An Overview on Cloud Security

Overview on Cloud Security

Cloud adoption is an inevitable choice in today’s dynamic environment, yet many organizations are hesitant to fully leverage the benefits of the cloud, considering concerns regarding data loss and unauthorized access .

Today Cloud Services are broadly offered in three medium popularly known as IAAS(Infrastructure as a Service) , PAAS ( Platform as a Service) & SAAS(Software as a Service ). Over the past several years, concern over cloud computing security, and its impact on regulatory compliance, has consistently ranked as the most common reason for avoiding further use of this style of computing. Improving attack resistance, enhancing reliability and increasing the risk transparency remain crucial to widespread enterprise use of cloud computing. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the cloud delivery model is being used to deliver a growing number of security-critical tasks. For example, several different forms of secure delivery platforms, used to share highly proprietary or regulated data, are based on public cloud models. A growing variety of security services are also being delivered from the cloud, some intended to improve the robustness of the enterprise, and some intended to improve the attack resistance of other cloud-based services.

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Various Popular Cloud Security Solutions available

  • Cloud Based Secure Web Gateway
  • Cloud Based Application Security Testing
  • Cloud Based Multitenant SOC (SEIM) services
  • Cloud Based Secure Email Gateway
  • Cloud Based MDM Solutions
  • IAM as a Service

Type of organizations needing such solution

Businesses of all sizes can leverage the cloud to increase innovation and collaboration and focus on their core competency rather than worrying about Infrastructure and Application stack. For small and mid-sized businesses, cloud computing allows time-constrained IT teams to operate more efficiently . For large enterprises, the cloud provides the ability to scale up or down to respond quickly to changing market conditions .

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Key drivers for adoption

  • Scalability : To scale up and down as per Requirement
  • Reliability : Strict SLA’s
  • Availability :Redundant Infrastructure
  • Ease of Implementation
  • Increased ROI
  • Reduced TCO
  • Enhanced Security Controls
  • Published Compliance Guidelines

Compliance, regulations and standards that make the solution mandatory

Various Standards & Compliance such PCI DSS, ISO 27001 , SAS 70 etc.. does mandate Organizations for enhanced Security controls  , The recent and ongoing introduction of standards for cloud security practice and assessment represents the most significant development in dealing with concerns about cloud security. The Cloud Security Alliance an international organization with both end-user and vendor participation, represents the most active effort on the part of IT and security specialists to improve the state of the art of cloud computing risk management, the CSA document "Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing" is arguably the definitive framework of risk issues that need to be specifically addressed in the cloud computing context.

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Top technology trends for the above domain

Considering the various benefits which comes with Cloud adoption these solutions will continue to move up in coming years , a clear trend is visible for enterprises to migrate from In-house to Cloud for all of their non mission critical services /applications , as also predicted by Gartner independent study of Cloud Security , Ironically the biggest beneficiary are the Cloud solutions in the area of Security assessment and assurance i.e Cloud Based Application Security, IAM,MDM, SEIM solutions .

-By Saurabh Kaushik, Head IT Security, Lupin Ltd.

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