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Juggle a multi-cloud security strategy with these 3 steps
Enterprise security best practices must account for changes in cloud landscapes. Learn how to overcome such challenges and bolster multi-cloud security with technology and policy.
Spreading operations across more than one cloud enables organizations to select specific cloud services to cut costs, improve operations and improve scalability. But it also complicates the responsibilities of security teams.
Misconfigurations, a larger vulnerability landscape and authentication are just three of the many security holes infosec professionals need to consider when it comes to multi-cloud security. Securing multiple cloud surface areas takes work and a coherent strategy.
Compiled here are three essential articles that arm security leaders with expert recommendations on how to best approach multi-cloud security in the enterprise.
Address challenges with a multi-cloud security strategy
The enterprise trend of contracting services from more than one cloud service provider prompts questions about how security teams should best keep their organizations safe. Managing different budgets, infrastructure and security across various providers is a challenging task. To maintain security, organizations must calculate risks in their own cloud environment, as well as the details of each cloud service.
Security teams can start by getting a handle on their cloud scope. Conduct due diligence by identifying how many providers are in use, what they are used for and by whom. This first step is key to understanding the security-relevant surface area of cloud use. Inventories should be scheduled regularly if cloud usage or other aspects are subject to change.
In this article, cybersecurity expert Ed Moyle provided instructions on how to map out shared responsibilities between a given enterprise and its cloud providers and services to create a multi-cloud security strategy.
Using technology to manage multi-cloud security
Today, private data centers are being phased out by enterprises opting instead to host apps, services and data in the cloud. With IT departments growing more accustomed to the cloud landscape in recent years, it wasn't long before enterprises found themselves using multiple, third-party cloud environments. This left security teams with an important, yet often difficult task: crafting a single security policy out of all the moving parts.
A smart way to approach multi-cloud security is to take advantage of new tools, such as multi-cloud management and network security analytics platforms. Network security expert Andrew Froehlich explained how such tools help organizations of all sizes manage resources across more than one cloud service. Learn more about the technologies that provide deeper insights for security teams and enable them to manage multi-cloud security centrally.
Simplify multi-cloud security challenges with centralization
Fragmented security access and monitoring controls are two of the greatest multi-cloud security challenges operations and security teams face. Debate continues on the pros and cons of centralizing, but for large enterprises that have made the move to multi-cloud, centralization offers coordination in communication and uniformity.
Before implementing a multi-cloud security strategy, security admins must inventory all cloud controls and then determine whether they are centralized. Examples of controls available include endpoint security tools, configuration and patching tools, vulnerability scanning, event collection, SIEM and more. Some of these will be easier to centralize than others, such as encryption, identity and access management, and automation.
However, centralization should not be the only objective when adapting to a multi-cloud architecture. Security and operations teams should also implement controls at their disposal on multiple layers. Every control should be researched to best understand how it applies in each cloud environment.
Read how cloud security expert Dave Shackleford advised security teams on what to focus on when securing multi-cloud. Learn what to prioritize, from deploying a network segmentation strategy to choosing cross-vendor platforms.
