Cloud computing is a technology that has made life easier for users, it has even made the digital transformation of businesses possible. Cloud computing has enabled infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) because it reduces financial burden and allows cost-efficient solutions.
According to 2019 Spiceworks State of IT Survey, the year ahead appears to be a significant year of infrastructure-related investments. [1]
Gartner is predicting that by 2021, the world will have shifted with 65% of global infrastructure providers generating 55% of their revenue from edge-related services that support digital touchpoints.[2]
Cloud computing is considered safest among all other solutions for data storage but not all cloud computing providers are secure. Analyzing the service provider for the kind of protection offered is now a must!
What is cloud computing?
Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, intelligence and more—over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale. You typically pay only for cloud services you use, helping lower your operating costs, run your infrastructure more efficiently and scale as your business needs change. – Microsoft [3]
Cloud is a server where you can store data, applications, and software. From here, you can access the stored data on any connected device via the internet. It gives the freedom to access data from different devices remotely and not be restricted to only one device.
Services offered by cloud
Software as a Service (SaaS) – This type of cloud service is most commonly used, as many online portals are based on it. For example, Google Drive, One Drive from Microsoft, Dropbox, etc. are SaaS applications where we can store, share, and access our data remotely. The service provider manages the maintenance, support, and availability.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) – This type of cloud service is more suitable for developers as it provides an infrastructure for the development and distribution of their applications. Like Heroku or Google App Engine, the service offers space to developers to host their applications and execute them too.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – In this type of cloud service, the provider offers a subscription to access a part or the whole software over the internet or through an API provider. Amazon web service is one such service provider where the IT manages the entire cloud service and the user, obtaining the service, has control only over the data stored.
Cybersecurity and cloud storage
Even though cloud service is a safer option, when compared to other storage solutions, many business owners are not comfortable with cloud transition. The primary reason being that not many are able to maintain trust when it comes to cloud security. Traditional methods will tell you that an in-house storing service is most appropriate as it can be controlled effectively. However, the increase in business volume demands for a larger data infrastructure and with it, security. The earlier you employ this, the better your service can be.
Examples on how cloud is safe and why many leading businesses have considered it:
| Central Intelligence Agency is hosting its data with Amazon since 2014. [4] |
| Microsoft Azure hosts 90% of Fortune 500 companies. [5] |
| Amazon Web Services hosts the US Department of Defense critical data securely. [6] |
Gartner also forecasts that public cloud revenue will grow 17.5 percent globally in 2019. The upcoming challenge that cloud security has to deal with is security concerns with the Internet of Things (IoT). Cloud security, therefore, has a potential scope for improvement as companies are entrusting the safety of their crucial data and operations with the cloud service provider. To understand the extent of a cyberattack, we can take into consideration the prominent example of Equifax where the medical data of 140 million Americans was compromised. [7]
Cloud Security measures
It is essential that cloud services comply with the cybersecurity standards to ensure the integrity of the data of their customers. To begin, cloud service providers must offer secure navigation with the help of SLL (Secure Sockets Layer). They should endow access to the application or website with an SLL certificate to indicate the identity of the owner of the site. It can also be verified by clicking on the padlock in the bar where we type the URL. A green padlock indicates safe navigation.
Another significant aspect is to verify the person trying to access the cloud. To secure the cloud from unauthorized access, the cloud should adopt multi-factor authentication. By having dual or multi-authentication, the user must know more than just the username and password. However, a strong password is again crucial to prevent brute force attacks.
Secure user groups and firewalls are other eminent features that works securely with cloud service. Secure user groups discriminate access based on the level of privileges.
Data encryption is another tool where data can be encrypted to avoid being read by third parties while in-transit. Though a data encryption service is, by default, through a cloud service provider, there are certain specific applications that maintain the privacy of data using endpoint encryption.
The last and not least is to read the privacy policy of the cloud service providers that you subscribe to. Many provide free cloud storage, but they access the data and send to third parties in the exchange of monetary benefit, or they use the data for profit.
To conclude, no protection service offers 100% security to your business. However, it is advised to consider a renowned and experienced service provider that ensures its reliability. In addition to this, smart monitoring regularly is also crucial to minimize the risk of possible security breaches.
Cloud is the future and cybersecurity in the cloud is expected to be the future of cybersecurity education. To be the leader tomorrow, you should strive towards gaining a degree in cybersecurity. EC-Council University offers a Master of Science in Cybersecurity (MSCS) that is entirely online two-year master certification. The MSCS program offers five different specializations on cybersecurity and the most relevant to be cloud security expert is Enterprise Security Architect. The specialization program talks about comprehensive knowledge of cloud services, their characteristics, applications, benefits, and service models. The module focuses on enterprise security as a whole including cloud security and the relevance of business for cloud adoption.
is focused on various cybersecurity aspects which are trending and upcoming too. The program ensures your deep understanding of the tools and methodologies that a security professional is expected to have.
Sources
[1] https://www.spiceworks.com/marketing/state-of-it/report/future-tech/ [2] https://www.computerweekly.com/microscope/news/252453092/Gartner-IaaS-providers-have-to-go-beyond-the-edge [3] https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/overview/what-is-cloud-computing/ [4] https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/07/the-details-about-the-cias-deal-with-amazon/374632/ [5] https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/?v=18.40&v=18.40 [6] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/pentagon-doubles-down-on-single-cloud-strategy-for-10-billion-contract/2018/08/05/352cfee8-972b-11e8-810c-5fa705927d54_story.html [7] https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2019-04-02-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-public-cloud-revenue-to-g
