6 Mistakes Cloud Engineers Make and How to Fix Them
One of the most commonly held misconceptions among organizations looking to build a cloud security strategy is the belief that security for workloads in the Cloud must be the same as security for workloads on-premise. Some businesses assume that making the move to the cloud means they automatically gain automation. However, automation is something you need to build, especially to ensure cybersecurity is executed properly.
Cloud Security Mistakes to Avoid
To successfully implement a cloud security strategy, you need to realize that the cloud requires a different approach than traditional on-premises security systems. Cloud workloads should be secured differently than their on-premises counterparts. On-premises or internal systems are usually reactive and largely driven by human processes. With the speed of DevOps, cloud-native development, and automation, it’s not possible to do things manually or leave security as a last resort.
Cloud security is often troublesome for many organizations because they don’t know where their sensitive data is stored. When a cloud provider has the opportunity to present and execute a cloud security program for a company, it’s important to consider the company’s needs, regulatory requirements, and security requirements.
Here’s our list of 6 Cloud security mistakes:
- Misconfigurations (Solution: Policy-as-Code)
- Storing credentials in code or publicly accessible (Solution: Secrets Management)
- Thinking about security after the product has been shipped
- Too many people with powerful levels of permissions
- No scope or understanding of their asset inventory (Solution: Asset Inventory Tooling)
- No encryption standards or understanding of what should be in place
Have a Security Strategy in Place
Before you even think about adopting a security strategy, you need to make sure that you’ve got a good grasp on your organization’s risks. This will help you determine which security initiatives are most relevant to your company’s needs. In order to do this, you should be analyzing your company’s assets and systems, as well as the security threats your organization faces.
Once you’ve got a better sense of the problems your organization faces, it’s time to start thinking about solutions. This way, you’ll be able to outline the specific security measures that your company can implement to combat those issues. The best way to do this is by starting a security strategy discussion with your team. Let them know that you’re trying to develop a security strategy for your organization, and encourage them to share their thoughts and suggestions with you as well. Once you’ve gotten this feedback, you’ll be able to tailor your security strategy to the specific needs of your business.
Implement Regular Patching Practices
It’s important to ensure that your network security systems are fully patched and protected from known threats, but it’s just as important to ensure that these patches are installed regularly. If you’re not patching your systems, then you’re not experiencing the full security benefits of these updates. This includes things like patched vulnerabilities, as well as access to new functionality. It’s also worth keeping in mind that not all threats are actually detected in patching programs.
It’s important to keep your systems patched, but it’s just about equally important to keep them updated.
- Reduced productivity – This can be a big problem for any business since extended outages often cause significant disruptions to your business.
- Increased cybersecurity costs – not only will this help protect against any potential threats, but they’re also likely to result in significant reductions in your organization’s security spending.
- Reduced agility – It takes weeks for patches to be delivered to your systems.
- Reduced user satisfaction – A common cause for extended outages.
- Reduced security effectiveness – These issues can leave your organization without a secure infrastructure.
Make Sure to Automate
One of the first things to keep in mind when it comes to protecting your business is automating where possible. For example, we recommend you set up continuous monitoring tools for your critical infrastructure. This could be anything from email accounts to your company’s network. With this in place, you’ll be able to detect whenever something goes wrong and take necessary actions to address the issue as quickly as possible.
One of the best ways to automate this process is to use an API. With a robust API monitoring tool, you’ll be able to detect issues and take action on your infrastructure with ease. With an effective monitoring solution in place, you’ll be able to access controls to detect and block any incoming threats as they enter your network.
Use the Separation of Duties Process
When you determine that your company’s security efforts will include protecting your data and systems from external threats, you’ll most likely start by looking at your current security setup. This could involve assessing your security tools and network, reviewing your employee policies, and more. However, one of the first things you might find is that your organization’s setup is severely lacking and could lead to future security issues.
In fact, you may discover that the majority of your business’s security is concentrated in a small number of locations — possibly on just one machine. If the only information your business relies on is stored in a computer that’s likely to be stolen or broken into, then you’re putting your company at serious risk. This is because the chances are that the information held on that computer is also likely to be compromised. Computers are incredibly easy to break into, no matter how secure they are and can have a huge impact on your business’s operations.
If that machine is compromised, then your entire data infrastructure will be almost impossible to protect. That’s why the separation of duties process is so important. It’s the process of ensuring that your business is protected from external threats by dividing responsibility between different parts of the organization.
Have a Backup and Recovery Plan in Place
What would you do if everything you owned were destroyed? This is a serious security risk question that every business must answer for itself. Ultimately, what’s likely to happen to your business’s data if something terrible happens? Whatever the reason, your security technology must be prepared to protect your data and systems from the consequences of a disaster. The best way to do this is with a backup and recovery plan.
The most important decision you can make when it comes to security controls is to have a backup and recovery plan in place. Sometimes things go wrong, and if you’re not prepared, you could be in for a world of trouble.
If something goes wrong, you want it to be as easy as possible for you and your team to get back up and running. Start by prioritizing the things that pose a threat to your organization and ensuring you’re prepared for any potential disasters. As their IT estate increases in the cloud, there are always new attack vectors to consider; so it’s important to ensure your approach to security is diverse and includes continuous improvement.
Train Your Team
One of the best ways to ensure your cloud security strategy process is working is to train your IT or engineering team. This will ensure that they’re implementing proper security procedures to keep business assets safe. In addition, with training, you’ll be able to familiarize your employees with the various security procedures they need to use regularly.
Create an Effective Cloud Security Strategy
The best way to implement a cloud security strategy that works is to hire a Google Cloud Partner to bring your business security to the next level. At 66degrees we work alongside you in your infrastructure, apps, data, and day-to-day collaboration initiatives on Google Cloud. Learn more about our digital transformation solutions by contacting us today.
