Top three cloud security practices your business needs to adopt

Business leaders in East Africa already take security seriously. The majority of offices have high levels of physical security in place, from CCTV to patrolling security guards. While these precautions are necessary, many businesses fail to recognise how crucial cyber security is in addition to physical security.

Some enterprises overlook the fact that cyber security may, in certain cases, be even more essential to business performance and success. Ninety percent of African businesses are reportedly utilising subpar cyber security protocols, according to Interpol's African Cyber Threat Assessment report. Business leaders are turning to the cloud to secure their digital assets as a solution to this problem.

Although cloud security is a cost-effective method of securing company networks, there are some potential risks. Enterprises need to take specific steps to ensure sure that their business has effective cloud security in place in order to mitigate these potential issues. The following three recommendations can assist an organisation in strengthening its cloud security and protecting against cyberattacks:

1. Adopt best practices when it comes to cloud security

Cloud security is a complex area, so it's essential for companies to implement best practices. While creating security protocol practises from scratch is certainly a possibility, there are a number of cloud adoption frameworks that organisations can adopt and modify for their own requirements.

Microsoft Azure has a comprehensive guide to best security practices which encompasses people, processes, technology and architecture. Microsoft advises educating teams on best practices and engaging staff members on the cloud security journey. A variety of resources are available to aid in the development of security, compliance, protocol and security risk skills.

Accelerated cloud migration requires companies to close any skills gaps. As more businesses migrate to the cloud, they must ensure they have the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of the cloud environment. This is particularly the case with hybrid or multi-cloud environments where the architecture is that much more complex.

2. Remove blind spots by boosting the visibility of cloud environments

According to a recent report, companies don't devote enough time to securing their cloud resources; 69% of respondents acknowledged that they devote less than an hour each week to cloud security. To remain completely secure, cloud security enforcement must be consistent. Cloud security is compromised in the absence of good visibility and consistency.

Removing blind spots offers several important benefits. Visibility allows teams to reduce risks. Teams are better able to respond to threats in a proactive way, which improves cyber security. Teams can preemptively address any security system gaps rather than reacting to issues as they emerge. Faster reaction times are made possible by improved visibility, which allows for any abnormal behaviour in the network to be detected and contained. Teams can manage complex cloud environments more easily and effectively when visibility is improved.

3. Use SIEM to analyse and manage cyber security risks

Having the right software solutions in place is one of the most important aspects of cloud security. A security information and event management (SIEM) tool helps to analyse and manage cyber security risks. It assists in removing security blind spots and is aligned with cloud security best practices.

SIEM collects, analyses and correlates events and alerts. By providing a detailed analysis of the event data, this tool helps organisations in managing security incidents so they can take appropriate action based on the severity of each incident. This assists in preventing cyber attacks by identifying potential vulnerabilities before or after they take place.

These three cloud security practices will ensure that any enterprise or business in Kenya can take full advantage of technology. Cloud security is a robust and affordable solution to ever-changing cyber threats. For more information or to get a quote for our various security services, email us at marketing@seacom.com or leave us a message.

SEACOM owns Africa’s largest network of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, including fibre optic networks and subsea cables. We offer a wide range of industry-leading scalable ICT solutions for large companies that operate throughout the region.

SEACOM is privately owned - making it adaptable to the needs of the client. We are the preferred ICT and internet connectivity supplier for African enterprises. We can guarantee fast, reliable and secure internet and networking services at affordable prices.

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