Top 10 Best Practices for Cloud Security

February 12, 2024

Once a phantom idea, the cloud is now a digital wasteland that houses everything from private images to large-scale corporate processes. However, great power also comes with great responsibility. Thus, businesses must secure their sensitive data in this enormous collaborative space.

Data breaches happen every 39 seconds; therefore, protecting your business’ digital assets is crucial. This blog post provides best practices to create an unbreakable wall around your data, whether a single email or a vast company ecosystem, so you can confidently navigate the cloud.

Let's explore the best practices to experience a flexible, seamless, and secure cloud experience.

Understanding Cloud Security

A branch of cyber security called cloud security is devoted to protecting cloud computing infrastructure. It covers maintaining the security and privacy of data on all web-based platforms, apps, and infrastructure.

Cloud service providers and their customers—individuals, small- to medium-sized businesses, or enterprises—are both responsible for the security of these systems.

Key Components of Cloud Security

Let’s explore the different components of cloud security and their benefits.

Component

Focus

Key Strategies

Benefits

Data Security

Protecting data confidentiality and integrity

Encryption (at rest and in transit), access controls, data loss prevention (DLP) tools

Secure storage and transmission of sensitive data, minimizing data breaches and leaks

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Controlling user access and privileges

Multi-factor authentication (MFA), strong password policies, role-based access control (RBAC)

Thwarting unauthorized access attempts, preventing privilege escalation

Network Security

Securing communication channels

Firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), network segmentation

Protecting against malicious traffic, preventing network infiltration and lateral movement.

Endpoint Security

Securing devices accessing cloud resources

Antivirus, anti-malware, endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions

Defending against malware and cyberattacks on laptops, phones, and other devices

Application Security

Protecting cloud-based applications

Secure coding practices, vulnerability scanning, code reviews

Minimizing application vulnerabilities, preventing exploits and unauthorized access

Cloud Security Best Practices

Here are the ten best practices for cloud security to protect your cloud data and infrastructure.

1. Select a Reliable Cloud Hosting Company

Your selected provider is ultimately responsible for the core of your cloud security posture. Assess their incident response procedures, security certifications, compliance history (HIPAA, PCI DSS), and data breach history.

Select service providers with a track record of proactively detecting and mitigating threats, strict encryption requirements, and granular access controls.

2. Deploy an Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solution

Having precise control over who can use your cloud resources is critical. Install a specialized Identity and Access Management (IAM) system that controls user access, upholds the least privilege principle, and uses multi-factor authentication (MFA) to thwart unwanted access attempts.

Verizon found that 82% of data breaches involve human or machine identity compromise. Audit user accounts and access privileges regularly to ensure security policies are followed.

3. Establish and Enforce Cloud Security Policies

Safe cloud operations require strict policies. Establish precise policies for data classification, incident response, and utilization.

Implement data loss prevention (DLP) measures to stop private data from being disclosed through unapproved means. Review and update your rules frequently to consider new technological developments and growing dangers.

4. Utilize a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)

Your central command center becomes a CASB when your digital tentacles spread across several cloud providers. It offers oversight and management of data flow, cloud app usage, and possible security risks across several cloud platforms.

Using its unified logging and reporting features, you can spot unusual activity and proactively handle possible security breaches.

5. Deploy Enhanced Authentication

Your first line of defense against unwanted access is multi-factor authentication (MFA). Embrace hardware-based authenticators, security tokens, and biometrics as alternatives to conventional password authentication.

Think about using adaptive authentication, which modifies authentication criteria dynamically according to context—such as the user's location or the time of day—whenever necessary.

Among international corporations, extending (MFA) for staff members is the most extensively implemented identification initiative. In 2022, the EMEA region's MFA deployment rate was 80%.

6. Implement Data Encryption

While your data is being moved or stored, encrypt it. Use strong encryption techniques, like AES-256, and safeguard your encryption keys.

To perform computations on encrypted data without decryption and to preserve data privacy during processing, consider homomorphic encryption. It converts data into cipher text, enabling analysis and operations to be performed while maintaining its original appearance.

7. Utilize Intrusion Detection and Prevention Technology (IDPS)

Use IPS/IDS systems to watch for nefarious activity and harmful traffic in your cloud environment. Use machine learning algorithms and threat intelligence streams to spot new risks and stop assaults before they have a chance to cause harm. To ensure maximum efficacy, update your IDPS tuning parameters and signatures regularly.

8. Implement Zero Trust Architecture

Adopt the "never trust, always verify" philosophy and implement a zero-trust design. Limit lateral movement, microsegment your network, and confirm user IDs and device health at each access point. This multi-layered method reduces possible damage and stops breaches from spreading.

9. Hold Employee Training and Awareness Programs

According to a Cyber Security Breaches Report 2022, phishing was the reason behind 83% of cyberattacks. Everyone bears responsibility for security. Frequent training sessions allow your staff to spot phishing attempts, report questionable behavior, and maintain secure cloud hygiene.

By promoting a culture of security awareness, you can empower your employees to be your initial line of protection against social engineering schemes and accidental data leaks.

10. Implement Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)

Since cloud systems are inherently dynamic and susceptible to configuration changes, it is important to implement a Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) solution.

With the help of CSPM technology, you can monitor your cloud infrastructure settings to ensure they adhere to security best practices. You can ensure your cloud environments' security, compliance, and resilience by deploying a CSPM system.

Enhance Your Cloud Security with T12's Comprehensive Monitoring

Many people and enterprises are starting a digital transformation journey, increasing their dependence on diverse cloud computing solutions. Consequently, it becomes even more crucial to implement best practices for cloud security.

Do you feel vulnerable in the cloud? The extensive monitoring and cloud security posture management provided by T12 helps uncover hidden vulnerabilities in AWS, Azure, and GCP before they are exploited, much like a security spotlight.

Envision your cloud resources being continuously protected by automatic security assessments, simple compliance checks, and real-time threat warnings.

Through T12, you can:

Eliminate blind spots: Find and fix hidden configuration errors before hackers exploit them.
Simplifying compliance: Pass audits easily and avoid HIPAA and SOC 2 issues.
React quicker: Receive immediate alerts about questionable activities and stop breaches before they escalate.

Don’t settle for reactive security. Take charge of your cloud with T12 CSPM and turn it from vulnerable to impenetrable.