Cloud Security

When Challenges Become Opportunities

Cloud Security Services

AANNEX protects data, apps, and infrastructure with built-in security services in the Cloud that include unparalleled security intelligence. We implement a layered defence-in-depth strategy across identity, data, hosts, and networks. Furthermore, we provide unified security management and enable advanced threat protection across all cloud environments.

Cloud security is a discipline of cyber security dedicated to securing cloud computing systems. This includes keeping data private and safe across online-based infrastructure, applications, and platforms. Securing these systems involves the efforts of cloud providers and the clients that use them.

Governance And Communication Technology

Cloud Security Categories

Data security

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Identity and access management

process

Legal compliance

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Data retention and business continuity planning

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Security Governance

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Securing cloud services

Cloud security is the whole bundle of technology, protocols, and best practices that protect cloud computing environments, applications running in the cloud, and data held in the cloud. Securing cloud services begins with understanding what exactly is being secured, as well as the system aspects that must be managed.

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Responsibilities

The full scope of cloud security is designed to protect the following, regardless of your responsibilities:
  • Physical networks — routers, electrical power, cabling, climate controls, etc.

  • Data storage — hard drives, etc.

  • Data servers — core network computing hardware and software

  • Computer virtualization frameworks — virtual machine software, host machines, and guest machines

  • Operating systems (OS) — software that controls all operations

  • Middleware — application programming interface (API) management,

  • Runtime environments — execution and upkeep of a running program

  • Data — all the information stored, modified, and accessed.

  • Applications — traditional software services (email, tax software, productivity suites, etc.)

  • End-user hardware —computers, mobile devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc.

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Cloud Computing Components

With cloud computing, ownership over these components can vary widely. This can make the scope of client security responsibilities unclear. Since securing the cloud can look different based on who has authority over each component, it’s important to understand how these are commonly grouped.

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Cloud service types

To simplify, cloud computing components are secured from two main viewpoints:

multiclouds

Third-party cloud service

web-hosting

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

application

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

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Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

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Cloud Environments

Cloud environments are deployment models in which one or more cloud service creates a system for the end-users and organizations. These segments the management responsibilities — including security — between clients and providers.
The currently used cloud environments are:
data-warehouse

Public cloud

multiclouds

Private third-party cloud

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Private in-house cloud

multiclouds

Multi-cloud

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Hybrid cloud Multi-cloud

Data Lake

Hybrid cloud Multi-cloud

By framing above from this perspective, we can understand that cloud-based security can be a bit different based on the type of cloud space users are working in. But the effects are felt by both individual and organizational clients alike.

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Security Measure

Every cloud security measure works to accomplish one or more of the following:

Data security is an aspect of cloud security that involves

the technical end of threat prevention.

file-transfer

Encryption

Encryption is one of the most powerful tools available. Encryption scrambles your data so that it's only readable by someone who has the encryption key.

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Data lost or stolen

Data lost or stolen, it will be effectively unreadable and meaningless.

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Data transit

Data transit protections like virtual private networks (VPNs) are also emphasized in cloud networks.

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Identity and access management

Identity and access management (IAM) pertains to the accessibility privileges offered to user accounts.

workload

Managing authentication and authorization

Managing authentication and authorization of user accounts also apply here. Access controls are pivotal to restrict users — both legitimate and malicious — from entering and compromising sensitive data and systems.

application

Password management

Password management, multi-factor authentication, and other methods fall in the scope of IAM.

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Governance focuses

Governance focuses on policies for threat prevention, detection, and mitigation. With SMB and enterprises.

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Data retention (DR) and business continuity (BC) planning involve technical disaster recovery measures in case of data loss. Central to any DR and BC plan are methods for data redundancy.

Data at Rest

Data encryption at rest provides data protection for stored data to satisfying compliance and regulatory requirements; encryption at rest provides defense-in-depth protection.

We recommend asking your cloud provider some questions of the following questions:

  • Security audits: “Do you conduct regular external audits of your security?”

  • Data segmentation: “Is customer data is logically segmented and kept separate?”

  • Encryption: “Is our data encrypted? What parts of it are encrypted?”

  • Customer data retention: “What customer data retention policies are being followed?”

  • User data retention: “Is my data is properly deleted if I leave your cloud service?”

  • Access management: “How are access rights controlled?”

You will also want to make sure you’ve read your provider’s terms of service (TOS). Reading the TOS is essential to understanding if you are receiving exactly what you want and need.

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Hybrid Cloud Security Solutions

Hybrid cloud security services can be a very smart choice for clients in SMB and enterprise spaces. They are most viable for SMB and enterprise applications since they are generally too complex for personal use. But it’s these organizations that could use the blend of scale and accessibility of the cloud with onsite control of specific data.

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Here are a few security benefits of hybrid cloud security systems:

Segmentation of services can help an organization control how their data is accessed and stored. In addition, separating data can improve your organization’s ability to remain legally compliant with data regulations.

Redundancy can also be accomplished via hybrid cloud environments. By utilizing daily operations from public cloud servers and backing up systems in local data servers, organizations can keep their operations moving in the case that one data center is taken offline or infected with ransomware.

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SMB Cloud Security Solutions

While enterprises can insist on a private cloud — the internet equivalent of owning your own office building or campus — individuals and smaller businesses must manage with public cloud services. This is like sharing a serviced office or living in an apartment block with hundreds of other tenants. Therefore, your security needs to be a prime concern. In small to medium business applications, you will find cloud security is largely on the public providers you use.

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However, there are measures you can take to keep yourself safe:

  • Multi-tenant data segmentation: Businesses must be sure that their data cannot be accessed by any other clients of their cloud vendors. Whether housed in segmented servers, or carefully encrypted, be sure segmentation measures are in place.
  • User access controls: Controlling permissions might mean throttling user access to an inconvenient level. However, going restrictive and working backward to find a balance can be much safer than allowing loose permissions to permeate your network.
  • Legal data compliance: Keeping your data compliant with international regulations like GDPR is critical to avoid heavy fines and reputation damage. Make sure measures like data masking and classification of sensitive data is a priority for your organization.
  • Careful scaling of cloud systems: With the rapid implementation of cloud systems, be sure you take time to check your organization’s systems for security over convenience. Cloud services can quickly become sprawling to the point of lacking regulation.

Enterprise Cloud Security Solutions

Since cloud computing is now used by over 90% of larger enterprises, cloud security is a vital part of corporate cyber security. Private cloud services and other more costly infrastructure may be viable for enterprise-level organizations. However, you will still have to ensure your internal IT is on top of maintaining the entire surface area of your networks.

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For large-scale enterprise use, cloud security can be far more flexible if you make some investments into your infrastructure.

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