Vulnerabilities and Threats in the Cloud and Key Areas Often Overlooked in Safeguarding Infrastructure

By ivision October 22, 2019
infrastructure data center cloud

A quick Google search on ‘how to secure cloud infrastructure’ returns 263 million hits. With all this information available, it’s challenging to stay ahead of vulnerabilities and threats while ensuring security posture in your cloud environments. Cloud infrastructure has become one of the most attractive targets for threat actors because of the vast amount of data that now resides in the cloud. To put it in perspective, according to McAfee the average organization uploads 13.9 TB of data to the cloud each month. Across the board, organizations who deploy a security strategy but fail to maintain it leave a door open for vulnerabilities and threats.

Cloud Infrastructure

Regardless of infrastructure model, the following areas are often overlooked:

  • What are your security layers? There should be a defined security model in place which includes perimeter defense, operating systems and server protection, host protection and data protection.
  • Have you carefully vetted your partners/vendors? Outsourcing to a third party requires due diligence when assessing cloud providers and ensuring providers meet up-to-date compliance regulations.
  • How is it all tying in? Perform regular assessments to ensure a cohesive environment and an ongoing comprehension of your organization’s IT infrastructure and that of your service providers. This includes network configuration and topology, network traffic and communication systems.
  • How’s your knowledge base? Maintain standardized, updated documentation of the entire IT infrastructure, including all involved vendors and partners.
  • Are you proactive or reactive? Your team should perform ongoing asset discovery, threat detection and immediate response to ensure security.

Cloud Managed Security Services

When any company implements a cloud solution into their infrastructure, they need to consider how it will be managed. Without comprehensive cloud infrastructure management, your business may be susceptible to security threats. Often, internal IT teams don’t have the knowledge or bandwidth to effectively monitor a cloud environment. By working with a reputable managed services provider, a company can outsource their cloud security to ensure seamless coverage. There are many reasons to work with a trusted managed services security partner:

  • Reduced costs: It’s expensive to maintain a full security staff with 24x7x365 availability. An MSP will have the resources and subject matter expertise to work on your behalf. IT leaders can sleep better at night knowing that their environment is secure, and their budget can be allocated elsewhere.
  • Resource optimization: Let your MSP handle the day-to-day management. Allow your internal IT team to focus on initiatives that drive business growth. A good MSP will offer a flexible business model and assist you in improving technology efficiency.
  • Disaster recovery: It’s critical to plan for the worst-case scenarios. An MSP helps ensure that your data is secure across your entire cloud environment. In the event of a security breach or other disruptive event, your business can continue with minimal downtime.
  • Vendor management: Technology is meant to provide your business with a competitive advantage. When IT assets reach the end of their usable lifespan, they stop supporting your business and open it up to security risk. An MSP can handle your lifecycle management – tracking hardware, software and associated components, and keeping up with manufacturer contracts.