Title: 3 Steps to Incorporate Security into Your Cloud Environment

“Technology trust is a good thing, but control is a better one”, said Stephane Nappo, a senior consultant in IT security since 1995. And this is much truer in today’s advanced online sphere. If you, like many other computer users, are utilising any type of cloud application for the storage of files, then it is important to ensure its security.

Some people may not be aware of how to proceed with securing their cloud environment, which is what we will look at today. Cloud storage is outside of the perimeter of your (in-house) hardware, meaning that firewalls and other such software installed on your computer won’t cut it.

While it is true that app creators are the ones responsible for securing the infrastructure of their products, it is up to you to secure your own accounts. At the same time, it is your responsibility to make sure that the data stored within the cloud is kept safe and out of the hands of any unwanted third parties.

So, how do you go about incorporating security into your cloud environment with this being the case? Take a look at our 3-step guide to ensuring your storage location is 100% safe and secure.

1. Data Loss Prevention within the Cloud

This may seem like something difficult to understand if you’re reading it for the first time. However, there are many ways to incorporate data loss prevention tools into your cloud storage. These operate as quite the necessary component for your storage security. Why? Because data loss prevention tools secure your sensitive information. That data is not able to escape from the internal data environment with such a component in place. Both data breaches and data loss can be prevented by introducing one of these into your cloud storage.

At the same time, data loss prevention tools check for both incoming and outgoing traffic. So, your information will stay in the system and remain safe from any sort of loss – both accidental and malicious! Using a storage facility on the cloud is not something that is recommended without the use of data loss prevention tools. Cloud DLP systems provide visibility together with protection for sensitive data in SaaS and IaaS applications.

These DLP solutions are similar in conceptual nature to data loss prevention software for networks and end points – they all deliver data protection (although using different methods). In addition to ensuring that sensitive data is not misused, lost or accessed by unauthorized malicious users; DLP provides reporting to meet compliance and auditing requirements. DLP identifies weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

2. Taking Care of Malware and Phishing Threats

Many people are already aware of malware, adware, phishing scams, Trojan viruses, and so on. These are used by cyber criminals and hackers to infect and attack your cloud storage environment. Usually, such threats to your computer will be sent to you via email, and it is for this reason that many companies have invested a lot of time and money into email security features. Of course, if your data is on the cloud, then email security isn’t specifically something that will help with protecting it.

Instead, you should make use of cloud malware threat protection tools. In doing so, you will see that data within the cloud apps be kept safe from both known and unknown malware threats, adware problems, and phishing operations. Any kind of attack that can be done on your stored applications and files will be blocked before it can get in and cause any harm.

3. Account Monitoring Tool

Anyone using a cloud storage service will need to introduce an account monitoring tool. This will constantly scan it for account takeovers and any non-compliant behaviour from those with access to it. Once such a system has been put in place, the regular scans that it proceeds with, will highlight any fraudulent activity. The type of abnormal activity will then be reported to you in detail, such as if someone has logged into the cloud storage platform from another country or perhaps a stand-out number of uploads and/or downloads has occurred.

If you’re using an effective cloud monitoring tool, then this will also have the capability of revoking any access to the user account. Furthermore, it will proceed with quarantining any of the aforementioned malware and phishing issues for you. All information surrounding issues with the cloud storage account will then be forwarded to you so you can take any additional action needed.

Misconfigurations are another headache of cloud environments, evenmore with the lack of knowledge of how the shared responsibility model (provided by tech partners) work. A strong CSPM is to be used to identify such misconfigurations that can lead to crisis. A Cloud Security Posture Management solution helps you achieve compliance and peace of mind.

Why Do You Need Cloud Storage Security?

Even though most cloud storage brands will state that their servers are usually located in warehouses where most workers are not able to access, and utilise encryption tools to keep the information safe, is this enough? Well, in the end, that is for you to decide, but we always say that extra security can never be a bad thing. Maintaining a strong cloud security level helps you to feel safe with storing your information through such systems. And with monitoring, data loss prevention, and malware tools in place, you heighten your sense of security.