5 Steps to Better Security in Your Hybrid Cloud
Much of information security is focused on keeping your data inside your network perimeter and keeping outsiders outside your network perimeter. Any cloud usage makes that more challenging by blurring the inside/outside boundary and by requiring data to cross between internal and external sites. Hybrid cloud makes the problem even more difficult, because the data transfer isn’t a one-time event; it’s ongoing.
There are many steps you can take to ensure you’ve got a strong level of security even in a hybrid cloud world; here’s a look at a few of the most important ones:
1. Effective identity and access management controls
Properly managing credentials is vital to achieving control and protection over your data. Look for a solution that supports single sign-on, allowing credentials to be shared between cloud and internal resources. With fewer credentials to be managed, there are fewer opportunities to accidentally grant more privileges than required. In addition, use groups or roles to define the permissions needed for each job function, and implement a process to periodically review users’ privileges to make sure they don’t keep old, unneeded privileges after they move into a new position.
2. Encrypt everything, everywhere
Encrypting everything, everywhere may not be entirely feasible, but you should definitely be looking at encrypting as much as possible, as often as possible. Data should always be protected while in transit; use secure connections (SSL/TLS) and VPNs or direct connections to cloud providers to get additional protection. Make sure data is encrypted at rest, too, and if possible, make sure you manage the keys, not your cloud provider.
3. Protect APIs
The cloud runs on APIs that let applications access services on different servers. Make sure your APIs are protected against unauthorized access, and, as with encryption, make sure the credentials are properly secured.
4. Collect and use security logs
Every cloud provider has logs showing what’s happening in your cloud. The best way to make use of those logs in a hybrid cloud situation is to pull the data into the same security information and event management (SIEM) tool you use to analyze your internal logs. The SIEM tool can then help you identify threats that cut across the environments as well as threats that are isolated to your public or private cloud instances.
5. Own the responsibility for managing your cloud
Any time data and applications are separated, there tends to be a separation of responsibility, as well. When this occurs in public cloud, it results in overreliance on the cloud provider’s security. It’s important that you avoid creating security silos and your internal team has the tools to oversee security in the public cloud. This may require bringing in new tools and providing training to enable your team to easily oversee the entire system.
Many of the best practices for cloud security and hybrid cloud security build on the technologies and processes you should already be using to protect your on-premises applications and data. Prescient Solutions has 20 years experience providing information security services to Chicago-area businesses. Our certified professionals apply their cybersecurity knowledge to protect corporate information wherever it resides. Contact us to learn how you can make sure your hybrid cloud is keeping your data safe.
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