New developments in Internet-based services call for data security concerns. Cloud security is one of these new developments that need addressing. As you know, in cloud security, you as an end-user who gets various internet-based services. You don’t need any infrastructure for these on your premises. Through cloud computing, organizations no longer have their computer hardware, support, or platforms. There are higher chances of concern here, mainly because traffic flows across the Internet and can be attacked easily. In the cloud, it makes sense to have email and web threat protection. Organizations need to adopt cloud security best practices for maintaining and improving cloud computing security against data breaches & threats.
Safeguard the CLOUD with Cloud Security Best Practices
According to the prediction from Gartner, the cloud-based security services market is going to hit $4.13 billion by 2017. These cloud-based security services include things like secure email gateways, identity and access management, and remote vulnerability assessment. Many businesses and entities have moved to software as a service (SaaS) over the past few years. It has brought down the costs drastically. Many vendors are coming to offer “security as a service.” Their services include protection against web and email threats, monitoring of network traffic, and assessing potential vulnerabilities. Zscaler Cloud Services, Zscaler Cloud Services, Panda Security Cloud Protection, and McAfee Security SaaS are some famous names in this field of ‘security as a service.’ Following are some of the cloud security best practices checklist that must be incorporated for enterprise security.
Cloud Security Best Practices
1) Rectify the Patches
Unpatched software applications are the easy targets of hackers, so never ignore them. For this, you may need to have a third-party patch management specialist for your organization. It can regularly look for updates, can test, and finally implement them.
2) Discover, Classify and Control Your Data
Organizations must know who is accessing their data. Your data can be at risk, and they need to take control of that. There are various tools available that provide useful analysis and forensics and can implement multiple access policies. Also, their data leakage prevention (DLP) tools stop any transfer or movement of sensitive data via cloud applications or email.
3) Things to Look for Before You Sign-Up with a Cloud Service Provider
You must investigate providers’ contracts carefully. You should check whether the provider provides security guarantees? Does it take responsibility for your data? Is it going to offer visibility into security affairs? What monitoring tools does it provide for these purposes? What will happen to your data if you choose to end taking the service? You should gauge your security requirements and compliance at first. Don’t accept the cloud provider’s routine contracts and SLAs. It will help if you put your security needs to them while negotiating various service contracts. First, you should make sure that your internal security is up-to-date. It is important to fortify your corporate network before contracting with a cloud service provider. It is even better if your IT staff has a checklist of essential terms to look out for while investigating cloud service security. You can have a clear list of suitable providers based on the investigation.
4) Employing CASB to Protect Cloud
A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) works between an organization and a cloud provider’s infrastructure to provide various safety checks in transit. At present, it has a market of around $100 million; Gartner predicts it to soar to $500 million by the end of 2017. It gives various capabilities for data visibility and data. You also get data security through encryption. You get protection from various malware threats. It also provides multiple compliances like FFIEC, HITECH, and FINRA.
Use CloudCodes for Business A Next-Gen CASB Solution
Your organization can get the services of CloudCodes. It is a cloud security start-up founded in 2011, which provides a cloud security solution to enterprises. CloudCodes for Business is a popular product. While CloudCodes for Business secures not only the Google Apps, but also supports multiple enterprise cloud applications. These include Salesforce, Zoho, Dropbox, and Freshdesk, apart from the earlier Google for Work. CloudCodes for Business gives capabilities of IdP like self-password, password management, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). The MFA uses the fingerprint reading capability of Smartphones to provide biometric authentication. It also supports the anti-phishing feature that empowers you to restrict entry to the login page in the base country or the IP address. Thus, access to applications from countries that are infamous for hacking or phishing attacks can be easily restricted.