Choosing the right cloud-delivered security solution is critical to business success. Selecting a solution that offers visibility, tracking, and 24/7/365 monitoring is essential.
A holistic security system that can protect cloud systems and on-premise networks and endpoints is crucial. XDR solutions like Forcepoint enable this by combining data from disparate systems to identify threats and provide a uniform policy across all environments.
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Security
The right cloud security SASE solution will protect your business systems, applications, and data from attack and loss. It will include governance policies, technology, threat management, defined processes, and accessibility controls. It will also help you meet core regulatory requirements like PCI DSS, HIPPA, and GDPR. It will also provide analytics and visibility for your cloud environment.
Many businesses migrate to the cloud without adequately screening their providers or considering their inherent security responsibilities. This can lead to various risks, including data breaches and lost productivity. To avoid these problems, consider choosing a provider that has strict screening protocols and provides training to its personnel.
A good cloud security solution will provide complete visibility of your ecosystem, allowing you to create granular policies. It will also monitor activity and detect changes across disparate resources, projects, and regions through one portal. It will also help you avoid costly mistakes such as misconfiguration of cloud services, which can expose sensitive information or leave it open to the public. It will also help you comply with industry regulations and standards like ISO 27001 and the UK’s Cyber Essentials Scheme.
Scalability
A best-practice cloud security solution should offer round-the-clock protection from attackers. This includes monitoring and response capabilities that are scalable as your business grows. It should also be able to detect and mitigate security incidents before they become serious problems. This is important for companies that rely on their cloud computing infrastructure to support remote work.
A reliable cloud security solution should have high availability. It should be able to keep business-critical systems running despite hardware failures or other environmental disruptions. This can be done through various methods, including redundancy and failover protocols. It is essential to understand how a provider manages these services and whether they are guaranteed.
A CASB can protect your cloud infrastructure from internal threats such as malicious or negligent staff, privileged users, and compromised accounts. It can also enforce data loss prevention policies across your cloud deployment and maintain compliance with industry regulations. Encryption is another critical component of a secure cloud environment. This will ensure that your data is safe at rest and in transit, as deciphering it without a decryption key that only you have access to will be nearly impossible.
Flexibility
A cloud security solution should be scalable to reflect shifts in business operations. This is particularly important if you must implement a preventative security stance that protects data while minimizing costs. A scalable security solution should also offer monitoring and alerting to identify vulnerabilities before they impact operations. This helps businesses avoid costly infrastructure upgrades and downtime while protecting critical data from attacks like DDoS.
Look for a provider that offers a marketplace of partners and solutions to secure your cloud deployment further. These providers should be vetted and have a track record of providing industry-leading security protocols. A trusted provider will make verifying compliance and certifications accessible through transparent access to their dashboard.
Ensure your cloud provider uses encryption to protect data at rest and in transit. Encryption is a security best practice that reduces risk by encoding data so only you can decipher it. This eliminates the need for third parties to access your data while maintaining ownership and control. Additionally, you should seek a provider that exclusively uses secure channels for authentication like HTTPS to prevent interception and data theft.
Reliability
Consider how your vendor manages security when looking for a secure cloud solution. They should be able to identify and prioritize threat patterns, automate triage and response activities, and provide a single view of threats across environments and cloud platforms. They should also integrate with other best-of-breed security technologies to deliver comprehensive protection.
Look for a provider with rigorous security cloud services that prevent data leakage and support encryption and strong authentication. It would be best to ask about their physical security measures, such as avoiding direct access to hardware in their data centers and ensuring uninterrupted power supplies.
Many CSPs know how a breach can impact customers and go to great lengths to protect data and applications. They may also implement policies and technology that ensure boundaries between tenants are protected and that their workers cannot see customer data. Additionally, they should ensure authentication is delivered over secure channels – such as HTTPS – to prevent interception and attacks. They should also be able to track who is accessing your cloud and what actions they take.
Cost
Whether your cloud solution is public, private, or hybrid, it will require a variety of security configurations. Choose a security solution that provides multi-cloud readiness to protect every layer of your cloud deployment. Palo Alto Networks, for example, is a highly respected leader in the cybersecurity industry. Their Unit 42 team has taken down many major attacks, including the Mirai botnet. They offer a full suite of solutions for cloud computing, including extracting, sandboxing, and sanitizing file types and encrypting data in transit and at rest.
One of the most significant risks to your cloud solution is insider threats. These are typically unintentional and can result from a lack of training or negligence. Many cloud security solutions include a client-side element to ensure users utilize best practices.
Look for a cloud security solution that combines governance policies, technology, defined processes, and accessibility controls. By doing this, you may stop unauthorized individuals from accessing the management interfaces and processes that could endanger your cloud services. You also want a provider with a robust, transparent screening process that verifies personnel meets local screening standards (BS 7858:2019 in the UK or completion of Form I-9 in the US). These protocols keep users apart and guard against one user’s harmful or compromised actions impacting the services of another.
