How to Combat Vulnerabilities Around Your Cloud Infrastructure with IT Consulting
In the digital age, companies have moved their businesses to the cloud at a rapid pace. The global market for cloud computing has been growing steadily, showing no signs of slowing down. With many businesses on the cloud, it has become a treasure trove for potential hackers. The fear of having their data security compromised has held back many enterprises from shifting to the cloud. This fear has led to cybersecurity becoming more critical than ever.
While you could always hire a third party to configure your data systems, it doesn’t eliminate the dangers of improper use of said systems. Many companies risk a data breach from the smallest of issues ranging from misuse of employee credentials to improper personnel access. This is why IT consulting is crucial for any company that has a cloud infrastructure. An IT consultant can figure out the cracks in your system to guide you and your team on using these systems in the most appropriate way possible.
Non-secured APIs
APIs or Application User Interfaces are meant to streamline cloud computing processes. The most significant risk with APIs is when developers fail to create proper authentication controls leaving them open to offer enterprise data. IT consultants can help instruct developers to design heavily secured APIs.
Ideally, this would call for better authentication and regulated access control. They will also conduct penetration tests similar to an external attack and see how well the API holds up. This will help them identify any potential weaknesses.
Storage Misconfiguration
For any cybercriminal, getting access to an enterprise’s cloud storage is similar to hitting the lottery. AWS security groups are among the first to get compromised if they aren’t configured correctly, as it allows hackers to exfiltrate data from the cloud directly.
Improper access is another issue that leads to cloud storage being leaked. Strategic IT consulting will mostly stop you from placing a cloud server online unless the storage security configurations have been double-checked. They can also help you build specific tools that can give you scheduled updates on your security configurations’ status.
Compliance
If you move your businesses to the public cloud servers, you are in for a lot of paperwork if you want your data to be secured. Most public servers have their own rules about who can access your cloud storage and know intricate details about the same. Most of the time, security is lax, and you are left up to maintaining your cloud by yourself. This is why it is essential to be compliant with all the regulations that public cloud servers demand data security.
An IT consultant can directly communicate with your service provider and figure out all the cloud and data security policies. They can help make your database compliant with the specific regions where it operates. This includes regulations like the GDPR, CCPA, and COBIT.
Internal Risks
Most attacks don’t come from the outside of your organization. If you have failed to provide proper training to your employees, it can lead to a loss of data assets control and make the system vulnerable to breaches. In some cases, this scenario has led to a loss of intellectual property and proprietary information. It is clear that training your employees on handling security information correctly, and an IT consultant can help you do just that.
They can educate your employees on cloud computing and even direct them on handling sensitive information that they may carry out of the office. IT consultants will also run audits on your servers to look for any misuse of enterprise data and alert you. Most importantly, an IT consultant will help determine which employee gets access to which part of the cloud servers.
Contractual Breaches
When it comes to cloud computing, contracts can be a little complex. They tend to restrict aspects of your data like storage, access, and usage. If your employees move data into the cloud without following proper access protocols, then it could lead to your business contracts being violated. This, in turn, would prompt legal action against you. It usually happens when cloud service providers have written policies that facilitate sharing data with third parties.
An IT consultant can help you understand the potential risks and data policies of a cloud service. They can peruse your existing business contracts and point you to a service or configuration which won’t breach your existing contracts. They can also look through the current control protocols, regulatory requirements, and termination rights if you want to switch providers.
This is important as plenty of service providers tend to make it difficult to switch because of their stringent policies regarding termination.
IT consulting can help secure your existing cloud space and help train your employees to avoid future breaches. A reliable and reputable consultancy will help strengthen your business for the digital age.
About the Author
Sumit Bhowal An Internet addict and a MASTAN , Also a lazy Freelancer . I don't try to reinvent the wheel I just like to soak things in Steroid's :p Thanks (y)
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