Cloud computing is nothing new for businesses. While a decade ago business leaders might have fretted over the option of transferring data and operations to the cloud, in 2023, most every enterprise relies heavily on the cloud for its flexibility, scalability, accessibility and more.
Yet, as the rates of cybercrime increase, more business leaders might be wondering if their investments in the cloud are secure. Cyber attackers are crafty, capable of infiltrating an organization through even the smallest vulnerability. If the cloud is not secure, criminals could have access to an overwhelming amount of business data. So, can business leaders trust cloud security in 2023?
It Depends
Because the cloud is such an essential digital tool for businesses, many business leaders prefer to envision the data they store in the cloud as protected by many layers of security. Yet, there are some leaders who feel less comfortable with technology, especially technology that they do not directly control. Because business leaders do not have direct say over the security protocols that protect their data, they are inclined to believe that the cloud is less secure than they might hope.
Unfortunately, not all clouds are created equal — so both imaginings of cloud security are true. Most big-name cloud services providers invest in security solutions that will keep their clients’ data safe and accessible, but smaller clouds might not be as well-equipped to combat the constant crush of cyberattacks.
This is why it is so critically important for business leaders to partner with a cloud they can trust. As businesses are in the process of procuring cloud services, they must vet their options by asking pointed questions about security practices. A high-quality cloud that is focused on keeping their clients’ data secure should incorporate these four components of cloud security:
Secure architecture.
Businesses need to understand the cloud security architecture of the cloud services they acquire. Different cloud services will necessitate different types of security; for example, an enterprise utilizing Infrastructure-as-a-Service will need to provide most of the security overlay, while an enterprise utilizing Software-as-a-Service should find security built into the product.
Cloud security compliance.
An increasing number of countries are imposing data privacy regulations to ensure that companies are doing the utmost to protect users’ data. In many ways, businesses can benefit from these regulations — but only if they are careful to survey cloud providers for compliance.
Monitoring and visibility.
Organizations can invest in tools that provide them more visibility and management over their data stored in the cloud, but they must work with their cloud provider to identify technologies that will integrate effectively with the cloud platform.
Authentication.
Business leaders need to have control over access to their private cloud to ensure that cybercriminals cannot easily waltz in and steal data from their cloud network. Cloud services need to be able to function with different authentication systems, such as cloud access security brokers (CASBs), encryption key management, tokenization and two-step authentication.
But Yes
While there will always be untrustworthy service providers offering a sub-par, insecure product, for the most part in 2023, the cloud is secure. In fact, in most cases, the cloud offers better security than an SMB can manage on its own. This is because cloud providers tend to invest heavily in a number of security measures that enterprises might overlook, such as:
Consistent security updates.
The cloud should update its security strategies and tools frequently to combat emerging and evolving threats.
AI tools.
Tools running on artificial intelligence can more quickly and more effectively analyze cloud security and patch vulnerabilities.
Third-party testing.
In addition to AI, the cloud usually utilizes the expertise of security consulting firms to identify issues before they become major security risks.
Layers of firewalls.
Cloud providers construct many layers of hardware- and software-based firewalls to filter network traffic and keep data safe.
Redundancy.
Clouds tend to make backups of their servers, and many make backups of their backups. Such a level of redundancy helps to protect data integrity and access.
Business leaders should question the security of every technology their organization adopts, even when that technology has been essential to business operations for years. As long as the enterprise performs due diligence and selects a cloud that prides itself on top-level security practices, leaders should feel safe continuing to rely on cloud services into the future.
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