Cloud Computing Security: Your Comprehensive Guide

Is the data you send to the cloud really secure? Cloud security practices aim to answer that question with an emphatic "yes."

Your cloud provider will tackle many security tasks for you. Still, every business with a cloud presence also needs to create policies, procedures, and practices to ensure that their data is secure and they are meeting their compliance needs.

Why is cloud computing security important?

Pushing services to the cloud should mean that you tap into an army of experts who help protect and defend your data. But unfortunately, security issues are common. In one study, nearly 80 percent of companies had at least one data breach in the 18 months prior.

Cloud computing security concerns tend to stem from two factors.

  • Providers: Software, platform, or infrastructure issues can lead to breaches.
  • Customers: Companies don't have solid policies to support security in the cloud.

Data breaches are the top risk companies face. Attackers want data, and companies don't always use commonsense tools (like encryption) to protect it.

Companies often struggle to understand what safety services their cloud providers offer. Many companies also don't build internal systems that put security first.

Companies that work in concert with their providers can lower their breach risks. They'll avoid time-consuming manual security configurations and updates. And they'll have a team available around the clock to monitor and report. Policies at the corporate level can ensure the company does its part to protect security too.

Cloud computing company structure & models

Every vendor has unique security strengths and vulnerabilities. Understanding common cloud types and service models can help you assess risks.

Three main types of clouds are available.

  1. Public clouds: Third-party cloud service providers (like Google) create one product that many individuals and companies use. Individual companies typically develop policies based on the security requirements for their organisation in order to secure access to data stored within the public cloud service. 
  2.  Private clouds: You're the only one who has access to and uses this cloud. Disgruntled former employees may inadvertently expose data, so it’s still important to have a proper security implementation in place.  
  3. Hybrid clouds: Most midsize to large companies choose this model of cloud computing. The majority of information stays on a private cloud, but companies can shift to a public cloud if they need to. The risks of both cloud types apply here.

Cloud-computing companies offer three main types of services.

  1. IaaS: Infrastructure as a service companies provide servers, firewalls, and data centres. 
  2. PaaS: Platform as a service companies offer all the benefits listed above, along with operating systems, development tools, database management, and analytics. 
  3. SaaS: Software as a service companies offer all of the benefits listed above, along with hosted applications.

3 common areas vendors protect

How do companies guarantee the security of cloud computing? Three areas are critical, and most companies require an in-depth partnership with their customers to implement them.

Those areas involve:

  • Employees. How does your company screen people for prior data-theft-related criminal activity before they join the team? How do you protect their logins and accounts when they leave? 
  • Identity. How do users gain access to the resources on the cloud? Some cloud computing companies tap into their customers' identity management system. Others build their own infrastructure to support security.