Gartner estimates that more than 85% of organizations will embrace the cloud-first principle by 2025. According to the Cloud Industry Forum, multi-cloud infrastructures are the future of enterprise IT. And in Cisco’s 2022 Global Hybrid Cloud Trends report, nearly half of the 2,500 IT global decision-makers surveyed said they use two or three public cloud providers. Just 8% said they use a single cloud. Keeping your data secure across a multi-cloud infrastructure presents several challenges, with security listed as the top respondent concern according to the Cisco report.
Securing your multi-cloud infrastructure demands a focus on four key areas.
1. Take steps toward a zero-trust security model.
As our CEO wrote about in this recent post, a cloud zero-trust security model assumes that every user accessing your systems is a potential threat. Zero trust is a layered approach that can be put in place in stages. But for your multi-cloud infrastructure, some zero-trust security tactics should be implemented immediately. That list should include role-based access control (RBAC), which restricts network access based on the person’s role within your organization. It should also include multi-factor authentication, requiring users to provide two or more verification factors before gaining access to your network.
You’ll find a complete list of the six layers of control that comprise a sound zero trust strategy in this cybersecurity post. One of the simplest and most effective ways to establish cloud zero trust network access (Cloud ZTNA) is by working with an experienced service provider. Cloud ZTNA is a multi-level security solution that falls under the secure access service edge (SASE) security model. These services give you control over device, location, and user permission policies from a single, central hub, eliminating the need for tunnels, agents, appliances, or other VPN resources. Access policies are continuously adapted based on external threats, user context, device posture, and more.
2. Ensure visibility into your infrastructure
If you’re unaware of a problem, you can’t fix it. And if the problem puts you out of compliance with regulatory requirements or industry standards, things can worsen. That’s why you need visibility into every asset within your infrastructure, especially within a multi-cloud infrastructure where you may use different solutions from different providers for various purposes. But maintaining a centralized inventory of all cloud-based assets, while incredibly important for streamlining IT management, can be complex and take tons of time and effort to develop and maintain.
Monitoring and alerting services solve these problems by giving you real-time, 24/7 visibility into your environment, from your endpoints to your network and, most importantly, into your clouds. These services offer sophisticated tools backed by expert resources so you can count on uninterrupted business operations and fast alerts if any issues arise. These services can also cover essential network maintenance, with continual updating, monitoring, and analysis. That keeps your operation humming along because problems can typically be addressed before they become disasters.
3. Put detection and response solutions in place
Cybersecurity threats are coming at your organization from every direction. Managed detection and response (MDR) services give you the fastest and most efficient way to solve your cybersecurity problems, even in multi-cloud environments. These services give you 24/7 remote network coverage, removing a considerable burden from your IT team—and the need for specialized skills and knowledge.
Using machine learning as the first layer of an in-depth view for advanced analytics, these services offer detection tools that give you visibility into security events along with solid endpoint telemetry, forensic data for compliance, and threat intelligence. The best services also bring hardened service delivery centers that offer additional redundancies to minimize disruptions if a threat becomes a breach.
4. Enhance your cybersecurity defenses
With ransomware attacks on the rise and malware attacks causing millions of dollars in damage, investing in enhanced cybersecurity is just common sense. That means putting effective firewalls, email filters, and other endpoint protections in place, as well as ensuring your data is protected in transit and in your clouds. It also requires that you keep all of your systems and software up to date and ready for ever-evolving attack vectors. That can take too much time for overtaxed IT teams, but it’s crucial for preventing and mitigating attacks. Add in the complexity of a multi-cloud infrastructure, and looking outside for help with this often makes sense.
Cyberdefense services bring expert resources and sophisticated tools that ensure immediate action is taken if anything happens from your endpoints to your clouds. Look for a service that includes:
- Endpoint device security
- Email security protection
- Domain name security
- Firewall, intrusion detection systems (IDS), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and alerting
- A quarterly vulnerability scan that assesses vulnerabilities and enforcement of security policies
As always, feel free to contact us anytime – we’re always happy to help.
Mike
