The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of cloud computing because organizations sought to reduce costs and ensure business continuity through remote and hybrid work.

This shift has led to growth in the global cloud computing market, which is expected to expand from USD 480 billion in 2022 to USD 2297.37 billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 17% from 2023 to 2032.

However, despite this widespread adoption, 96% of organizations have encountered challenges in implementing cloud strategies, with security remaining a top concern. In fact, cloud security breaches have now surpassed on-premises breaches.

To address these challenges and ensure a smooth transition to the cloud, we'll outline best practices for securing your organization's cloud infrastructure. 

What is Secure Cloud Infrastructure?

Secure cloud infrastructure refers to the controls, technologies and procedures that protect an organization's systems and data from cybersecurity threats within the cloud environment.

An example of the importance of cloud security was highlighted last year when Toyota, a giant automaker, announced that a misconfigured cloud environment had exposed the personal data of around 260,000 customers. 

Although the breach did not involve a large amount of sensitive information. The exposed data, which included in-vehicle device IDs, map data updates, and creation dates, was accessible online for an extended period, from February 2015 to May 2023.

Importance of Cloud Security

Cloud security is crucial for several reasons:

• Broad Attack Surface: Cloud environments have multiple entry points, making it difficult to define boundaries and protect against threats.
• Complex Environments: Multi-cloud and hybrid environments require the right cybersecurity tools to operate across both cloud and on-premises systems.
• Restricted Visibility: Cloud providers may have full control over infrastructure, making it hard for organizations to identify and protect their cloud assets.
• Human Factor: People can be a weak link in cloud security by falling for phishing scams and using weak passwords.

By adopting cloud computing security best practices and technologies, organizations can:

• Protect Sensitive Data: Prevent breaches that can lead to reputational damage, financial penalties, and legal issues.
• Ensure Business Continuity: Implement cloud backups and disaster recovery plans, minimizing downtime and ensuring quick recovery in the event of disruptions or disasters.
• Meet IT Compliance Requirements: Align with relevant laws and regulations.
• Optimize Security Costs: Prevent cybersecurity incidents and maintain operational continuity, reducing the financial impact of potential security incidents.

Best Practices to Secure Cloud Infrastructure

To protect sensitive data in your cloud environment, here are best practices you should consider:

• Secure Access: Strengthen password management through multi-factor authentication (MFA) and enforcing strong password policies. Consider a centralized password management solution to securely store and generate complex passwords.

• Monitor and Detect: Provide visibility with employee monitoring tools to detect early signs of cloud account compromise or insider threats. Also set up alerts and notifications for suspicious activity, such as login attempts from unfamiliar locations or access to sensitive data.

• Manage Privileged Users: Monitor privileged users, including system administrators and top management, to prevent potential damage to the cloud environment. Adopt just-in-time (JIT) access and least privilege access to limit the attack surface.

• Least Privilege Access: Manage user access privileges by regularly reassessing and revoking permissions, following the principle of least privilege. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to limit user access to only the resources they need to perform their jobs.

• Cyber Awareness Training: Educate employees against phishing through regular cybersecurity training and simulations to raise awareness and minimize the human factor. For cyber training, contact us at Cyberkach.

• IT Compliance: Ensure IT compliance by defining relevant standards such as PCI-DSS or HIPAA and aligning with prominent cloud computing providers. 

• Security audits/assessments: You also need to regularly audit your organization's data processes and security controls to identify areas for improvement. Security audit could be internal or third-party audit to help ensure that implemented controls function as they should.

Securing cloud infrastructure requires vigilance and a proactive approach. By implementing these best practices, your organization can protect data, ensure compliance, and maintain operational continuity in an increasingly cloud-dependent world. Want to stay ahead of cyberattacks with cybersecurity at your fingertips? Subscribe to the Cyberkach blog.