Common Security Concerns with Transitioning to Cloud

As the world has moved to the age of digital transformation, we’ve seen a massive transition of businesses switching to the cloud. Cloud is a critical part of the digital-first mindset and a necessity for businesses in competitive industries. But what does this mean in terms of cyber security and awareness?

Business-critical information has traditionally been stored in tangible locations which are easy to see and easy to get crowded. Some organizations still have stacks of paper flying about the office, which doesn’t keep your data secure or agile. As a result, switching to cloud-based workflows is essential. 

While businesses know they need to change, there are a number of concerns organizations have when confronted with going to the cloud. So let’s go through how you can maintain your cyber security while making your transition!

Risks During the Transition Period

Transitioning to the cloud comes with risks internally and externally. Moving data in any capacity creates opportunities for malware, external attacks, accidents, errors, and more. The best way to prevent these risks is to have a strong cyber security team working with your cloud team.

Many cyber security teams have well-established penetration testers and know the importance of offensive tactics. When you add a cyber security team with in-depth threat hunting and digital forensics knowledge, your systems will be ahead of the game with reinforced defenses. Adopting a purple team mindset where preemptive and preventive measures are combined and coordinated is ideal in all cyber security practices.

But cyber security can’t work in a vacuum. The cyber security team needs to bring solutions and defense mechanisms to the forefront of everyone's mind and implementation plans. In the case of switching to the cloud, bringing forward a transition plan with cyber security at its core is essential. External attacks can be minimized with penetration testing, and malware or other malicious errors can be defended against with proper training and protection systems in place.

Loss of Information

Information management is a driving force to switch to the cloud. With the cloud, you don’t have to worry about the stress of finding information kept in a folder that was around here somewhere, but this new style of managing information is a primary reason why organizations hesitate to make the jump. If your organization is reluctant to change, there are steps you can take to make sure you don’t lose any information during this transition. 

Before you do anything to transition to the cloud, you need to backup your data. This can be done on external drives, discs, or your preferred secure storage method. Next, ensure your cloud provider has a support plan that includes data backup, restoration, and failover. By doing so, you can be sure your data is protected on both ends! 

Lack of Protection

When data is in motion, it’s hard to protect information and pinpoint where an attack could come from. Depending on if your company has chosen a public cloud service or different variations of private services, the protection plans may look different and fall onto the shoulders of the providers, a private team, or a hybrid team. 

Before you move to the cloud, it’s important to know who has been and will be responsible for protecting your assets in all phases of the transition. Ask your service provider how they plan to keep information secure and what cyber security measures they take so you can know exactly how your content will be handled. You may be able to control more aspects of data protection than you think.

Authentication Access

One of the most important features of cloud and ensuring your information is secure is the ability to control who has access to it. As with other cyber security best practices, you should use dual authentication and have complex passwords for your new cloud data storage. This will help with controlling information while you mitigate risks of accidental data loss.

As you make your transition to the cloud and ramp up your cyber security efforts, be sure to check out our Learning Paths for more information on how to keep your data secure. We take a comprehensive look at cyber security training with focus points in red and blue areas. Additionally, we provide training in cloud as well as certifications to help you and your team prepare for the transition and post-implementation of cloud.