Exposed and Unprotected in Cloud Environments

With benefits like increased agility, improved efficiencies and lower overall fixed costs, it’s no surprise that nearly 95 percent of businesses are now using the cloud. In conjunction with this rapid adoption, users of cloud services are experiencing a 300% increase in cyber-attacks targeting their cloud environments.

When it comes to protecting sensitive data, extensive measures should be taken to keep information private and secure. However, that’s easier said than done, especially in the cloud. The growth and popularity of cloud solutions continues to drive more data beyond traditional IT security protections – into networks no longer owned, managed or controlled by corporate IT teams. On premise IT security controls do not touch the cloud, leaving customer data at risk from the same types of threats targeting applications in corporate data centers.

While cloud providers deliver strong security controls to protect the cloud fabric, they have no knowledge of “normal” customer traffic and thus are unable to determine malicious content or activity from benign. Since the responsibility to protect a cloud environment is now shared between the customer and the cloud provider, that begs the question; what really happens when you spin up a new cloud service and connect it to the internet?

This document will highlight practical examples of the risks associated with moving data and assets to the cloud. Additionally, we will provide guidance on how to leverage IT security to keep your cloud environment protected while staying aligned to the dynamic needs of your cloud network.