In just the last few years, there’s been a dramatic shift in the ways that companies approach security fortification. The focus used to be primarily on-premises – your challenge was to protect your facility, your offices, and your in-house devices from every angle. Now, though, it’s a whole new ballgame. People are remote, they’re mobile, and they demand flexibility in everything they do. Securing your environment today is as much about the cloud as anything else.
According to InfoWorld, this is the state of IT today: Cloud security is the new battle zone. More than 80% of organizations say they have experienced a cloud security incident in the past year, and often, it’s because there are gaps in their security infrastructure that lead to unauthorized access and/or misconfiguration. David Linthicum, chief cloud strategy officer at Deloitte, said that it’s imperative for organizations to train their IT teams to understand the unique challenges of cybersecurity.
“You have much better security technology on public cloud providers,” Linthicum explained. “If correctly used, the security protections the cloud platforms offer should be more effective than traditional on-premises security. Much like other technology, if it’s in the hands of people who don’t understand how to use this technology effectively, it backfires, with authorization mistakes and misconfigurations."
With this in mind, let’s take a moment to discuss three strategies for strengthening your cloud security.
Because the cloud is an entirely different challenge compared to the on-prem security endeavors you’ve taken up in the past, you will need to teach your IT staff to adopt entirely new skill sets. Linthicum noted that this may require “going slower before you can go faster” – it’s best to ensure everyone has a complete toolbox at their disposal before you go rushing into complex security projects.
Cloud security is largely a people problem, not a technology problem – so you want to avoid investing too quickly in too many hi-tech tools that may or may not have a tangible impact on cloud security. Every organization has limited resources to work with, and you want to be smart about not throwing money at IT tools that don’t fill a specific need. Being strategic is key.
Your cloud security endeavors are never a finished product. You always need to monitor the cyber landscape, understand the latest emerging threats, and look critically at your IT resources, assessing areas where you may be weak. Security is always evolving; your team and their expertise need to be evolving with it.
When it comes time to secure your business, you can look to Zones as an IT service provider you can trust. We have always had a keen focus on Security Fortification – and right now, with the cloud fast becoming a primary focus for businesses everywhere, we are shifting our security efforts accordingly. We have a wide range of Security Assessments and other offerings available to help you size up your IT environment, understand your strengths and weaknesses, and make strategic choices about how best to safeguard your business and your cloud data.
To explore further, connect with a Zones Account Manager today.