There are many ways to describe the different ways organizations use cloud computing, but “cloud hybrid” is quickly becoming the de facto standard. In Ofer Schreiber’s article Why leading cyber-executives see massive potential in securing hybrid clouds, he describes cloud-hybrid as “huge sprawl across multiple cloud providers, across multiple cloud accounts that need to be accounted for and properly secured.”
The challenge lies in the very strategy for becoming “cloud native” – a lofty goal that is complicated by legacy systems that are known quantities and valuable assets, not disposable commodities. As you develop your cloud migration strategy you immediately find yourself in a cloud hybrid architecture where data needs to flow freely, but securely, across a collection of networks and systems.
At the same time, this very disruption is offering new opportunities for growth and new ways to manage data. Cybersecurity has been lagging behind this curve, but the new ways of securing systems, as we do at Cloudentity, create new ways for companies to engage with the greater ecosystem of data, systems and integration.
Schreibler states, “Cloud fundamentally disrupts how enterprises look at crucial functions such as identity, visibility, and response.” When you consider cloud-hybrid as fundamentally removing the barriers of data centers and traditional thinking, you create an opportunity to leverage resources that aren’t traditionally part of your natural ecosystem.
Identity is something your organization needs to control to access any data you own, you must have visibility into what’s happening to that data no matter where it resides, and you need the ability to respond if something is happening that shouldn’t be happening. It’s not about IT services securing your local network, it’s about looking at your intellectual property as an asset that you control no matter how it moves through the cloud ecosystem.
Unfortunately, most companies are woefully underprepared for the onslaught of exploits and exposure that comes from a true cloud hybrid environment. They apply outdated methodologies, close their eyes to weaknesses and ignore blind spots, and generally underestimate their own responsibility in securing the broader, hybrid environments.
That said, companies that embrace cloud hybrid architectures become wildly successful, disruptive players in their fields. It’s not about losing control of data, but gaining the visibility, protection and enforcement required to play in today’s tech economy.