<div>In today's digital age, many
companies are shifting to cloud platforms to pursue innovation and enhanced
security essentials to remain profitable and relevant in a highly competitive
environment. As per Gartner, above 95% of workloads are expected to be
implemented on cloud platforms by 2025, which is 30% higher than in 2021.<o:p></o:p>

Many
companies are drifting into embracing a multi-cloud strategy to address modern
challenges and manage various cloud platforms seamlessly. But what is the
concept of multi-cloud, and how to automate multi-cloud security? Let's dive
deeper and try to find the answers to these questions.<o:p></o:p>

Multi-cloud
means using two or more cloud platforms to exploit the capabilities of each
platform and execute different tasks. With many organizations using Software as
a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service
(IaaS) at the same time, adopting a multi-cloud strategy would work best for
such organizations as it helps eliminate dependency on only one cloud platform.<o:p></o:p>

Using
multi-cloud, many organizations are reaping benefits like reduced costs, higher
agility, better risk management, and freedom to choose among many providers.
However, the deployment of multi-cloud platforms is complicated, increasing the
possibility of cyber-attacks and other security concerns related to identity
and access. The impact of these vulnerabilities is augmented even further if
companies have traditional or manual security systems in place. Automating
multi-cloud security is a viable option to combat these challenges as manual
processes overburden the security engineers.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

<h2 style="margin:0cm">Tips to Automate Multi-cloud Environment&nbsp;</h2>

<h3 style="margin-top:0cm">Use secure-by-design approach<o:p></o:p></h3>

Prevention
is better than cure. This adage is a great reminder for companies keen on
building a robust security posture foundationally. More and more companies
prefer not to use third-party security tools and technologies. Their leadership
is of the mindset to integrate security into the infrastructure and design of
their software and applications from the start.<o:p></o:p>

Secure
by design means companies integrate increased security capabilities in their
software and applications in the very developmental stage, minimizing the
chances of security breaches and system errors in the later stage. Moreover,
this approach helps companies streamline infrastructure design and automate
security control in order to secure their resources on cloud platforms and the
IT management processes. For security engineers, this would mean more time
developing software and other security processes that can effectively safeguard
multiple systems and cloud platforms and less time managing individual systems
or platforms.<o:p></o:p>

Recently,
the secure-by-design approach has gained high traction among companies to
strengthen the security and privacy of software, applications, cloud platforms,
and other critical IT resources, which can act as entry points for cyberattacks
and must thus be protected.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

<h3 style="margin-top:0cm">Embrace tools to automate crucial security functions from
a single policy plane<o:p></o:p></h3>

The
problem is every cloud platform has different security needs, but the larger
issue is most companies need to be well-positioned to fulfill those needs,
which can threaten their security posture. Furthermore, there is no denial that
difficulties in managing security in multi-cloud can negatively affect revenue
and the overall performance of business activities.<o:p></o:p>

To
properly exploit multi-cloud's potential, companies should embrace security
tools that can effectively separate crucial security functions such as traffic
monitoring, intrusion prevention, and firewalls spanning all cloud platforms
into a single policy plane. Plus, automated tools help companies to create the
same security settings in different cloud platforms to gain better control over
and insights into each platform.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

<h3 style="margin-top:0cm">Adopt security tools for cloud platforms and applications<o:p></o:p></h3>

For
both end-users as well as providers, monitoring and managing cloud security has
become a priority, as much of their success relies on securing virtual systems.
In a scenario with varied security requirements of SaaS platforms, security
engineers would need to manage security and monitor multi-cloud platforms that
contain confidential data and crucial applications.<o:p></o:p>

While
companies are already conscious of cloud security concerns and ways to deal
with them, the need to secure SaaS data is an emerging challenge for many
organizations. Before companies become optimistic about multi-cloud adoption,
their security engineers must implement effective and automated cloud security
tools built to manage the nitty-gritty of all SaaS platforms. With these tools
at their disposal, the security engineers of an organization can better
anticipate emerging issues and find answers to such problems.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

<h3 style="margin-top:0cm">Automate privileged access management<o:p></o:p></h3>

One
of the limitations of using multi-cloud is to manage privileged access to cloud
workloads with the help of tools made available by every provider. The
possibilities of identity silos and risks are high, mainly because these
providers do not work with each other and have different offerings. However,
privileged access management can address these security concerns by automating
access controls.<o:p></o:p>

