Cloud adoption across Australia has increased significantly in recent years. An IDC whitepaper commissioned by Microsoft forecasted public cloud spending in Australia to increase from A$12.2 billion in 2022 to A$22.4 billion by 2026. This trend also aligns with cloud-based applications gaining popularity and developers using the cloud to build apps.
Cloud security encompasses controls and policies to protect cloud-based systems, data, and infrastructure from cyber security threats and vulnerabilities. Cloud security observability involves continuously monitoring and assessing cloud-based systems and services for these threats and vulnerabilities. Here are five reasons we at Galah Cyber believe in prioritising it.
Source: IDC.
Improve visibility over the cloud
Shifting to the cloud often means relinquishing direct control over some security measures because the cloud provider will have protections to secure the infrastructure. However, your organisation must take responsibility for observability and securing data, users and applications. This approach is a shared responsibility model; while it offers some benefits, it can make overseeing all aspects of cloud security difficult.
Cloud security observability improves visibility by handling what your organisation is responsible for, such as operational workflows, user activities, and application performance within the cloud environment. Cloud observability solutions enable your organisation to monitor these components, offering visibility across cloud services and platforms.
Stay abreast of compliance requirements
A 2022 report by Gartner predicted that by this year, 75% of the world’s population would have their data covered under privacy regulations. Compliance has also become a higher priority in Australia as high-profile cyber attacks have compromised businesses of all sizes.
Cloud security observability can help your organisation improve compliance with necessary regulatory frameworks and standards. For example, organisations complying with PCI DSS must fulfil a requirement to monitor their systems consistently.
Cloud security observability supports compliance by providing real-time visibility into all cloud-based activities. Your organisation can detect and rectify potential compliance issues before they escalate into serious violations. Automated tools can alert teams to unauthorised data access or transfer, potential data breaches, or misconfigurations that could lead to compliance failures. When paired with experts who understand how to apply relevant frameworks and regulations, your organisation can improve alignment with compliance requirements.
Identify and address misconfigurations
Misconfigurations commonly occur in cloud environments, often stemming from human error. For example, someone might grant users unrestricted access rather than adhere to the principle of least privilege. Misconfigurations like these can lead to unauthorised access, data leakage, and other exploitable vulnerabilities that give attackers easy entry points into your company’s infrastructure.
Cloud security observability assesses your cloud applications to find misconfigurations. Completing this proactively mitigates the risk of attacks and ensures that the cloud infrastructure remains secure against threats.
Quickly respond to cloud security issues
Cloud security observability identifies threats in real time and enables your organisation to address vulnerabilities or suspicious behaviour quickly. Continuous monitoring detects and addresses issues immediately, enabling your organisation to address them before they escalate into significant threats. Promptly responding to threats minimises potential damage, contains the breach and prevents further access to sensitive information.
Improve security management through automation
Managing security across multiple cloud platforms and providers introduces complexities due to varying tools, controls, and protocols. This can create gaps in your company’s security posture and increase vulnerability to threats. Cloud security observability will centralise security protocols and provide a comprehensive view across all cloud environments, enabling effective management of security policies, controls, and responses.
Automated tools support real-time threat detection and response, enabling quicker mitigation of security incidents. While your cloud provider will have some tools your business can leverage, it is also best practice to bring in other solutions and experts to guide the cloud security observability strategy. Your monitoring tools should also integrate with your existing infrastructure.
It is pertinent to note that while automation boosts cloud security observability, your organisation should not rely solely on these solutions. Your strategy should also include experts who understand cloud security and can guide your organisation in the right direction.
Conclusion
Getting security right is essential if your organisation plans to move some or all operations into cloud environments. While cloud providers offer some security measures, the cloud comes with unique challenges that require an observability strategy to address issues as they arise. Cloud security observability enhances visibility over one or multiple cloud environments. It also helps your organisation maintain compliance regulations and address misconfigurations that might lead to a breach.
Why choose cloud security observability from Galah Cyber?
With applications becoming increasingly complex, your organisation needs a dynamic security strategy that adapts in real-time as your needs change. We provide more than one-time assessments that only cover a snapshot of your cyber security posture. Our AppSec as a Service offering provides continuous, tailored security designed to meet your company’s unique needs.
Our services cover cloud security observability across multiple providers. We ensure your applications remain secure, compliant, and equipped to meet tomorrow’s threats. Visit our AppSec as a Service page for more details.
