5 ways to achieve more security on the cloud

​From industries to web apps, protection must be established at all points along the data path: entering or exiting the corporate network, entering or exiting the service provider, and even particularly within the service itself.

​To achieve a stable public cloud atmosphere, let’s have a look at the measures we can achieve more cloud security with; let us look closely.

1. Ensuring Conformity with Laws on Data Security

​Standards have been set in various regions and countries to ensure that people’s right to privacy is not violated. These regulations are not only restricted to the cloud or data alone. Some even have to do with fundamental human rights. A firm/company must always make sure they are in compliance with these standards; falling short is punishable under appropriate laws.

2. Using Powerful Means for Authentication

The most critical and most apparent move you will take to protect your cloud apps is to ensure that the users are who they declared.
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Despite being the traditional way to perform authentication, the standard username/password standard is almost entirely redundant. Adding stuff like two-factor or multifactor protection to the program is the surest way to continue the progress. A simple and reliable way to have an extra layer of security across your logins is to allow your users to sign in with one or more extra authentication mechanisms apart from their normal username/password.

3. Set Proper Authorization Standards

Authentication solves the query of “who are you?”. “Authorization addresses the question,” What are you allowed to do, now that I know who you are? Only specific programs and data that are completely important for them to perform their job should be allowed for access, no more.

This cancels out two unwanted outcomes: It keeps workers from getting access to knowledge that they do not need and then performing stuff they are not expected to do. It also means that there is only a slight risk that they will reach consumer records, health information, credit card details, etc., even if a hacker steals their access details.

But how do you keep a balance of access permissions for your users?
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An Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution will help you achieve a consolidated view of which users are allowed to access which apps. It gives control over users, user classes, or user job roles by identifying permission thresholds.

4. Tracking and Logging User Activities

For example, let’s assume that an intruder tries to snatch a high-level approved person’s login credentials.

What happens? This is the point where it falls into action for monitoring. You will detect whether users tend to deviate wildly from their usual operation routine with constant real-time surveillance. If there is a fair suspicion that they must have been compromised, you must resolve every protection flaw or leak before it results in a big issue that may not be easily rectified.
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You will have to save it as a record, in addition to tracking the activities of the user/users. You may need to keep a log for such sensitive data whenever anyone accesses or manipulates the data. Among other benefits, user data logging would enable you to show to auditors that your protections are reliable.

5. Off-board Security for Cloud Users 

This is like a general knowledge; you don’t want people who quit your corporation to carry your trade secrets with them.

Off-boarding the workers safely involve cutting away their privileges to avoid data hacks, IP hacking, among other unfavorable outcomes. This may be harder than it looks.
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A lot of specific cloud (and on-premises) programs may be open to an existing employee. Imagine the time duration required to personally withhold access from them! As mentioned above, it is an excellent start to track what cloud apps or work status everyone has access to. You have to make sure that you have appropriate procedures in place to effectively remove user account permissions (deprovisioning) on time.

​Conclusion

​Security is key to cloud adoption since business stability, financial failure, and business integrity are at risk if there is no adequate security around confidential information. The cloud, public, private, or hybrid, provides companies of all sizes with several opportunities but has to be achieved in a responsible and conscientious way.