Is Your Company Data Really Secure in the Public Cloud? Hard Questions You Need to Ask.
As IT leaders, we have a responsibility to protect our company’s data. Migrating data and workloads to the public cloud introduces new security risks that we must address. Here are some hard questions I need to ask myself and my team to ensure we are taking the proper security precautions in the public cloud:
What types of data are we storing in the cloud?
We need to catalogue all data types and classify them based on sensitivity. Financial records, customer PII, healthcare data, trade secrets etc. require the highest levels of security. Understanding data types enables us to apply appropriate safeguards.
How is data encrypted in transit and at rest?
Data should be encrypted both while traveling between our systems and the cloud provider’s data centers (in transit) and when stored on the cloud provider’s servers (at rest). We need to verify the cloud provider is using strong encryption like AES-256 and that we retain encryption keys.
Are we using cloud security best practices?
Following guidelines such as the Cloud Security Alliance’s Cloud Controls Matrix helps avoid common missteps. We need regular audits to confirm controls are implemented properly for identity management, data security, application security etc.
Are we protecting data from insider threats?
Cloud provider employees may have access to stored data. We need to understand provider policies on background checks, access controls, and logging employee activity.
How is access to data controlled?
We need tight access controls and multi-factor authentication to limit access to sensitive data. API keys, passwords, and encryption keys must be securely managed and rotated regularly.
Is data backed up and recoverable?
We need automated, encrypted backups stored in multiple regions to protect against data loss. Test restoration to ensure backups are viable and data recovery procedures work.
How is our cloud environment monitored?
Robust logging and monitoring helps detect suspicious activity and potential breaches. We need to centralize logs, analyze them for anomalies, and set alert thresholds.
Are we prepared to investigate and handle breaches?
Have an incident response plan for cloud breaches. Identify, isolate and analyze a breach quickly to limit damage. Know how to leverage cloud provider’s security tools.
Do we understand the cloud provider’s shared responsibility model?
Cloud providers secure the infrastructure, but we must secure configurations, applications, and data. We need to be clear on where our responsibility starts.
Migrating data to the public cloud has advantages but also introduces new risks. Asking these key questions helps me uncover potential security gaps that must be addressed to protect my organization in the cloud. What other questions should I be asking? Effective security in the cloud is an ongoing process of assessment, improvement and vigilance.