Experts predict that over 40 zettabytes of the corporate data will be stored in the cloud servers by 2020. In such a scenario, the safeguarding of company data becomes highly important. When a company opts for cloud computing solutions through any platforms like PaaS, SaaS, and IaaS, data security remains its key concern.
Five Top Information Security Features of Cloud-based Solutions for Business1. Access and Authentication
Data access should be selective on the basis of the hierarchy of your company. It is necessary to define the scope and limits for accessing the corporate data between the administrator, users, and employees. The cloud service providers should offer a consistent and robust way to identify and authorize access to critical data in the cloud.
Also, the cloud platforms should enable app developers to integrate authentication into both mobile and web apps to manage and control the end user’s access. IBM Cloud offers App ID feature to the developers for addressing this need.
Apart from this, if the company has Identity and Access Management (IAM) system is in place, then the cloud computing solutions need to integrate the same and the cloud provider should facilitate to integrate IAM into the platform.
2. Networking and Host SecurityNetwork security plays a vital role in ensuring the safety of cloud-based business solutions. Here we can mention three technical approaches to obtain a robust network and host security.
Firewalls and Secure user groups- Network firewalls can protect perimeters whereas network security groups can offer instance-level access.
Micro-segmentation- Cloud-supported apps can be readily isolated through network segments. The cloud platform you choose should provide the implementation and automation of micro-segmentation.
Trusted hosts- Cloud computing solutions must be hosted by highly secure hosts. Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and Intel TXT in computing host can be considered as trusted hosts.
Related Reading- Ten Reasons Why Your Business Needs Cloud Solutions in 20193. Data Encryption
Data encryption is no longer a new term in the corporate world. When it comes to cloud-based solutions for business, a BYOK (Bring Your Own Keys) model can protect all cloud workloads based on encryption. Simply put, the key management system can generate a key and passes it to the cloud service provider. You can readily audit and control key management activities. The cloud platform provider must extend BYOK approach for encryption of data at rest and in motion.
4. App Security and Development Security ManagementWhen you hire mobile app developers to build a cloud-supported app for your business, they can integrate security checks without hampering the core business objectives. A scanning system can find potential vulnerabilities from such an app. But, this automated scanning system has some limitations, and therefore, a cloud service vendor should also offer scanning facility for running containers to keep a check on anomalies. Vulnerability Advisor is a tool that provides static and live container security through scanning of images. In a way, app security is enhanced with the help of development security management and cloud platform-based security management.
5. Monitoring and Intelligence
Finally, your cloud platform provider must provide full visibility into apps, APIs, microservices, and all sorts of data-driven infrastructure. Many cloud providers have inbuilt activity tracker to enable the users to monitor all access points in web and mobile apps. It also provides access to track the platform, services, and business apps. Your company needs to integrate the information in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system.
Additionally, it is even better if your cloud service provider offers security monitoring along with incident reporting and real-time security alert analysis functionality. Many comprehensive SIEM tools have a set of AI-powered intelligence solutions to ensure security. The good thing is, AI-based solutions are scalable to meet the changing security requirements of your company in line with business expansion.
When your entire business is driven through cloud technology, you simply cannot ignore the data security and privacy protection aspects. It is always good to ask the cloud services provider for these basic security checks to ensure the safety of your company’s valuable data.
Concluding LinesSumming up, secure navigation, user verification and authentication, firewalls, data encryption, and privacy protection are the key aspects on which the cloud platforms should focus to provide highly secure cloud computing solutions to the companies.
At Silver Touch, we strive for making the most of the next big thing- the Cloud for our corporate clients. Be it your advanced business app or robust systems, we can seamlessly migrate your entire digital infrastructure to cloud for providing automation and convenience in accessing necessary data through any device, anytime.
Just drop us a line at info@silvertouch.com to know how cloud technology can transform your business digitally with robust solutions.