Automating
privileged access management (PAM) can empower companies to bring down the
complications of the multi-cloud strategy, mainly when manual processes are no
longer useful or effective. Thus, the need of the hour is to build PAM systems
with automation from the ground up so that they gain insights into all the
current virtual systems.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

<h2 style="margin:0cm">Conclusion<o:p></o:p></h2>

For
organizations, the journey to multi-cloud adoption is exciting and challenging
at the time. While reduced costs, higher visibility &amp; control over
resources can push the multi-cloud adoption, concerns like complex deployment
and security risks can act as obstacles. A few companies place the burden of
managing multi-cloud security squarely on their engineers, which is not
sustainable in the long run. That's why many companies are exploring methods that can expertly manage multi-cloud environments and their security, allowing employees to focus on tasks they value the most.<o:p></o:p>

With
the rising amount of data and high adoption of multi-cloud environments,
traditional or manual security systems have become obsolete. Thus, companies
need to rethink their strategies to automate security in multi-cloud
environments to protect their valuable resources that are directly linked to
their reputation. Strategies like using the secure-by-design approach,
embracing tools to automate crucial security functions from a single policy
plane, adopting security tools for cloud platforms and applications, and
automating privileged access management are helping companies to automate their
multi-cloud security and be well-prepared for the security challenges in the
dynamic market.<o:p></o:p>

Lastly,
automated multi-cloud security can empower security teams with accurate
insights and intelligence about potential &amp; upcoming security threats to
counter such attacks and secure crucial resources like software, applications,
virtual systems, and many IT processes.<o:p></o:p></div>

Ankit Gupta

Ways to Automate Multi-cloud Security

Capital One surprised technology and business analysts by shutting down its physical data centres and moving them all to Amazon Web Services. Even at that time, it was highly unlikely that Capital One would be the last major bank to make the transition to an all-cloud IT environment.The cloud offers lower costs and greater scalability, which are attracting more and more financial services firms. A wide range of resources can be spun up elastically and run at scale, allowing financial services firms to develop better digital offerings and customer engagements, as well as keep pace with growing customer bases.Cloud adoption also enhances productivity, attracts talent, and provides security. While most financial services organizations have remained on the sidelines for many years, they are finally recognizing the cloud's benefits.As a result, they accept cloud computing more readily, have seen its successful deployment in the financial services industry, and are becoming more adept at managing risk as well as leveraging it.Banks have moved ahead with plans for digital transformation to provide a more interactive user experience in response to the pandemic. Banks are migrating applications to the cloud, preferably using cloud-ready apps.Cloud mainframe emulators exist, but they don't match up to software developed specifically for the cloud. Banks should view moving to the cloud as an opportunity to upgrade technology.Customers are finding that analytics on-prem and processing data is becoming increasingly challenging. Some financial firms have created huge data lakes to circumvent product silos. The data can quickly become swamped if there is no common taxonomy. A cloud-based solution can facilitate these processes.<h3 id="use-cases">Use Cases</h3>Several financial services firms are exploring cloud technology to implement innovative new services and practices. Connecting to third-party apps, for instance, is likely to result in new customers and revenue.The payment process for ridesharing services has historically relied on connecting passengers' peer-to-peer payment apps or debit cards. This kind of connectivity and then the ability to use fintech apps require the cloud.The cloud is being used to host complicated technologies such as data marketplace and data warehouses. Organizations can create a consistent data delivery strategy quickly by leveraging this technology.Additionally, the cloud allows firms to test new apps and online services more cost-effectively, as well as reduce their costs by eliminating the need for on-premises equipment.On the other hand, you can expect banks to expand into new markets and compete in ways they couldn't imagine before, boosting their revenue and scaling up at previously unimaginable rates.Answers to critical business questions are urgently needed by financial services firms. The answers might not be ready for business the next day if a firm even ran a nightly job to answer daily questions before cloud computing. Despite this, this scenario happens more frequently than you might think, and the delay in getting the required information can have serious financial consequences.<h3 id="ai-and-machine-learning">AI and Machine Learning</h3>Also, a large amount of interest is being shown in the use of fast and large-scale databases for machine learning. With the emergence of AI and machine learning, cloud computing has also shown great promise, including automated loan processing and fraud mitigation chatbots for customer service, a field where cloud computing provides great value because it turns unstructured data into structured data.As the mortgage industry grows, clients are increasingly turning to the cloud for AI solutions and document management for servicing and mortgage origination.Cloud-based data storage can make it easier for investment professionals and data scientists to work efficiently and get access to fast and scalable data storage.On the other hand, the cloud gives financial service firms an opportunity to update ageing systems without investing in costly capital projects. Several of the payment systems in use today are quite archaic and are still being modernized rapidly.With cloud-native applications, adopters have access to the latest technology and talent, which enables them to rebuild transaction processing systems that can handle very high volumes with low latency. By moving their platforms to the cloud, they become leaner and more agile.Many use cases are no longer off-limits to the cloud as they used to be.In the cloud, even core banking has found a home. Yet, controlling and protecting sensitive data is still a major concern that may impede a move to cloud management and control. Fintech firms are embracing both private and public clouds. While cloud service providers developed their security and compliance offerings and increased transparency, the private cloud was the natural progression from traditional server-based infrastructure. Because of the diverse array of cloud-native services now available on the public cloud, plus the associated compliance and resiliency, the public cloud offers a compelling value proposition.<h3 id="takeaway">Takeaway</h3>Some of the world's most guarded organizations are financial services firms, mostly due to stringent regulations and the security threats they face as global economy players. Despite these challenges, financial services firms have demonstrated that it is possible to benefit from all the benefits of public cloud infrastructure and still remain highly compliant and secure.Last but not least, a lot of retail banking innovation is now taking place in the cloud. Fintech companies of the new generation are primarily cloud-based. If you choose to only play on-prem, you will miss out on the cutting edge.

