Hybrid cloud services render the best face of CyberWorld, which offers Customizability and flexibility of the data centers that are coupled with devices of the public cloud. This adaptability aspect is an attractive point for organizations worldwide. As per the Gartner report, 90% of the businesses will shift their work to the hybrid cloud architecture by the year 2020. But, either it is a public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, online data security is core for all. Therefore, here we came out with this post to discuss hybrid cloud infrastructure security and best practices to achieve it.
Threats Faced In the Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure
It is essential to know that threats are frequently not online-based. Few threats like BEC (Business Email Compromise) attacks, ransomware, and data breaches could occur simply on computer systems or cloud environments as well. For example – businesses use online email services that might result in disastrous from simple spam and phishing attacks. Due to the presence of malware attachments, data leakages can also occur, or they can also lead to man-in-the-middle attacks on the cloud. Therefore, enterprises should enforce hybrid cloud computing security practices to secure their machines and networks.
What is Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure Security?
Hybrid cloud computing security is a shared responsibility, which is half in the hand of CSPs and rests in the hand of customers. If anyone of the entity becomes careless regarding data security, in no time they are going to face Cyber threats. It is a myth among organizational parties that their service vendors are only responsible for all factors associated with online data protection. And this myth is totally wrong! Hybrid cloud infrastructure security follows the principle of ‘shared responsibility’ where the storage service vendor offers protection to the underlying infrastructure and the customers have to secure their data stored on the cloud. This means that implementation of access control standards, proper use of data encryption algorithms, and management of entire security configuration, are required to fit the organizational security needs. This can also be extended to other additional factors like app updation, machine OST update, enforcing data monitoring application, etc.
Best Practices to Achieve Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure Security
No matter whether the organization is using public, private, or hybrid cloud, the following enlisted practices will render cloud security at the maximum level:
- Enforce Least Privilege Principle – All cloud platforms (used in an organization) should enforce the least privilege principle that states minimum access of business resources by the needed employee. Enterprise administrator should make sure that he or she does not permit all employees to work with entire secretive business resources. Based on different factors, proper criteria should be defined before permitting data access.
- Isolation of Main Infrastructure – Enterprises that save their confidential content online should enforce strong privacy policy standards in their off-premises architecture. This hybrid cloud infrastructure security point will prevent core data leakage, which might diminish the company’s reputation on sudden exposure. Remember that ‘fewer the employees who work with important data, more protective it is from internal Cyberthreats.’
- 24*7 Encryption Algorithms Use – Whether the data is in transmit mode or rest, it should be encrypted all the time without a single break. This hybrid cloud computing security measure must be enforced just after the adoption of cloud technology for regular work. Well, there are many cloud storage service vendors who offer the feature of ‘data encryption’ as a security measure. Still, enterprises are free to look into furthermore cloud security solutions, which already have data encryption feature in them.
- Backup Critical / Non-critical Data – Keep one thing in mind that the use of hybrid cloud architecture does not ensure organizational content safety. A sudden attack or system failure could be meant temporary or even, permanent information loss. Therefore, it is time to regularly back up data on some secondary storage location. These backup files prove themselves useful at the time of dealing with Ransomware or other same kinds of attacks. Data will be accessible all the time continuing the growth of the business, even if a threat occurs.
- Make Selection for A Correct CASB – Organizations should select the correct cloud security solution for their premises to create a strong security shield. This hybrid cloud infrastructure security measure demands the adoption of a cloud access security broker provider, which provides a comprehensive set of cloud data security solutions. For example – the CloudCodes CASB solution provides different online data protection techniques that are needed in today’s date to achieve prevention against Cyberattacks. In addition to this, the solution also provides an automatic monitoring system, detection, and prevention of threat system, etc., to deal with current cloud computing security challenges.
At the End of the Day, Security is In Your Hand
The use of hybrid cloud architecture is good if enterprises enforce proper security standards. But, if in case no security concerns are taken by organizational entities, the same architecture proves itself worst. Now it’s your time to think about whether to use this new technology at its best by imposing hybrid cloud infrastructure security or to see its worst side.