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For businesses eager to prioritize accessibility and flexibility, cloud computing makes a lot of sense. But even so, transitioning digital assets to the cloud from existing servers can compromise security if not done well.
The last thing any business wants is a data breach that reveals sensitive information and leads to compliance issues. Fortunately, today’s experts in cloud security have amassed experience to inform the best practices for a successful data migration.
Read on to learn about four common challenges when securing data during a transition!
When the cloud environment to which data is being transferred isn’t set up properly, that can result in serious errors. Data breaches that trigger financial losses can occur because those handling the data migration made a mistake during setup or didn’t secure the process well enough.
Further, misconfigurations can give individuals unauthorized access to sensitive databases or unrestricted access to networks. Companies don’t want their data out in the open, available to individuals who will steal and misuse it.
Sometimes rushed deployments or a simple lack of cloud expertise can result in misconfigurations. In other cases, using weak passwords or granting too much access to controls can create thin security barriers that eventually will fall.
Cloud environments require the precise, intentional setup of every service and permission, and automated configuration management tools can help avoid these pitfalls.
Also, adding ongoing compliance monitoring and routine security reviews throughout the migration process is a vital step to keep all data secure.
Businesses need to prioritize permitting data access through identity and access management (IAM) policies. IAM policies can help reduce situations where sinister entities gain unauthorized access to data. Without strong support for IAM during cloud migrations, businesses put themselves at a higher risk of data breaches.
Too many users can gain permissions, and hackers can access sensitive information. The smarter approach is to use a principle of least privilege, which means that users can only access information that is essential for doing their jobs. This helps mitigate the potential for insider threats or data leaks that compromise trust in the organization.
Businesses need to centralize their workloads and data so they don’t lose track of anything during cloud migrations. Otherwise, it gets hard to track who has permission to access certain data and where that data lives. Even worse, businesses won’t always know how data is being used, and cloud security can become a concern.
In hybrid cloud strategies, this problem is especially pronounced since different cloud providers may be housing data in addition to current, physical systems. At a certain point, with data spread everywhere, security teams can become overwhelmed and unable to respond efficiently to problems.
To protect cloud data from insider threats, businesses need visibility solutions. Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), for instance, offers real-time monitoring to flag threats and unify visibility. This helps security teams stay on top of threats and enforce policies.
Compliance is always a challenge for businesses in the healthcare or finance sectors, where private information is a big component of their work. Businesses need to account for encryption standards and residency laws, among other regulations, to do their work safely and legally.
When businesses are migrating data, there must be clarity regarding encryption. Keep in mind that encryption makes data unreadable to those without a key, so it’s a must-have for companies dealing with confidential content.
Failing to have a clear plan between the cloud provider and the company about the use of encryption could result in leaving sensitive data vulnerable during the transition. Before starting the process, companies should classify data to identify the level of encryption needed. Taking this step does require more work, but businesses can maintain compliance more easily when they are proactive about staying secure.
Cloud computing offers a wealth of possibilities, but making the transition to it can open a company up to new vulnerabilities. Mismanagement and misconfigurations can leave data accessible to too many parties, including hackers, so companies need to have a robust plan for data migration from the start.
Business leaders must invest in cloud security strategies to avoid compliance problems and maintain integrity as a trusted professional resource. With tactics like pre-migration security baselines, companies can rest assured that they are making the transition safely and securely.