Hamid Akhtar

Cloud Gaining Traction in the Financial Services Industry

Things, as we see them, may change in an instant. This is something that we all have somewhat discovered over the last few months, owing to the pandemic. We have learned how to efficiently deal with significant changes in the way we manage our businesses by implementing working from home, expanding virtual solutions to meet new client expectations, and moving many applications and data to the cloud. However, there's still work to be done. Data is something that comprises any company?s most important resource, and businesses are confronted with the daunting task of controlling and administering data while maintaining good data conformity. What are businesses doing to ensure good data management? In this blog, we talk about the concept of a software-defined data center which is proving to be a lifesaver for many businesses using hybrid cloud models.<h3 id="what-is-a-software-defined-data-center-sddc">What is a Software-defined data center (SDDC)?</h3>An SDDC (software-defined data center) is a centralized data storage unit in which all foundational pieces are automated and offered as a service. These may include networking, storage facilities, central processing unit (CPU), and encryption. Hardware is isolated from implementation, operation, provisioning, and configuration. These duties are carried out using software intelligence. Around 2012, former VMware CTO Steve Herrod is commonly believed to have coined this term.An SDDC is still more of a vision than a widely used practice, although it is gaining traction among cloud vendors and data-center-as-a-service providers. Some of the biggest names associated with this practice are Amazon, Google, and the Open Compute Project.<h3 id="main-components-of-sddc">Main Components of SDDC</h3>The SDDC or software-defined data center relies heavily on cloud-based solutions. The SDDC combines digital processing, storage, and networking devices with a common management platform for the complete integrated system. SDDC is comprised of four vital components which are briefly discussed in the paragraphs below. Compute virtualization This refers to the hosting of virtual machines (VMs) on virtual machines or servers, which incorporate their operating systems, CPUs, memory, and applications. Compute virtualization enables customers to design software-based computer systems that can be scaled up or down as necessary, reducing installation time.Network virtualization Network virtualization allows you to deploy communications infrastructure for your virtual machines(VMs) without having to be concerned about the underlying infrastructure. Telecommunications, DNS, firewalls, subnet mask, routing, administration, and other network infrastructure requirements are set up within your virtual SDDC on the merchant's protected hardware. There is no need to put together any network equipment.Storage virtualization The storage virtualization component of SDDC is that in which the SDDC vendor's data storage pool is used to supply disc storage. You get to pick your storage options depending on your requirements and budget. When a VM need more storage, you will be able to add it rapidly.SDDC as a software for management and automation SDDCs leverage management and virtual assistant softwares to ensure business-critical processes running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This helps in minimising the business's requirement for IT staff. Remote administration and automation are provided via a computing platform that may be accessed via APIs or an Internet browser from any acceptable location.<h3 id="how-can-your-hybrid-cloud-benefit-from-a-software-defined-data-center">How can your hybrid cloud benefit from a software-defined data center?</h3>Software-defined data centers are the latest addition in the technology for the business field. They have risen to the top of the priority list for organizations all over the world when it comes to determining their IT infrastructure needs. Data Centers have evolved apart from being merely another storage facility as a result of this shift in information delivery.In fact, they have evolved as a critical commercial criterion. A recently conducted Everest Group poll of 200 businesses revealed that three out of four participants had a blended (hybrid-first) or private-first cloud strategy, and 58 percent of organizational activities are on or will be on hybrid or private clouds. Here are some of the main areas where business organizations can benefit from software-defined data centers.SDDC greatly reduces the need for hardware SDDC allows for the abolition of tangible hardware needs, which is one of the advantages of the cloud. Consider the move to a Software-Defined Data Center to be equivalent to the future self-driving automobile. Although all hardware will be commoditized, the SDDC will eliminate the need for costly training to understand highly specific proprietary hardware. Furthermore, the IT unit will be freed to put the emphasis on creative initiatives that contribute positively to the business and its fact of the matter as a result of this new strategy. To sum it all up, the virtualization component of SDDC allows you to:<blockquote>Utilize your data center resources to the fullest, since a cloud computed pool allows for dynamic allocation to varied workloads.