With the way our working and digital environment is constantly evolving, it comes as no surprise that new vulnerabilities arise, particularly those that increase the chances of infrastructure attacks from cyber criminals.
Today remote working is the norm, with data transmissions occurring every second in the cloud. Without the right cloud security there can be flaws and risks where applications and data are exposed.
There are precautions that can be taken to prevent vulnerabilities being exploited. Leading network and security experts at Palo Alto Networks recommend four key strategies to consider when it comes to securing your cloud network:
1. To incorporate a shift left cloud security mindset.
For those unfamiliar, a left shifted cloud security essentially requires ‘security testing and validation earlier in the cloud-native development process’ opposed to later down the track. In doing so, it prevents disruptions during the operational deployment as any potential vulnerabilities and risks are identified earlier in the development process to not only reduce remediation costs but importantly to limit the breach of cloud-native applications.
2. To implement cloud native security solutions when a cloud native application is involved.
Like all things, a difference in application requires distinct solutions to address particular risks as it involves unique assets. Differences mainly pertain to the development, testing and deployment stages. When it comes to cloud security, legacy security solutions may no longer be applicable as security experts now must look at factors such as misconfigurations, application vulnerabilities, cloud-aware malware and cloud permissions. As such, it is recommended that in the scenario where cloud native applications are involved, it is crucial to explore a cloud-native security solution as they have the ability to address the following; cloud awareness, scalability and end-to-end application lifecycle coverage.
3. To invest in a right-size security solution
When it comes to choosing the best solution, a major consideration involves the security budget and with underfunding comes the question of which investment is the best for the price we can afford. Click here to access Gartner’s Cloud Native-Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) report to decide which investments should be considered to make the dollar stretch in terms of cyber investments.
4. To consider a Zero Trust security strategy
It’s unlikely that the term Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) has yet to come up but if that sounds foreign, ZTNA is a framework where all users must have continuous authentication, authorisation and validation prior to data and application access. It’s a strategic approach many organisations' implement when they seek to secure ‘on-prem, cloud or multi-cloud public environments’. When it comes to cloud-security, ZTNA may be a relevant solution as every digital interaction is validated to reduce risks from elevating. If you would like further information, click here.
2. To implement cloud native security solutions when a cloud native application is involved.
Like all things, a difference in application requires distinct solutions to address particular risks as it involves unique assets. Differences mainly pertain to the development, testing and deployment stages. When it comes to cloud security, legacy security solutions may no longer be applicable as security experts now must look at factors such as misconfigurations, application vulnerabilities, cloud-aware malware and cloud permissions. As such, it is recommended that in the scenario where cloud native applications are involved, it is crucial to explore a cloud-native security solution as they have the ability to address the following; cloud awareness, scalability and end-to-end application lifecycle coverage.
3. To invest in a right-size security solution
When it comes to choosing the best solution, a major consideration involves the security budget and with underfunding comes the question of which investment is the best for the price we can afford. Click here to access Gartner’s Cloud Native-Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) report to decide which investments should be considered to make the dollar stretch in terms of cyber investments.
4. To consider a Zero Trust security strategy
It’s unlikely that the term Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) has yet to come up but if that sounds foreign, ZTNA is a framework where all users must have continuous authentication, authorisation and validation prior to data and application access. It’s a strategic approach many organisations' implement when they seek to secure ‘on-prem, cloud or multi-cloud public environments’. When it comes to cloud-security, ZTNA may be a relevant solution as every digital interaction is validated to reduce risks from elevating. If you would like further information, click here.
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