Move to the Cloud Securely The 2016 Enterprise Cloud Computing Survey from IDG offers multiple interesting insights concerning the state of cloud adoption in 2017. According to IDG, 70 percent of the survey’s respondent organizations have at least one application in the cloud, and 56 percent of organizations are still identifying IT operations that are […]
The 2016 Enterprise Cloud Computing Survey from IDG offers multiple interesting insights concerning the state of cloud adoption in 2017. According to IDG, 70 percent of the survey’s respondent organizations have at least one application in the cloud, and 56 percent of organizations are still identifying IT operations that are candidates for cloud hosting. On top of that, those that aren’t yet utilizing the cloud may soon be. A McKinsey study found that over one-third of all companies will be using public infrastructure as the primary environment for at least one workload by 2018.
One final report, the 2017 Thales Data Threat Report, finds that 93 percent of enterprises will use sensitive data in advanced technology environments this year (defined as cloud, SaaS, big data, IoT and container). However, that same report found that 63 percent believe their organizations are deploying these technologies ahead of having appropriate data security solutions in place.
Whether making the move now or getting ready to deploy additional cloud applications in the future, secure cloud deployment is essential for any business in the modern age. With Malware such as ransomware costing businesses over billion in 2016, and two-thirds of large businesses having suffered a data breach in the same time, the cost of neglecting security could be quite substantial.
Moving sensitive data from one place to another will always inherently carry some form of risk. If you’re transferring data over to a cloud service provider (CSP) for applications, you’ll want to pay particular attention that any uploads or API used are secured through SSL or similar encryption processes, such as encryption gateway products. If you’re planning on using infrastructure as a service (Iaas) such as collocation and virtualization, the protocol is essentially the same, albeit on a larger scale.
Those looking to make a move toward cloud infrastructure most securely should:
Most of all: shop around. This cannot be stressed enough. Not all Service Providers are created equal and not all services offered are either. You’ll want to ensure that you know who owns the data once it’s moved, who can see it, where it’s stored geographically, and what happens if you decide you don’t want to use them as a service provider anymore. Weigh your options and make the most educated decision.
The world, and the technology in it, is constantly changing. Proof of this can be found in the reason for your move to, or even the rise of, the cloud in the first place. The only way a CEO or CISO (or anybody in the C-Suite, really) can keep up on a secure cloud is to stay agile and informed. This lack of agility and knowledge is what causes security gaps with people, processes, and technologies that can be bridged by:
This understanding and security of cloud infrastructure and the IoT is imperative to businesses and the public alike. Cities are now adopting everything from smart traffic lights to smart trash cans, and the smart car itself is purported to produce so much data that it might revolutionize the cloud by ushering in edge computing as the norm. The blockchain is another technology that promises to change the cloud in the future.
The point is that the cloud is not only a major disruption today, but will also be tomorrow, and the day after that. The new norm for IT departments and CISOs is adaptation to change. Keeping an eye on the technological data landscape will be imperative for those who want to stay in-the-know, and, like the move to the cloud, it will be better to know how to interact with these new technologies correctly and securely than not to interact with them at all.
The secure move to the cloud represents the first in a long line of steps towards agile and effective business solutions and infrastructure. Make sure you’re starting off on the right foot.
By Andrew Heikklia