As businesses expand and endeavour to cater to an ever-demanding customer base, relying on cloud resources has become the norm. Multi-cloud resources take this a step further, as companies realise the benefits of autonomy that they receive in signing up with multiple cloud service vendors. This means that companies aren’t confined to any limitations that a single cloud service provider may have, thereby affording them the flexibility to choose the best technologies, without having to worry about which vendor they’re partnered with.
This is one out of the many advantages of multi-cloud environments. With its many benefits comes a range of challenges, with multi-cloud security being one of them. For this reason, leading cloud service providers also offer security tools and technologies, akin to dedicated cyber security companies. How these tools are used, when, where and why are a set of questions that require careful discussions with both your internal teams, as well as your software outsourcing company (in the case you do partner with one, for your business’s application development needs).
Here, we introduce what a multi-cloud environment is, and what it can offer your business. Additionally, we also outline some steps your business can take, when it comes to building a suitable multi-cloud security strategy for your business.
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A multi-cloud environment is a collection of two or more cloud environments that are used by an organisation. As the term suggests, multi clouds are borne by purchasing cloud services from multiple cloud vendors, to afford a variety of conveniences and advantages.
Some advantages of multi-cloud environments include (but aren’t limited to):
While multi clouds can invite the above flexibilities to your business, they can also cause other challenges. Having to navigate around multiple vendors and their contractual obligations is one major challenge, while nuances in security can be another.
However, with the right knowledge and planning, establishing strong cyber security is very much possible, even in the wake of complex contractual agreements and in spite of deploying a multi-cloud environment across your business for the first time.
If your organisation is completely new to multi-cloud environments, it can be overwhelming to determine where to start. A good rule-of-thumb is to start with what (or rather, who) you already have. If your business already partners with a software outsourcing agency for building custom software, consulting them for advice/guidance can always be a good first step.
Your software outsourcing partner may already be using multi-cloud resources for building your software. Aggregating any new multi-cloud environments from your organisation’s end to what they currently have shall undoubtedly warrant a discussion anyway, as your software will now have to be integrated with any new cloud resources your business has adopted.
While this is one possibility, another possibility is that your software outsourcing agency may also be completely new to a multi-cloud arrangement. Either way, it is imperative to discuss multi-cloud requirements, before a multi-cloud security strategy is adopted.
In the event of your business not having any partnerships with software companies (as all software and application development needs are handled by an in-house team), consulting the various cloud service providers your business has partnered with can be useful. This can help your teams obtain information on all the security tools, methodologies and options you have available, for enabling protection.
Before any security strategies, methodologies or protocols are set in place, it is important to establish the right foundation for your multi-cloud environment. In other words, establishing complete visibility of all the resources you have, where they are located, how much they cost, as well as any other operational statistics that are relevant to your organisation’s workloads need to be configured across a real-time dashboard.
Again, your cloud service provider can offer real-time visibility into the workings of all your cloud resources. However, using a third-party cloud management and optimisation platform that supports multi-cloud environments is highly recommended, as numerous leading vendors in this software category space can ingest data from multiple cloud vendors, to deliver consolidated insights that help identify key statistics, and aid decision making.
Your organisation’s network perimeter is the first entry point for any user, and protecting this perimeter from unauthorised access is what shall indicate a strong security posture. Access provisioning and management is crucial when it comes to cloud security in general, which is why AWS cloud security services pay prime focus towards their Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions, as part of their cloud security service offering.
No matter which tools your organisation uses in order to govern access across enterprise network perimeters, it is essential to always monitor for anomalies. Whether this is done via automation, a team of dedicated security experts, or a combination of the two is a decision that is best made with your software outsourcing or cyber security vendor partner.
Establishing a multi-cloud environment will afford your enterprise the autonomy to use any number of cloud vendors, and in any combination you deem most suitable, for different parts of your business operation. Use this autonomy to your advantage to build redundancies for your data and other resources, so your organisation always has a fallback option lest a data breach, power outage or natural disaster happens.
A disaster recovery strategy, therefore, receives greater scope when multi-cloud infrastructure is available, as businesses don’t solely need to rely on one provider alone for data storage as well as backup.
Multi-cloud infrastructure can be a boon for growing businesses, especially for teams that wish to innovate with the latest technologies and don’t wish to be confined to vendor lock-ins. While these advantages welcome greater potential and opportunity for businesses to choose services from a range of cloud service providers depending on what’s optimal or cost-efficient, separate cyber security methodologies and protocols from each provider could end up creating a disparate security posture.
However, knowing exactly what each vendor offers in terms of cyber security and how these offerings can best be optimised is undoubtedly a recommended first step. For this, a multi-cloud strategy needs to be in place, which can ideally be arranged by:
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