Multicloud security: how to secure your data in the cloud

In today’s digital world, the adoption of multi-cloud strategies has become common practice for many organisations. According to Microsoft’s 2024 State of Multicloud Security Risk report, 86% of organisations have already adopted a multicloud approach. However, this trend also brings with it unique challenges in terms of security, identity and compliance. What are the main security risks in multi-cloud environments?

The data from the above-mentioned report is clear. More than 50% of cloud identities had access to all permissions and resources by 2023. Read on:

A number of important vulnerabilities have been identified in the development and execution environments, as well as in the organisations’ data security posture. What are they?

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• Lack of a unified administration.
• Isolation, recruitment restrictions and lack of training.
• Lack of interoperability.
• Configuration errors or misconfiguration.
• Lack of visibility into environments.
• Shadow IT or unauthorised use of software, hardware and other systems and services within an organisation.

For these reasons and in order for any organisation to be 100% protected, it is essential to thoroughly follow a number of tips, such as:

• Automate processes wherever possible.
• Combine SIEM with XDR to automate workload protection.
• Use a single point of control.
• Use a CSPM solution.
• Reduce network redundancy.
• Integrate security into DevOps.

6 key insights to refine your security strategy

Due to the complexity of managing security alerts and exposed assets, a clear approach is needed to achieve adequate multi-cloud security.
This approach should focus on the following points:

1. Proactive and prioritised approach: It is crucial that security teams proactively analyse, prioritise and address security alerts. Managing all exposed assets and other risk vectors should be a priority. Implementing continuous monitoring and threat analysis tools can help identify and respond quickly to security incidents.
2. Security best practices with CNAPP: CNAPP is able to proactively protect during runtime and can also act as a shared platform. As a result, security teams work together with developers to unify, enforce and manage multi-point DevOps security.
3. Supporting a unified security approach: As cloud workloads become more pervasive, a much more complex threat landscape is created. That’s why Microsoft Defender for Cloud, with extended detection and response (XDR) integration, provides a richer investigation. Rather than using individual solutions to manage threats in the cloud, organisations need to centralise and contextualise their security findings. A CNAPP provides that unified visibility.
4. More secure workload identities: Workload identities account for 83% of all cloud identities in Microsoft Entra Permissions Management. Of these, 40% are dormant, making them an attractive target for cyber attackers. In addition, workload super-identities, which have access to all permissions and resources, are a big risk. Security teams must therefore establish visibility and apply least privilege access principles to mitigate these risks.
5. A CIEM drives visibility and control of unused permissions: A CIEM can be used to drive visibility across the entire multi-cloud environment. This eliminates the need for ongoing access for super-identities, inactive identities and unused permissions.
6. A multi-layered data security approach: Enterprises need a comprehensive approach to data security that helps them uncover risks and understand how their users interact with data. It is also important to protect and prevent unauthorised use of data throughout its lifecycle through protective controls such as encryption and authentication.

All the benefits of implementing a secure multi-cloud strategy

A single cyber-attack can negatively affect the organisation, thus damaging its economy and confidence in front of customers. Here are some of the benefits of implementing a multi-cloud strategy:

• Increased reliability: with a more secure cloud, only authorised users will be able to access applications. This will help prevent potential leaks of confidential information.
• Constant security: thanks to this more secure environment, the business has uninterrupted surveillance.
• Reduced costs: As mentioned above, attacks are a serious drain on a company’s finances. Multi-cloud protection ensures that organisations are better protected against the costly consequences of cyber-attacks.
• Centralised visibility: With a multi-cloud security solution, a company can manage the security of all its cloud environments from one place.

Conclusions

Security in multi-cloud environments is a complex challenge that requires a comprehensive and well-coordinated approach. By adopting the above strategies and staying on top of the latest trends and threats, organisations can significantly improve their security posture and protect their most valuable assets. The key is proactivity, visibility and continuous monitoring, ensuring that every layer of the multi-cloud infrastructure is protected and optimised for long-term success.
Ready to strengthen the security of your multi-cloud environment? Don’t wait any longer to protect your data. Contact us today and find out how our solutions can help you implement a robust and effective multi-cloud security strategy.