Cloud Security: In the news...again?

Dropbox’s password breach last weekend and the initial word that it left its 25 million users exposed and caused quite a lot of great conversations around cloud security. And for good reason, especially given consumers’ expectation of security with the data they entrust to the service. But while Dropbox is predominantly a consumer application, the breach should have enterprise IT groups thinking about 1) exactly what kind of information do we have stored in our different cloud applications? And 2) how do we control who has access to that information

At Okta, we, of course, believe that the cloud is just fundamentally better. But that doesn’t mean it’s free of the normal IT concerns around security and manageability. And as more and more companies shed their legacy, on-prem solutions for the inherent advantages of

cloud-based applications, they (and their IT departments) need a coherent, efficient way to secure, integrate and manage all of their cloud apps

Security is baked into our DNA as a company. We’re committed to helping companies take a more disciplined approach to cloud adoption where access and security across any organization can be managed and controlled, easily and intuitively. And we take that very seriously.

It used to be that IT departments had complete control over what apps business users had access to and full visibility into the kind of data that was stored in those apps. But because SaaS apps can often be adopted without IT knowledge or minimal IT involvement – that same level of visibility and control can be missing in today’s modern office environment. But potential breaches such as Dropbox remind us that even though you’re doing business in the cloud, IT still needs centralized control.

The case for securing your cloud apps with an identity and access management service like Okta is straightforward. Besides enabling the IT team to regain control over critical company information and address compliance needs, but it also enables IT to save cost and time and makes it easier for end users to get access to the applications they need, when they need them.

In the end, our friends at Dropbox continue to manage through this situation with the same high level of integrity they bring to the rest of their business, but it is a good reminder for enterprises of the important role that IT should play in their own cloud adoption, providing the added security and management necessary of their apps and related information and the people who have access to it.

This shift to a cloud-first mentality is already transforming business, enabling companies of all sizes to scale and run their operations more nimbly than they could have ever dreamed of with clunky on-premise solutions. It’s the way business will be done, and Okta not only supports, but will be an accelerant to this sea change, without sacrificing security, manageability and centralized control. Trust and security need not be an afterthought in the cloud.