By Sandeep Bhargava, SVP, Managing Director, Asia Pacific and Japan, Rackspace Technology
With the multicloud strategy being widespread today, companies are challenged by the lack of well-defined boundaries in their IT environment. With the extension of transformation projects across diverse platforms, as well as the existence of workloads in multiple locations, organisations are confronted with the intricate task of protecting their digital assets and maintaining security.
The situation is already being exploited by cyber criminals, especially in India where 74 percent of local enterprises fell victim to ransomware in 2022. While enterprises as a whole are predicted to increase spending on security and risk management by 13 percent in 2024, it is equally important for organisations to adopt a new mindset when it comes to security in this complex landscape.
For security to seamlessly adapt as the perimeter expands it is imperative to re-evaluate the role of tools, people, and organisational structure in ensuring resilience. By embracing a comprehensive and proactive approach, businesses can safeguard their valuable assets, maintain operational efficiency, and protect their reputation.
The right tools for specific needs
With the ever-growing number of cloud security tools available, it is important to recognise that each tool has its unique strengths and limitations. It is crucial for organisations to carefully evaluate which tool aligns best with their specific needs and security requirements.
One factor to consider is whether a specific tool can seamlessly accommodate a wide range of operations. Organisations should prioritise solutions essential elements such as robust identity and access management, adherence to compliance regulations, effective governance, proactive reporting, and heightened awareness of potential security risks.
Furthermore, enterprises should also explore tools that offer centralised control over network access and security events through a communication protocol called a message bus or a service bus. This enables different systems to effectively communicate through a shared set of interfaces.
Minimising human error
Organisations should also not overlook the importance of addressing the human element. While human error can never be eliminated, proactive steps can be taken to minimise the likelihood and impact of unintentional security action.
In addition to enhancing cybersecurity training programs and reinforcing best practices, there are now numerous tools available that seamlessly integrate into company processes, improving the deployment of code while prioritising security.
One of the most crucial vulnerabilities these tools address is the exposure of intellectual property through deployed code. Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD), a software development protocol, offers a solution to the common human errors that often afflict traditional manual processes. By implementing automation throughout the entire app development process, efficiency can be increased, security can be enhanced, code quality can be improved, and the chances of manual errors leading to security vulnerabilities can be reduced.
Making security teams more agile
Security should not be treated as a separate, reactionary response to incidents. Instead, it should be integrated into the entire organisational architecture, particularly the development process, in the form of agile security teams. By incorporating security engineering or training existing staff to be adjunct security experts, the security perspective is dispersed throughout the organisation, encouraging ingenuity, and keeping pace with the fast-moving business landscape.
Leveraging expert services as part of the overall cloud security approach
Along with more agile security teams and CI/CD, managed cloud security providers can be an asset in ensuring an organisation’s security posture can keep up with the changes brought about by a multicloud approach. Not only do these providers have specialised knowledge and experience, as well as access to advanced security technologies that may be costly for businesses to acquire and maintain on their own, but their solutions are also scalable and can adapt to the changing needs of businesses. Equally important is how managed security providers can be cost-effective compared to building an in-house security team and infrastructure without compromising the protection of businesses and their data.
