Cybersecurity is an umbrella term that captures everything necessary about security. Cloud security is the brand of cybersecurity that is dedicated to keeping cloud computing systems secure. It involves keeping data secure and private across online-based infrastructure, platforms, and applications.

What is cloud security?

You can think of cloud security as the entire gamut of technology, protocols, controls, and best practices that protect data in the cloud and cloud computing environments.

“Cloud computing doesn’t necessarily mean -by-default or even -by-design, both for 'security' and 'privacy'. A company that uses the cloud does not systematically inherit from all the security levels that may exist or that may be proposed by the provider, but only those to which the company contractually subscribes.” explains Cedric Mauny, Head of Cybersecurity services at Telindus. 

Cloud security comprises the following components:

        -  Data security

        -  IAM (Identity and Access Management)

        -  Governance

        -  Data retention and business continuity planning

        -  Legal compliance

From filtering traffic to authenticating access, you can configure cloud security according to the requirements of your business. Since you can configure and manage these rules in one place, you can reduce administration overheads and empower your IT teams to focus on other important areas of business.

“Indeed, cloud computing represents a great opportunity in terms of cybersecurity, with functionalities that few companies could develop and manage with in-house resources” says Cedric Mauny.

Why is cloud security important?

“An important mindset to keep in mind and apply on a continuous way: ‘trust does not exclude control’” explains the expert.

Cyber threats are rising and becoming more sophisticated with each passing day. It is just as important to secure the cloud as is your on-premise solutions. In this way, choosing a cloud service provider that offers best-in-class security is essential.

A single security breach could have several serious implications, including revenue loss, business disruption, loss of reputation, and more. In light of this, cybersecurity for the cloud is non-negotiable.

One of the benefits of cloud security is centralized security. Cloud-based networks involve numerous devices and endpoints, and managing all these entities individually can be difficult. When you monitor these entities centrally, it also enhances web filtering and traffic analysis. You can also streamline network events monitoring, resulting in fewer software and policy updates. When managed in one place, it is also easier to implement and action disaster recovery plans.

With cloud security, there is no need to invest in dedicated hardware. You save on both capital expenditure as well as administrative overheads. Cloud security delivers amazing security features that protect your data and network 24/7, with almost little or no human intervention.

Best practices to protect your data on the cloud

Cloud security is not the only responsibility of the cloud service providers but also of the clients using them. You should follow these best practices if you want to protect your data on the cloud:

        -  Limit access to the cloud. For instance, your finance team does not need access to your code repository. Similarly, your software development team does not need access to financial data.

        -  Use a password manager so that you can have strong passwords for all your online applications, but you only need to remember one master password.

        -  Implement two-factor authentication for enhanced security.

        -  Encryption is key to protecting your data in use, at rest, and in transit to and from the cloud.

        -  Limit the access third-party apps have to your data.

“You have to ask yourself the right questions, accept to be accompanied by professionals, ask for your requirements and ensure that they are implemented in line with your needs and mainly with your risk profile” concludes Cedric Mauny.