10-21-19 | Blog Post
Most enterprises today have a multi-cloud environment and more than half have a hybrid cloud strategy, combining both public and private clouds. The continued migration to hybrid cloud validates its clear advantages, but as environments grow and evolve, things can quickly become complex – and those of us in IT must figure out how to manage it all.
When designing a custom mix of public and private clouds, it’s important to think about areas of exposure that may be created as a result. Data can be exposed and at risk both in transit and at rest. There are several factors to consider in order to keep your data safe in a hybrid cloud environment. Here are four key considerations:
In order to be reliable, your data needs to be redundant. Make sure you have a backup and disaster recovery plan in place that connects to the public and private cloud infrastructures for fast recovery. Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) and Backup as a Service (BaaS) are solutions that can address the risk of potential downtime and data loss in any cloud environment.
Data leaks happen when there is low visibility into what’s happening with your information. And, visibility becomes more challenging in a hybrid environment with multiple access and end points. To prevent potential errors and exposure, network monitoring must be comprehensive across the entire hybrid environment, covering both internal and external access points. Check to see if your provider offers network monitoring as a managed service and devise a plan to track network traffic to prevent breaches and leaks.
As a common best practice for securing your data, encryption is key in a hybrid cloud environment. It offers protection from spam, cyber attacks and malicious software. Make sure your operating system and hardware are encrypted before they enter the cloud so your data stays safe. And remember that network endpoints are some of the most vulnerable, so encryption between your devices is also critical.
In a hybrid cloud, your private and public clouds are integrated, so your security products, tools and services for each environment (which are likely to be different) must cooperate with each other. As you map out your hybrid cloud, be thorough and check for compatibility between them so you get the maximum protection for your data.
Ultimately, hybrid cloud is as secure as you make it. Pay attention to the key areas for potential exposure and vulnerability. Addressing them upfront will help your organization not only stay secure, but also realize the full potential and benefits that a hybrid cloud solution offers.
Interested in learning more about hybrid cloud security? Contact our hybrid cloud experts today or call (877) 740-5028.
