5 Reasons To Invest In Cloud Security For Your Business

One of the biggest mistakes is failing to treat cloud security architecture as a separate entity to cloud storage. Anti-virus is critical to protecting your PC assets, but it is a wholly separate product; the same principle is true of cloud security – it’s an add on that you cannot ignore.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the reasons for investing in cloud security and how you gain from your spend.

The Shared Responsibility Model

Cloud providers often promote their security offering, highlighting the use of data encryption in transit and at rest, and enterprise grade perimeter defences operated by highly skilled teams of engineers. As a result, many businesses believe that their cloud services include a full security model as standard – but this is dangerously wrong.

Cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services actually operate under the AWS shared responsibility model. At the most basic level, this means your cloud provider assumes responsibility for protecting the cloud platform itself. At the same time, your business is responsible for protecting the systems and data you build on top of that platform.

So yes, your subscription does include a basic level of security – at the infrastructure level. To fully protect your cloud assets will require additional defences in the cloud. Otherwise, you are leaving your data and systems dangerously exposed.

The growing threat of security breaches

As workloads shift to the cloud, hackers have also been changing focus, looking to exploit data held in cloud platforms. This Computerworld article details dozens of incidents where improperly secured systems led to millions of sensitive records being exposed and accessed illegally in recent years.

The headline cost of security breaches is significant – an estimated £1.2m per event. However, the ongoing costs are potentially even greater. Cybersecurity incidents negatively affect your corporate reputation too. Ponemon Research estimates that a brand loses an average of 21% of its value as a direct result of a cybersecurity breach – and it takes 11.8 months to recover from the damage to its reputation.

Given that trust is critical to building relationships with your customers – and securing their repeat business – can you really afford not to invest in preventing security breaches?

Protecting legacy web assets

Ultra low-cost cloud storage has become a useful alternative to traditional off-site tape archives or similar. Not only is information stored physically off-site, but it is also online for instant access when required.

Legacy web assets still have a bearing on your operations, providing context and insights for strategic decision-making. It is also a valuable learning resource, allowing employees to observe the actions and results of their predecessors.

Embedded in these archives will be commercially sensitive data too. Details of your confidential processes, intellectual property (IP), copyright and patent information – it’s all in your archives. And if not properly secured, that data is available to be stolen by hackers.

Prevent data loss or manipulation

Accidental data loss is a significant threat to your business. Leaked IP could be used by competitors. Personal data could be used to steal the identities of your customers. And the Information Commissioner’s Office could levy an enormous fine for breaching the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Malicious hackers may also decide to destroy or corrupt your data, affecting your operations.

Preventing unauthorised access to your data is (or should be) a strategic priority. Partnering with a cybersecurity specialist will help you to implement the tools and processes that keep your data safe. Deploying data loss protection (DLP) software offers extensive protections for your cloud-based assets.

DLP provides comprehensive protection, encrypting data at rest, in motion and in use. It also offers reporting tools that alert you to suspicious cloud activity, keep track of incidents and help you plan your recovery in the event of a data breach.

The need for a disaster recovery plan

Your business has an extensive disaster recovery (DR) plan in place to recover operations in your local data centre as quickly as possible following a disruption or cyberattack. But do you have a similar plan for your cloud operations?

A business continuity and disaster recovery plan is actually a key component of your cloud security policy. As well as establishing the steps for bringing operations back online, the DR plan will outline how those activities are conducted safely to protect your data at every stage of recovery.

Working with a trusted cybersecurity company will help you define a post-cyberattack DR recovery plan that really works. A robust, workable recovery solution will help your business save time, data and revenue by resolving issues quickly. It will also ensure that mission-critical information assets are completely protected against loss or theft at all times.

Even in the middle of the current uncertainty, investing in disaster recovery planning and tools for your business is a smart choice. Without DR, the entire future of your organisation could be at stake.

Putting it together

As you invest in more cloud storage, you cannot ignore the issue of data security. Failure to implement and maintain security defences in the cloud will leave you exposed – with potentially devastating consequences. Similarly, relying on the basic, low-level security provisions offered by the cloud platform will not deliver the protection you need to keep hackers out.

Failing to invest in cloud security and data loss prevention is a step towards disaster.

Ready to learn more? Give one of our cloud security experts a call on 01252 917000 or get in touch