Cloud computing enables businesses to outsource their IT infrastructure to cloud providers. Cloud providers offer a variety of services, ranging from SaaS to IaaS, wherein businesses and cloud providers share a range of responsibilities. Depending upon which service structure a business selects (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), they may also be responsible for managing security configurations in their cloud environment.

It’s easy to forget that moving data to the cloud doesn’t absolve your business of all cybersecurity responsibilities. Even when a cloud service provider employs premium security measures, you still need to take steps to protect your data. Here are the most important cloud computing security best practices you should follow:

Protect your user accounts

While cloud providers go to great lengths to ensure the security of your data, that doesn’t mean user accounts are completely safe. In fact, user accounts are one of the most commonly exploited points of entry in cloud breaches. This is because account security is directly correlated with a user’s willingness to observe best practices for access security. While there are diligent users that set strong and unique passwords, some don’t take the same precautions.

In order to mitigate account breaches, companies should adopt and champion industry-accepted best practices. The best passwords are over 12 characters long with a combination of numbers and special characters (e.g., !, @, #). Or, instead of passwords, think of passphrases that you can easily remember but are hard to guess. Additionally, encourage employees to reset passwords every quarter or at least twice a year. Finally, password managers, such as Dashlane and BitWarden, can help to simplify the process of creating strong passcodes and securely storing them in an encrypted vault. This helps to minimize the dangerous practice of physically writing and storing passwords in a notebook that is kept in a desk drawer.

Related reading: What are the PCI DSS password requirements?

However, strong passwords alone are not a foolproof security measure. For an extra layer of security, implement multifactor authentication (MFA). This adds an extra step to the login process by requiring more than one form of verification. It can be a security code generated by a mobile authenticator app, a USB security key, or a fingerprint or face scan. With MFA in place, it becomes exponentially more difficult to breach user accounts, even if hackers manage to steal your passwords.

Encrypt your data

Encryption essentially converts your data into indecipherable code that can only be accessed by authorized users. When it comes to encrypting cloud data, there are two main approaches you can take: server-side or client-side encryption. With server-side encryption, the cloud service provider encrypts your data before storing it on their server. Cloud services such as Microsoft Azure offer server-side encryption and even allow you to manage your own encryption keys so that only you can decrypt the data.

Client-side encryption, on the other hand, refers to the process of encrypting data on the client device before it is uploaded to the cloud server. In this approach, the business uses third-party software to encrypt the data and generate an encryption key that is never shared with the cloud service provider. Files are then uploaded to the cloud, where they are stored in their encoded form. When the business needs to access encrypted files, they can simply download them from the server and decrypt them locally using the encryption key.

Whatever encryption approach is used, make sure they leverage industry standard encryption algorithms like AES-256, which provide the highest level of security.

Review the provider and read the terms of service

Since you’ll be entrusting your data to a third party, make sure that the cloud provider you choose has a robust security framework in place. First, check for any cybersecurity certifications and reviews from independent auditors to gauge how secure the cloud service is. Then, read through the cloud provider’s terms of service to understand how they handle user data.

Here are the most important conditions to look for before signing a cloud service agreement:

  • Data ownership and control – The fine print of cloud agreements should detail who owns the data stored in the cloud and how much control your company has over that data. This can impact your ability to access, modify, or move that data, and may have legal implications if the data is sensitive or regulated.
  • Security and privacy – Cloud agreements may outline the security and privacy measures that the cloud provider will put in place to protect the data. Understanding these measures is crucial to ensure that data is adequately protected and compliant with relevant regulations.
  • Backup policies – The agreement should include a detailed description of the cloud provider’s backup policies, including how often backups are performed and how quickly they can recover data in the event of a disaster. Ideally, you should look for providers that offer automated backup services that replicate data between multiple data centers.
  • Breach liability – Cloud agreements should outline the provider’s responsibilities in case of a breach and any financial restitution that your company may be entitled to in the event of data loss.

Set stringent access control policies

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is critical to creating a secure environment within the cloud. IAM enables organizations to adopt “least privilege” practices, wherein users are only able to access what they need access to. With properly configured IAM policies, both external and internal threats can be mitigated for a company’s cloud environment.

Establishing role-based access controls (RBAC) enables companies to define data/tools that employees can access, as well as what actions they are able to perform with the data (read, write, execute). For example, a finance department can be provisioned to read/write data related to financial reporting, whilst an executive member may be provisioned with only read permissions for the finance department’s report. Through granular access controls, organizations can mitigate unauthenticated/unauthorized access to company data.

Monitor account activity

Keep an eye on employee accounts and activity audit logs to quickly identify cloud breaches. Signs of a potential attack may include suspiciously large downloads and uploads, file deletions, or attempts to escalate privileges. You should also set up alerts to notify you when a user logs in from an unusual IP address or tries to access data outside of their role-based access permissions. Taking such proactive steps can help you detect a breach before it can cause too much damage.

Create your own backups

While cloud storage providers back up your data in case of a server failure, you should also have backups of your own. You could back up your data on a local server, in an off-site data center, or with another cloud provider. Having multiple backups protects your data in case your primary cloud provider is breached.

As for how frequently you need to back up, it depends on the sensitivity of the data and how often it changes. Weekly backups are often sufficient for most businesses, but data used to support critical operations may need more frequent backups. Also, don’t forget to test your backups regularly to make sure they are working properly.

Educate your employees

An employee with poor security awareness can completely undo all the hard work you put into configuring security settings. They might fall for phishing scams, accidentally delete important records, or disclose confidential information to the wrong people. Some employees may even think that any network they enter is secure, so they don’t think twice about accessing cloud data from public Wi-Fi networks without a VPN.

The best approach to mitigating employee-borne vulnerabilities is through regular cybersecurity training/awareness. Cybersecurity training would be best targeted towards common attack vectors, such as phishing emails, browsing unsecured websites, opening unknown files, connecting to public Wi-Fi, and so on. In addition to training, companies should also conduct regular testing of their employees’ knowledge/awareness of cybersecurity best practices. Through regular training and testing, organizations can greatly improve their overall cybersecurity posture.

If you need help keeping your cloud data safe, Dynamic Solutions Group is the answer. We not only provide the necessary security solutions to protect your data, but also introduce you to reliable and trustworthy cloud services. Contact us today and let our team help you feel safe in the cloud.