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Reduce Risk and Address Your Top Cloud Security Concerns

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As cloud-based vendors provide more and more services that improve the way organizations manage their day-to-day tasks, cloud security continues to be an issue. In fact, cloud computing is one of the top concerns for executives today who manage finance, compliance, audit and risk.

Gartner recently published its “Emerging Risks Report,” in which more than 100 senior executives said cloud computing is on their list of top concerns. Security risks, general data protection regulation (GDPR) compliance and cyber security were among the most troubling.  In fact, it’s estimated that 95% of all cloud security issues will come at the hands of the organization, not the cloud provider.

And while organizations will continue to expand their digitization to cloud-based processes, more needs to be done to make sure they’re operating in a secure environment. So, what are the major challenges today?

·         Data loss and leakage

·         Privacy threats

·         Confidentiality breaches


Care has to be taken in configuring cloud platforms, because that’s one of the major issues that leads to security compromises. Employees need to be better educated, because many of the issues organizations face in being compromised comes at the hands of access threats, generally from employees who compromise the security of the system.

Cloud infrastructure also has its challenges, as cyber security professionals often struggle to maintain the right amount of visibility, keeping consistent security practices and staying up-to-date with compliance issues.

The report also found that security professionals are struggling to find the right tools to manage their security in the cloud. Only 16% of those surveyed said they’re confident they have the right tools, which is a 6% decrease from a previous survey. Surprisingly, 84% said their traditional security solutions don’t work in the cloud environment, or don’t have adequate functionality for their organization.

Certification and training are among the top ways in which organizations are proactively taking steps to secure their cloud environments. They’re also relying on security tools from their cloud providers while taking a third-party approach to implementing security software in an effort to protect themselves. Encrypting information is a go-to method of protecting data while event management and security information platforms are also utilized for additional layers of protection.

At Cloud Source, we’re connecting clients with everything from disaster recovery to data centers and colocation services. Contact us today and let’s talk about how we can help you meet your cloud security goals.

Evaluating Security During a Migration to the Cloud

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With hackers making headlines on a regular basis, you may be questioning your recent decisions to move data storage to the cloud. Your on-site system may not be the most efficient solution, but you felt comfortable that your data was safe behind your firewalls. How can you be sure that cloud providers are just as diligent as you are in protecting the data of your enterprise?

It’s essential to look at each provider’s backup policies to decide which best fits your needs. Each cloud provider includes a page on their website for describing the tools they have in place for securing your data in the cloud, with the priority of promoting security transparency. Here are a few of the features you’ll be looking for in your provider:

Encryption: Your cloud provider should offer encryption on at least three basic levels: going to and coming from the cloud, and while data is at rest in the cloud. They should provide a relatively detailed description of how your data is secure and why you should trust that it is. The providers will explain their encryption methods that prevent hackers from reading your data without the proper key. The provider holds the key.

If you’d like another layer of protection for your data, you can add a safeguard by encrypting your data prior to backing it up. For this backup, only you would hold the key, providing double protection for your data.

Upgrade to VPN: Many providers offer a virtual private network (VPN) as an added security measure. Acting as a sort of armored truck for your data as it travels through the ether, this option will increase your costs for cloud services. You’ll either pay for minutes of VPN connection or the provider will set up a virtual private cloud account that is segmented off from the public cloud. You can opt to set up your own VPN, but this can escalate costs further because now you have a VPN to manage.

While VPN is an option, its inclusion in this list is not meant to imply that the cloud is not a safe option for data storage unless you purchase additional security measures. Cloud providers employ several layers of security protection.

Access management: It’s important to consider the firewalls in place by the provider, but some of the most critical security measures for protecting data in the cloud are those from within the organization. Identity and access management utilize a set of policies that use authentication in a variety of ways to ensure that only those that require sensitive information to do their jobs can access it. This might include several levels of password authentication, as well as a personal security question and management granting only minimal access privilege so that the most sensitive data is available to the least possible number of individuals in the enterprise.

Security is just one of the concerns you may have about choosing the right cloud provider. Contact us at Cloud Source for more information about the considerations you should include in your search for the right cloud solution.

Tips on Developing a Better Cloud Security Strategy

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Cloud security is a hotly contested topic. For those who believe the cloud partner is solely responsible for securing data, they’re in for a rude awakening. In truth, partners are responsible for some cloud security issues, but there is a shared responsibility between the partner and the customer.

The Ponemon Institute looked into the issue in 2017 and found that 32% of those surveyed said they follow the shared responsibility aspect of cloud security, while 34% were evenly divided on the topic.

Sharing Responsibilities

There are a few different cloud service models that allow for a shared responsibility. These include Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).

When implementing an IaaS model, the partner will manage the facilities and data center(s). They will also be involved in managing processing and interfaces. However, the customer will have the responsibility of managing virtual networks, operating systems, data, middleware, applications, and virtual machines.

In the PaaS model, the partner is responsible for virtual networks, middleware, virtual machines, and operating systems. The customer is limited to managing data, applications, and interfaces.

