Cloud Security — A Easy to Understand Guide
Over the past two decades, cloud computing gained monumental hype because of its zero downtime and cost-effective services. This shift from the legacy approach of using on-premise technology to cloud-based services has concocted a tremendous surge in the global industrial landscape. According to the Research and Markets report, the global cloud computing market cap will reach 1,554.94 billion USD by 2030. It will register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.7 percent till 2030. With this increased demand for cloud, enterprises must also take prior precautions towards cloud security. This article will give you a crisp idea of cloud security, various risks associated with cloud security, and tools to prevent cloud systems & cloud data migration services from cyber threats.
What is cloud computing?
Cloud computing is a pay-as-you-use technology that provides rented services like computation, storage, security, networking, virtual servers, online apps, voice and video calling services, etc., via the internet. Cloud services are flexible and cost-effective. Cloud service providers deliver services like networking, cloud transformation services, cloud data migration services, and plug-and-go resources against a monthly subscription fee.
What is cloud security?
Cloud security is the practice & strategic use of cybersecurity in cloud computing. It protects the data, applications, infrastructure, and other cloud components from cyber criminals and attacks. Cloud security professionals try to implement robust security architecture to render more security to cloud services with tools like Identity and Access Management (IAM), behavior analysis algorithms, next-generation firewalls, DDoS mitigation tools, etc. Even with these risks, cloud security is more protected than on-premise technology. According to the Markets and Markets research report, the cloud security market will grow from 40.8 billion USD in 2021 to 77.5 billion USD by 2026. It will reflect a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.7 percent during this forecast period.
What are the most severe cloud security risks?
Here is a list of the most severe risks that cloud computing poses to an enterprise.
· There is a chance of data leakage & exposure if a data breach occurs in the cloud database.
· During cloud transformation service, the data-in-transit might get hijacked, or someone might alter it.
· Data might get stolen during cloud migration services.
· Unauthorized internal access can lead to severe consequences.
· Internal threats by the authorized user can also cause severe damage to cloud services and data.
· DDoS, ransomware attacks, and other malware-based attacks can damage or cripples the internal cloud infrastructure.
Benefits of cloud security
There are numerous benefits enterprises can enjoy by opting for cloud services and implementing cloud-based security.
1. More availability and reliability over data: The ways of accessing cloud data are more secure compared to on-premise data accessibility. Cloud security assures that the app-based services and data will be available 24x7 with complete integrity and confidentiality to the authorized users.
2. Lower upfront cost: With cloud security, enterprises do not have to pay for dedicated security hardware & tools. The cloud service provider takes care of all the security postures for all the clients.
3. Physical security protection: Since the cloud servers and infrastructures reside on tight physical security on various geolocations, it becomes hard for cybercriminals to attempt physical security.
4. Redundant data prevents data loss: Cloud data becomes redundantly stored in different geolocations. It makes the data & services free from natural disasters or any data loss by cyberattacks like ransomware or wiper malware.
Essential technologies/tools for cloud security
According to a recent report, around 85 percent of enterprises believe cloud services are critical to innovation, and 40 percent have security policies. As enterprise cloud adoption has grown exponentially, attackers find it a perfect hub to breach and steal data from the cloud. Attackers also try to disrupt the standard functionalities of cloud services through various attack vectors. So, enterprises must incorporate effective measures and techniques to secure cloud infrastructures.
Encryption:
It is a mechanism of scrambling readable plain texts to cipher texts so that even if the attacker gets the data, they won’t be able to understand it.
2. Next-generation cloud firewalls:
It can help protect various cloud assets by monitoring and filtering inbound and outbound data.
3. Identity and Access Management (IAM):
It is an identity and cloud security framework that helps manage digital identities, authentications, and policies. IAM solutions allow administrators to control user access and govern user identities over cloud-based services.
Conclusion
We hope this article has given a crisp idea of cloud security, various risks, benefits of leveraging the cloud in terms of security, and essential tools and technologies for cloud security. If you are looking to learn about secure app cloud transformation services, cloud transformation solutions, cloud data migration services, cloud migration consulting, etc., tap my profile (Gaurav Roy). I have been teaching cybersecurity for the past 9 years.
