When to use cloud network security (and when to avoid it)

From data storage to business applications and beyond, companies of all sizes rely on the cloud for day-to-day operations and critical business processes. Protecting cloud-based infrastructures with robust security standards is crucial for modern organizations.

Cloud network security is a popular approach. But is it right for your business? Read on to find out.

What is cloud network security?

Cloud network security is a broad term that covers all the security measures a company uses to protect its private cloud network, public cloud network or hybrid cloud network. It includes everything from the technology used to internal policies, processes and controls.

It helps businesses defend against data breaches, cyber attacks, unauthorized access, service disruptions and other threats to their infrastructure.

Network security (regardless of how it’s implemented) is just one of many layers of security that businesses use to protect themselves from vulnerabilities. But it’s probably most important because your network it is often the first line of defense against attacks.

Implementing cloud network security the right way can be the foundation of your company’s entire approach to IT security.

SEE: How your business can benefit from a network security policy.

How does cloud network security work?

Cloud network security uses multiple layers of defense between infrastructure components and devices on your network.

Primarily, the software helps to establish security policies and predefined rules for the network. From there, the software inspects all data packets and network traffic to apply those policies.

For example, approved users can be granted access to digital assets through an application in the cloud network, while unauthorized users are blocked.

It can also integrate with other security protocols such as gateways and firewalls to provide organization-wide control over the network. With APIs and other integrations, IT security administrators can use cloud network security processes to monitor networks in real-time, segment networks and detect threats based on network patterns.

Many modern cloud security systems rely on artificial intelligence and machine learning to help detect and block threats, which is something that might not always work with a rules-based security system.

SEE: Check the best threat protection solutions.

Advantages and disadvantages of cloud network security

Like any IT security framework or methodology, cloud security has its pros and cons. For most, the positives outweigh the negatives.

Benefits and advantages

• Centralized management — Cloud network security gives IT administrators a single place to configure and monitor security policies, including the ability to integrate with on-premises solutions.
• Automatic security monitoring — Once configured, cloud security systems automatically protect against threats without requiring IT resources.
• Data protection — Implementing a cloud network security system helps protect data stored in cloud servers and applications on your network. (both in transit and at rest).
• Conformity — You can configure your network security systems to comply with regulatory standards such as GDPR, PCI DSS, HIPAA and more.
• Data encryption — While encrypted data does not prevent breaches or attacks, most cloud network security companies include encryption, making it more difficult for bad actors to access data if they breach your network.
• Real-time threat detection and prevention — When working properly, cloud network security systems automatically detect and block threats to your network. as it happens.
• Scalability — Robust cloud security enables organizations to confidently scale processes and applications using cloud resources, knowing they will have trusted access.
• Policy-based enforcement — System administrators have a more granular level of control based on custom policies that fit your organization.
• Reduce the risk of breaches and attacks — A cloud network security solution can drastically reduce security vulnerabilities while preventing hacks, malware, ransomware and other malicious incidents.

Potential disadvantages and challenges to consider

• Wrong configurations — Can be easily misconfigured and prone to human error.
• The speed of change — As cloud resources change along with the access controls of different employees, malicious users can exploit vulnerabilities before your policies can. to be updated.
• DDoS attacks — Advanced DDoS attacks, which can overwhelm servers and disrupt cloud-based services, could prevent authorized users from accessing your system.
• Precision — Sometimes cloud systems can give false positives. This can be dangerous if policies are changed as a result, opening the door for real threats to slip through the cracks.
• Cost — Advanced cloud systems are expensive to deploy and maintain at scale, especially those that use AI technology to monitor network traffic and detect threats in real-time.
• Insider threats — Someone with privileged access could unknowingly (or intentionally) attack systems from the inside.

When it makes sense to use cloud network security for your business

Any business that has invested heavily in cloud infrastructure is a good fit.

This is especially true if you have a lot of data or run many applications in the cloud.

It also makes sense for hybrid cloud environments. Because you have a combination of on-premise and cloud infrastructure, a cloud-based security system can help centralize everything on your network.

Another common reason companies use it is to meet industry or location-specific compliance standards. You can configure cloud network security policies to meet security protocols for GDPR in Europe, PCI compliance for payment acceptance, HIPAA compliance in the healthcare industry, and more.

If your organization has remote employees accessing your network through an encrypted connection, you can also use cloud security to authenticate them and their devices.

When you should avoid cloud network security

Cloud network security is a must for most, but it’s not for everyone.

It may not be enough if you are dealing with sensitive data that requires the strictest security standards. Organizations working with government contracts or handling confidential information may need to meet DoD standards, and not all cloud security systems meet these requirements.

Also, cloud network security solutions may not be suitable if you are using older, legacy systems that cannot easily migrate to the cloud. In this case, you will probably need to use an on-premise security solution.

Apart from these two scenarios, it is difficult to implement a cloud network security solution if you have limited IT security resources or your team is not familiar with these systems.

These require a lot of fine-tuning. If you don’t have the resources, you can outsource to a third party (which can get very expensive).

Network Security Best Practices

There is a set of standards that are generally considered best practice. Adhering to these is not only great for deploying a robust cloud network, but can also help you overcome some of the common challenges and pitfalls we covered earlier.

Some of these best practices include:

• Untrusted network access — The one zero confidence model requires authentication of each user, application, and device before accessing the network.
• Micro-segmentation in your network — Limiting communication between applications and services on a network can help limit or isolate attacks.
• Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions. — IAM systems can block unauthorized access at the user level, ensuring that even authorized users only have access to the areas they need to do their jobs.
• Monitoring misconfigurations – Use it cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools. to identify misconfigurations that may be the result of human error and to ensure that your configurations are properly configured for specific regulatory compliance standards.
• Continuous monitoring tools — Instead of periodically checking for attacks, you can use continuous monitoring tools to identify threats in real time.
• Regular penetration tests — Your IT team should regularly perform network penetration tests to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses. From there, they should work to fix them as quickly as possible.
• The training — Make sure your team understands the risks associated with cyber breaches and attacks so they know exactly what to do in these scenarios.

Finally, cloud network security is an ongoing initiative.

It’s not something you can implement once and move on. There will always be changes to your network and systems. that need to be addressed, plus new threats that your team they should understand how to manage them.