Cloud security is the protection of data, applications, and infrastructures involved in cloud computing. Many aspects of security for cloud environments (whether it’s a public, private, or hybrid cloud) are the same as for any on-premise IT architecture.
High-level security concerns—like unauthorized data exposure and leaks, weak access controls, susceptibility to attacks, and availability disruptions—affect traditional IT and cloud systems alike. Like any computing environment, cloud security involves maintaining adequate preventative protections so you:
- Know that the data and systems are safe.
- Can see the current state of security.
- Know immediately if anything unusual happens.
- Can trace and respond to unexpected events.
Why cloud security is different
While many people understand the benefits of cloud computing, they’re equally deterred by the security threats. We get it. It’s hard to wrap your head around something that exists somewhere between amorphous resources sent through the internet and a physical server. It’s a dynamic environment where things are always changing—like security threats. The thing is that, for the most part, cloud security is IT security. And once you understand the specific differences, the word “cloud” doesn’t feel as insecure.
Everything is now in software
"Cloud" refers to the hosted resources delivered to a user via software. Cloud computing infrastructures—along with all the data being processed—are dynamic, scalable, and portable. Cloud security controls need to respond to environmental variables and accompany workloads and data while at rest and in transit, either as inherent parts of the workloads (e.g. encryption) or dynamically through a cloud management system and APIs. This helps to protect cloud environments from system corruption and data loss.
Sophisticated threat landscape
Sophisticated threats are anything that negatively impacts modern computing which—of course—includes the cloud. Increasingly sophisticated malware and other attacks like Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are designed to evade network defenses by targeting vulnerabilities in the computing stack. Data breaches can result in unauthorized information disclosure and data tampering. There’s no clear solution to these threats, except that it’s your responsibility to stay on top of the cloud security practices that are evolving to keep up with emerging threats.
