Why do businesses need cloud security managed services?

Businesses are moving their enterprise networks from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud. Cloud-based infrastructure allows businesses to dynamically scale, reduce downtime, and enable a fully remote workforce. It also helps organizations reduce infrastructure costs.

Gartner predicts that by 2026, 75% of enterprises will adopt cloud-based digital transformation models. Store your data and run your workloads on computers hosted in the cloud.

Does your business already use cloud-based network infrastructure or are you planning to move soon? In either case, protecting your business’ data and ensuring business continuity on the cloud should be your top priority. This is where cloud security comes into play.

Let’s dive deeper into cloud security and see how managed cloud security services can help protect your business.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Understanding the nature of cloud infrastructure is essential to investigating cloud security. Let’s take a look at some basic cloud infrastructure terminology.

Public cloud is a scalable cloud infrastructure provided by cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. Many users or tenants share public cloud resources.

A private cloud is a highly secure and scalable cloud infrastructure dedicated to a single tenant. In this case, a single user has complete control over the security controls, access, and resources of the cloud infrastructure.

Public clouds are cheaper than private clouds, but they come with more security concerns.

In a managed cloud setup, a third-party service provider handles the installation and maintenance of your cloud infrastructure. Install software, monitor cloud performance, handle technical issues such as maintenance and bug fixes, and manage security. You can choose managed cloud hosting using public and private clouds.

If you choose unmanaged cloud hosting, your cloud service provider will only provide the basic infrastructure. You need a qualified IT team to configure and monitor your cloud infrastructure and manage technical issues. Teams also need to monitor cloud security, detect threats, and apply security patches.

Essentially, unmanaged cloud hosting requires you to decide how to run your cloud.

Now that we know the basic definitions, let’s take a closer look at cloud infrastructure security.

If you run your business on the cloud, you need to be aware of the security challenges associated with cloud platforms.

The network attack surface consists of all network endpoints that are vulnerable to attack.

When you run a business using the cloud, many people access your network to retrieve data and often perform work from multiple locations.

While it may be possible to secure access from an on-site corporate office, it is difficult for remote employees. Remote employees can access corporate apps and data using unauthorized devices and networks, such as public Wi-Fi, leaving your network vulnerable to cybersecurity threats such as: There is a possibility that

Network administrators maintain tight control over the on-premises network infrastructure. However, you may not have visibility into the security and performance of your business while using cloud solutions. This means it can be more difficult to see all the activity on your cloud network.

This is especially true if you are using a public cloud service where the service provider manages the security aspects and has limited security controls. Lack of cloud visibility limits network administrators’ ability to monitor for unauthorized access and security threats.

Cloud environments are often complex and have many configurable parameters, such as:

• users and groups.
• Permissions.
• performance parameters.

Setting these configurations requires expertise in your cloud environment, and incorrect configurations can leave your cloud environment vulnerable. For example, inexperienced network administrators can give users more control than necessary, leading to security loopholes and data loss due to breaches.

In addition to the security challenges associated with cloud infrastructure, you should also be aware of the following public cloud security concerns:

• A rogue cloud tenant can launch a malware attack.
• A third party could access your data after breaching another tenant’s lax security.
• Reduced security control options can limit your security options.

Private cloud infrastructure is the answer to these problems. Private clouds have higher initial costs than public clouds, but offer better network security and comprehensive control of a single client. Liquid Web offers VMware private clouds and cloud-dedicated servers.

So how can you overcome these challenges and ensure the security of your cloud environment? Managed cloud security is a secure and cost-effective way to run your business in the cloud.

Managed cloud security is a subset of managed cloud hosting services. Managed cloud security involves outsourcing cloud security tasks to third-party service providers. These tasks include initial configuration, ongoing security monitoring, and addressing security threats.

Initial security configuration may include:

• Firewall configuration.
• Creating access management rules.
• Define and implement security protocols.
• Set up data backup and recovery routines.

After initial configuration, cloud security managed services continue to support your business. Security management includes a variety of tasks, including:

• Real-time monitoring of cloud infrastructure.
• Automate security workflows.
• Threat detection and prevention.
• Technical support.

Now that you understand what managed cloud security is, let’s take a look at how it can benefit your business.

Cloud security is essential to keeping your business running smoothly while complying with data privacy regulations. However, managing the complex aspects of cloud security requires a dedicated security team.

Cloud security managed services ease this burden, allowing businesses to focus on their core competencies while protecting their cloud infrastructure.

Cybersecurity threats are 24-hour, non-stop. Additionally, these attacks can cause downtime and data loss, cause customer dissatisfaction, and impact a business’s reputation. Detecting and preventing these security threats as they occur requires 24/7 monitoring.

Hackers are constantly discovering security vulnerabilities and finding new ways to penetrate cloud infrastructure. Cloud security service providers reduce risk by running automated workflows that detect and patch security threats in a timely manner.

Managed cloud security services also include highly trained employees specialized in cloud security who can create automated workflows to monitor your cloud infrastructure without manual intervention.

In a 2022 Statista survey, 62% of respondents identified misset up or misconfigured cloud environments as the biggest security threat to public clouds.

Setting permissions in any cloud environment, private or public, requires complex configuration. Incorrect configuration can result in unauthorized data access.

Managed cloud security services have experts who can properly configure your cloud environment to avoid sensitive data leaks and unauthorized access.

You also receive ongoing technical support from cloud security services, so you can focus on your core competencies like manufacturing, sales, and marketing without worrying about your cloud security posture.

Handling cloud security in-house costs a lot of money.

• Labor force — You may need to hire a cloud security expert.
• software license — Requires purchasing or subscribing to security tools.
• Installation and maintenance — The cost of installing, monitoring, and keeping cloud security software updated.

Cloud security managed services already provide the expertise and necessary software licenses to set up your cloud environment. IT teams are freed from routine security tasks and freed up to focus on new development and infrastructure projects.

Businesses must comply with different data protection regulations depending on their location and industry.

Here are some examples of data security regulations.

Violations may result in penalties, legal proceedings, and even sanctions in certain countries. For example, a violation of the GDPR could result in a fine of €20 million or 4% of a company’s global turnover, and a violation of the CCPA could result in a fine of up to $7,500 for intentional violations; Non-intentional violations can result in fines of up to $2,500.

Businesses are moving to cloud computing to improve scalability and reduce costs. However, moving data off-premises increases cybersecurity risks. Cloud security is essential to maintaining business continuity, regulatory compliance, and reputation.

If you don’t have an in-house team to handle cloud security, a cloud security managed service can do it for you. Security service providers continuously monitor your cloud infrastructure, detect security issues, and provide technical support.

Handing over cloud security to a third-party service provider requires a provider you can trust. Not only do you need a powerful server cluster and highly available database, you also need a provider that can manage security, databases, load balancers, file replication, disaster recovery, and backups.