The rapid adoption of the cloud has broadened the horizons for businesses embarking on a digital transformation journey, and organisations are swiftly taking the giant leap.
Cloud-native applications are becoming increasingly popular in modern organisations. These applications are designed to run on cloud-based infrastructure, making them more scalable and flexible than traditional, on-premise applications.
While the benefits of cloud-native applications are clear, they also pose new challenges to cybersecurity teams. As such, it is essential to have robust protection measures in place to ensure the cloud-native security of these applications and the sensitive data they handle.
Let’s discuss the importance of cloud native application protection and critical steps that organisations can take to ensure the highest level of security.
The Importance of Cloud Native Application Protection in Today’s Era
Cloud computing has revolutionised businesses by providing scalable and cost-effective solutions for storing, processing, and accessing data. However, with the increasing popularity of cloud computing comes an increased risk of cyber threats, making cloud cybersecurity a critical concern for organisations.
Hence, businesses must incorporate the highest level of cloud security. While many enterprises have implemented traditional forms of protection, such as firewalls and antivirus software, on their servers to prevent attacks from external sources, they are only sometimes effective against modern threats that can originate from within the organisation itself.
To combat these new types of threats, it’s essential to employ a more advanced solution capable of detecting applications’ vulnerabilities before they cause damage or compromise sensitive data stored on systems within your network environment.
Let’s figure out what can be done from an enterprise’s end to reinforce cloud-native application protection.
#1. Implement Strong Access Controls
Organisations should implement strong access controls to ensure that only authorised users can access sensitive data. This can be achieved through strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, adaptive authentication, and role-based access controls.
Strong passwords are critical for protecting against unauthorised users gaining access to sensitive data or systems. Hackers can easily guess weak passwords, so organisations must enforce strong password policies that include minimum length requirements, complexity requirements, and periodic password changes.
Multi-factor authentication is another method for bolstering security as it requires users to enter a password and an additional piece of information (such as a PIN) before they can log into their accounts.
Role-based access controls allow administrators to grant different levels of access based on job function or seniority within an organisation. For example, developers may only need read-only access, while product managers require complete control over all aspects of development projects.
#2. Encrypt Sensitive Data
Encrypting sensitive data is critical to ensuring that sensitive information is protected from cyber threats.
Encryption helps to protect data both at rest and in transit, and it should be used for all sensitive data stored in the cloud. Organisations should also ensure that encryption keys are properly managed and stored securely to prevent unauthorised access.
In addition to encryption, organisations must consider other security measures, such as vulnerability assessments and penetration testing of their applications. These tests help to ensure that there are no vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit if they could gain access to the cloud environment where your application resides.
#3. Regularly Monitor and Audit Cloud Environments
Organisations should periodically monitor their cloud environments for suspicious activity or potential threats. This can be done through security tools such as intrusion detection systems, log management tools, and security information and event management (SIEM) solutions.
Additionally, organisations should conduct regular security audits to identify potential vulnerabilities and implement the necessary remediation measures.
Security audits are conducted by third-party experts who comprehensively assess your organisation’s security infrastructure concerning compliance with industry standards and best practices. This includes identifying gaps in your security posture, weaknesses that need to be addressed, and areas where you can improve your existing controls.
The results of these audits can then be used to improve your current processes or procedures to align more closely with best practices and standards by regulatory bodies, including the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
#4. Use Trusted Cloud Service Providers
When choosing a cloud service provider, organisations should choose a provider with a proven track record of providing robust security solutions. This includes strong access controls, data encryption, and regular security audits.
Organisations should also look for cloud service providers that comply with relevant security standards and regulations, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
When selecting a cloud service provider, organisations should consider how well the provider can meet their unique requirements. For example, suppose an organisation has specific compliance requirements or needs to collaborate with a particular set of partners. In that case, they need to find a provider that offers these capabilities.
#5. Train Employees on Cloud Security Best Practices
Finally, organisations should train their employees on cloud security best practices. This includes educating employees on the importance of strong passwords, the dangers of phishing scams, and the proper handling of sensitive data in the cloud.
Employees should also be aware of the potential consequences of security breaches, such as loss of sensitive information, financial loss, and reputational damage.
To Conclude
Ensuring a robust cloud cybersecurity posture is critical for organisations that rely on cloud-based systems and data.
By implementing strong access controls, encrypting sensitive data, regularly monitoring and auditing cloud environments, using trusted cloud service providers, and training employees on cloud security best practices, organisations can take the necessary steps to protect their cloud-based systems and data from cyber threats.
Apart from this, it’s always a great idea to incorporate modern tools and technologies to help detect and contain a security breach and avoid any chance of financial or reputational loss.
Deepak is the CTO and co-founder of LoginRadius, a rapidly-expanding Customer Identity
Management provider. He's dedicated to innovating LoginRadius'; platform, and loves fooseball
and winning poker games!