In the SaaS model, the partner takes on all management responsibilities except data and interfaces.

As you can see, data is the responsibility of the client — always. Cloud security strategies must include backup plans, disaster recovery, and business continuity solutions. This is often tied to compliance issues, which spell out ways in which data, particularly that related to sensitive client information, must be protected.

Define Who’s Accountable for What

When you evaluate your partners, look at the various risk factors and how those risks are mitigated. Every security feature must be fleshed out and your clients need to know how to use them. Also, break down how responsibilities are divvied up in regard to cloud security protocols. Documenting all your internal controls can also help monitor your risks.

Before choosing a partner, you must be able to define exactly what your requirements are in regard to security, and prioritize each need. Also, if you’re going to migrate data to the cloud, you’ll need to know how that’s going to impact your policies.

Everyone’s role needs to be clearly defined before a contract is signed. This is the best way to ensure accountability.

To connect with a partner that you can trust, contact Cloud Source today. We’re focused on connecting our clients with the right technologies including those that provide clear and concise cloud security solutions. Don’t struggle to find the technology that fits your business needs — let us assist you.

Cloud Security: Assessing Risk and Building Strategies

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Has your organization been inundated with serverless apps? The ones that are built to use just the minimum amount of computing resources yet still function? You use them for a task and quickly forget about them. When it comes to cloud security, are you putting yourself at risk by using them?

There is also a type of bundled app referred to as “containers,” which many cybersecurity experts are still trying to figure out. Many of these containers run in a virtual machine, which makes them a more flexible type of application to deploy.

The advantage that containers have over serverless apps is that they have some room for security software, which includes malware protection. The serverless app is in a situation where developers take little part in providing any cybersecurity or cloud security, and they instead hope that their infrastructure providers are doing something to keep everyone safe.

For some organizations, going with a serverless architecture makes total sense because there is a cost reduction factor. However, this is before you include the various risks associated with the cybersecurity unknowns that currently exist.

Addressing Experience Deficits

One of the biggest things holding back cybersecurity protocols is that there is a lack of expertise in regard to serverless security. Technical prowess in cloud security at the micro-services level is certainly not sufficient. Furthermore, most organizations haven’t established teams for keeping track of cloud security issues in relation to assessing various risk environments.

The fact is, there isn’t a lot of data regarding the amount of risk an organization assumes when using a container or serverless app. Security vendors have been quiet on the issue so far. Therefore, if your organization is moving toward containers or serverless apps, it can be difficult to assess your return on investment.

Calling in a Third Party

At Cloud Source, our approach to client services takes a full assessment of various risk factors and how cloud security can be improved to ensure there will be no disruption of services.

We’ve established a disaster recovery solution that will help you avoid a negative impact on your bottom line. We know that each minute a network is down, time and money are lost. However, securing your network against natural disasters is where we excel, so contact us today and let’s talk about how our cloud security solutions will fit your organization’s needs.

Five Data Protection Measures Every Small Business Needs

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It seems like every month there’s another major story in the news about a large corporation whose data has been compromised by a cyberattack, affecting millions of consumers. The reality is that many of the data breaches causing the most damage never make headlines, because they affect small businesses. Extensive damage hits a company that’s not prepared with a data protection strategy.

There are measures you can put in place to protect your small business against a cyberattack. Here are the five that you should prioritize:

Employee training: One of the most important data protection measures is also one of the most budget-friendly. A few of the subjects you should cover in data protection training are how to use high-quality passwords and protect them, making sure employees know the danger of a smartphone that takes too long to hibernate and teaching them to recognize a phishing email.

Data backup: Completing a regular backup protects your data in the event of a natural disaster, and helps you decline to pay the ransom when you’re hit with ransomware. It’s a good idea to not only complete one backup, but to also have a backup that’s stored locally and then back that up with cloud backup. This protects your data in the event of a natural disaster that affects a wider geographic area.

Endpoint protection: Protecting your network is becoming more complicated because there are so many more devices connected to it, and these devices are also likely interacting with cloud solutions. Endpoint protection involves all of your computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Many of these devices come with a firewall program preinstalled, but you should go further with your data protection strategy. An endpoint detection and response program will check for suspicious activity, and then isolate any potential problems for review.

Cyber insurance: It’s a good idea to invest in cyber insurance as a safeguard in case a cyberattack still manages to get through your other data protection measures. It is important to note that cyber insurance alone should never be the sum total of your data protection strategy.

Data recovery: If all else fails, data recovery services may be able to recover data lost through accidental deletion, hardware damage, or a malware attack. Even when your data has been deleted from your hard drive, it doesn’t actually go away permanently. Data recovery services can access the hard drive and reverse the data deletion.

When you need assistance evaluating your data protection strategy, contact us at Cloud Source. Whether you need comprehensive Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) or an assessment of your current approach, Cloud Source can help you protect your business.

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328 S. Jefferson St. Suite 603
Chicago, IL 60661
Ph: 312.753.7880
E: info@CloudSourceServices.com

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