Cloud network security is a collection of technologies, policies, and controls that keep cloud-hosted assets and applications secure. They protect cloud workloads in ways that are specific to public, private, and hybrid cloud network architecture. This distinguishes cloud network security from traditional on-premises security solutions, which don’t translate well to the scalable, hosted infrastructure that cloud providers offer.
Cloud networks require unique security measures
The cloud can offer superior security to on-premises infrastructure, especially for organizations with limited resources. However, that doesn’t mean that all cloud networks are automatically secure. Cloud-hosted workloads and applications have unique security needs compared to on-premises ones and require a different approach.
Cloud-hosted environments tend to have a much larger attack surface than on-premises ones. This is especially true in organizations with an extended network of microservices. Each new workload adds to your attack surface, and it’s very easy for business units to add new workloads whenever they want to.
Human error and misconfigurations are also important security risks. These risks exist in on-premises environments too, but cloud scalability and exposure makes them more severe. For example, people could be using APIs that your security team doesn’t have visibility or control over. Your organization may add multiple cloud providers and services over time, increasing the complexity of securing the environment and adding to misconfiguration risk.
What to look for in cloud network security solutions
Robust cloud security is vital for any organization that wants to benefit from the flexibility and scalability cloud service providers offer. Maintaining best-in-class security in a cloud environment means investing in solutions that offer the following:
- Deep visibility. In a cloud-enabled IT environment, almost anyone can create and host applications on an as-needed basis. Security teams need to be able to verify these applications and ensure they follow cloud security best practices while remaining compliant with industry regulations.
- Enforceable policy management. To be effective, security policies must be enforceable in a cloud context. That requires systems of accountability shared by business units and leaders throughout the organization, with the understanding that data security and governance is everyone’s responsibility.
- Protection against advanced threats. Cloud environments with internet-facing applications may find themselves targeted by a large volume of advanced threats. Protecting these applications requires a multi-layered approach powered by best-in-class cloud network security solutions with industry experts at the helm.
- Scalable configuration and monitoring. Since cloud infrastructure is flexible and scalable, security operations must also be. This can be difficult to achieve with a purely in-house security operations center. Managed detection and response vendors can help ease the cost and uncertainty that goes into securing cloud workflows.
- Centralized and consistent operations. Many organizational workflows include both cloud-hosted and on-premises assets. Your security team will need to protect both types of infrastructure with policies that are strict enough to produce meaningful results, yet flexible enough to avoid impacting productivity.
Cloud network security challenges
Cloud computing is a powerful and valuable asset to digital transformation because it enhances scalability and flexibility. This can also make it a challenge to secure effectively.
Technologies like containerized environments, serverless computing, and autoscaling accelerate the speed at which cloud-hosted environments undergo change. This makes it difficult for security teams to keep up without investing in highly automated technologies and scalable security operations services.
Similarly, the complexity of cloud infrastructure can make it easy for threat actors and malicious insiders to remain undetected. A traditional on-premises network will undergo configuration changes as rapidly as a cloud-hosted one, making it easier to conduct threat hunting operations.
Security misconfigurations are also a persistent problem for organizations undergoing cloud transformation. This is especially true for organizations pursuing the “lift and shift” cloud migration model, which might entail simply copying on-premises security policies into the cloud environment without comprehensively testing them to see if they translate well to that environment.
How to secure cloud networks more effectively
Secure cloud-native organizations deploy several strategies to protect their infrastructure. Not all of these strategies apply as well to small and mid-sized organizations as they do to multinational enterprises, but several do. Here are some examples of cloud security initiatives organizations of all sizes can pursue:
