Cloud Regulation Might Be On the Horizon

Many companies, individuals, and organizations have sought to get the most value out of cloud computing, making it an industry that also requires a certain level of regulation. With its increasing integration into our daily lives, it’s no small wonder that there is a greater effort to control certain aspects of it. Here is what you can expect from cloud regulation in the near future.

The Next (Digital) Frontier

The cloud industry has ushered in remarkable growth, including a $450+ billion market that grows at around 13 percent annually. It’s clear that the cloud is a priority for companies that want to get things done, and all of this attention has made it clear that someone needs to do something about the amount of power that technology companies have as a result.

Even with all of its benefits, the cloud hasn’t had the best history with security, and so many companies rely on it that regulatory bodies are looking to make the experience safer for all involved. Of course, the IT experts in the room don’t need to be reminded of this; they’ve known about these issues for years.

A Short Conversation About Cloud Security

Cloud regulation doesn’t currently have many mandates, allowing companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle to function without much oversight. Cloud computing users, however, have a different experience, ultimately placing the focus for cloud regulation on the user rather than the company providing the goods or services. Regulators want to see the providers succeed and bring in profits, but they also want to ensure that everyone is doing their part to secure data.

The issue at hand is, of course, the fact that the cloud services have grown so large that large-scale regulation is impossible without considerable disruptions to the providers, thus impacting the economy. Regulation needs to happen at some point, but there are a lot of moving parts here, and a lot of people involved, meaning that even a small change could have considerable impacts if not implemented appropriately.

Cloud Security is a Shared Responsibility

All that said, security is still something that needs to happen, whether regulation is involved or not. There is a shared responsibility for security on both the provider, who is responsible for securing the underlying infrastructure, as well as the user, for the security of their own digital resources and the way they use the applications in question. There are certain issues that must be addressed for both involved to keep the cloud environment secure, including:

• Larger attack surfaces: There is simply more surface area to cover from the use of shared resources, meaning that more security issues could arise.
• User error: People make mistakes, whether it’s from a phishing attack or otherwise. The end user becomes the point of entry for a lot of cloud systems.
• Poor configuration: Without the appropriate configurations, it’s easy to accidentally use the wrong settings and render your cloud insecure.

Cloud regulation is sure to impact your business, but you can always take the following actions to improve security:

• Use multi-factor authentication: MFA means there are more keys to the accounts required in order to access them. It’s a great way to make accounts more secure and reduce security risks.
• Manage account access: Your team uses a lot of cloud resources, but surely they don’t all need access to every single one of them. Control access to mitigate risk.
• Train your staff: Similarly, solutions are only as effective as the training for the user. Make sure your team is aware of how to stay safe while using cloud resources. It could reduce exposure to risk by up to 70 percent.
• Monitor your end users: If you monitor when and how your resources are being accessed, you can more effectively determine if there is a security issue you need to worry about.

Do you need help securing and managing your cloud? Let us be the ones to worry about regulation when it does come so you can focus on better things. To learn more, call Horne & Benik at (603) 499-4400 today.