Traditional concerns of security seem to be wading in criticality among security practitioners. Currently, cybersecurity issues that are higher in the security spectrum, influenced by decisions of senior management, are replacing the traditional ones. The adoption of cloud computing has been on an upward spiral as a cost-saving model. Several businesses are recognizing the inherent risks associated with the cloud. Proper management of these risks requires distinct approaches for data safety, specific security tools, and ceaseless awareness.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines cloud computing as computing resources, which are released with minimal service provider interaction or management effort and can be provisioned rapidly. While the services are scaled up or scaled down for meeting demand, the traditional security is not capable of reacting to such scalability requirements effectively.
Key Ways that Cloud Security Differs from Traditional Security
While the benefits of cloud computing are evident, they are held with caution with the view of security. The cloud computing space is dynamic and ever-changing, which has tugged various security threats in recent years. Cloud security is currently likened to IT security, and understanding the differences between them gives a clear picture of why the term “cloud” is secure.
Bypassing Traditional Perimeter Defences
Security has everything to do with accessibility. While a traditional environment controls access through a perimeter security model, a cloud environment is thoroughly connected, which facilitates the traffic for bypassing traditional perimeter defences. The system and data are exposed to threats from malicious insiders, account hijacks, poor identity & credentials management, and unsafe application programming interfaces (APIs). However, preventing unauthorized access to the cloud needs adopting a data-centric approach. Therefore, the emphasis is placed on data encryption, authorization process, multi-factor authentication and throughput security.
Data Storage and Backup
Traditional data storage comprises redundancy and backups housed onsite or across multiple sites. This not only requires manual efforts but also is expensive, along with the need for stringent backup schedule, buying additional storage hardware to mitigate inherent risks. The argument on greater control over data storage & backups regarding on-premises deployment continues among organizations. However, the scenario is not what it seems considering heavy dependency of on-premises approach on human responsibility and proximity.
Cloud-based data storage and backups is automated and eliminates the dependency on the IT team and is less vulnerable to physical damage. Reputed cloud providers have geographically-spread, highly secure and high tech data centers to ensure prevention of data compromisation. Redundancy and data storage in the cloud necessitates shared responsibility.
Mitigating Security Threats
With cloud computing and the right cloud hosting partner, organizations don’t need to depend solely on their IT teams or make investments in latest hardware upgrades. Furthermore, the dependency on traditional security is reduced. Automated processes such as AI-based network scanning and emails along with updates have improved data security in cloud computing. This further rids the issues related to traditional security measures, such as missed maintenance headlines, human errors, and outdated equipment.
It is clear that neither tradition nor cloud security is completely safe from data breaches. However, cloud security plugs the security gaps more reliably through automation, compared to the traditional security. As security threats evolve faster every day, organizations cannot solely depend upon manual security practices. With cloud security, the CPA of organizations gets automated along with AI-driven security defences. This frees the IT teams to focus on bigger picture strategies and innovation.
Growing Dependency of Organizations on Cloud Security
The current world is data-led and information-driven. Cybersecurity remains on the top of the mind of organizations that look to protect business operations and critical assets. At present, organizations are increasingly depending on data for daily operations. This has made it crucial to possess systems integrated into the infrastructure, which is not only cost-effective but also secure and scalable. The data retrieval and storage in traditional servers are insecure and archaic. This is why, the dependency on the cloud infrastructure is growing among organizations worldwide, to address complex needs for data transmission, analysis, and storage.
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