</blockquote><blockquote>Create a cloud infrastructure to get the many financial and operational benefits.</blockquote><blockquote>Management will be centrally controlled and easy.</blockquote>Software infrastructure and delivery that is automatedBusinesses need to be able to easily and rapidly implement new IT apps and services to maintain a competitive edge. Your IT department also wants to keep programs up to date in terms of security and functionality. Traditional cloud computing providers or datacenters are segmented, with resources in distinct infrastructure blocks and applications provisioned independently to each. This takes time, and apps take longer to market as a result. The SDDC may enhance any process by delivering recurring remedies rather than rushing through complicated IT services. Automation, orchestration, and the encapsulation of resources into computer code are all characteristics of SDDC. Infrastructure safety that adapts to dynamic changesYou can make good use of SDDC to safeguard your system by implementing policies at the VM level. Software-defined data centers help you in moving security away from peripheral defenses and toward distributed applications security.Apart from that, SDDC enables you to encrypt your data at rest to keep it safe. Micro-segmentation in SDDC may be used to integrate a firewall into each virtual machine. This process drastically lowers the likelihood of a breach and limits the effect. To make security genuinely persistent, make sure security measures follow the services and applications instead of the other way around.<h3 id="wrapping-up">Wrapping Up</h3>Businesses are migrating from their present resources to some well-equipped Data Centers to enable better information systems as they realize the versatility of what can be accomplished with their data. SDDC helps businesses manage their data with the mere click of a button. Choosing the correct combination of technologies to suit your transformation goals is the first step in creating the optimal SDDC solution. If used well, SDDCs could bring about a revolution for many companies. In the age of the internet, the success of any typical business involves data centres that are less complicated and easier to maintain. Software-defined data centers are a robust and efficient solution to this problem.

Toulika Das

Why Your Hybrid Cloud Needs A Software-defined Data Center

<h3 id="introduction">Introduction</h3>Businesses have been able to scale up and down with greater flexibility in order to better cope with unpredictable situations by transferring assets such as IT resources and on-premises apps to the cloud.Because of the unusual movement to digitization in the aftermath of the pandemic, those who have yet to do so will almost certainly transfer to the cloud. This may appear intimidating, especially in terms of cost, but cloud computing may help a company to cut costs.What is Cloud Computing?Cloud Computing is a technology that uses the internet for data storage and retrieval on remote servers and then accessing that data via the internet. Google Cloud, for example, is a set of public cloud services provided by Google. <h2 id="benefits-of-cloud-management">Benefits of Cloud Management</h2>Using an Internet connection, we may swiftly and conveniently access and save information anywhere in the globe, at any time. By guaranteeing that our data is constantly available, an internet cloud architecture improves organisation productivity and efficiency. Few benefits areFlexibilityCustomers seek CPU, memory, storage space, and network configuration. These facilities should be user-friendly and give customers as much freedom as possible. Self-service provisioning allows customers to change what they need and removes the need for expensive hardware. Quick turnaround timeCustomers want flexibility, which can't be provided quickly without organised self-service provisioning. Cloud management makes delivery instant, so your customers haven?t tempted away. Cloud management also allows for flexibility, allowing customers to only pay for what they've utilised. SecurityCloud clients can securely access their data and apps no matter where they are or what device they are using thanks to cloud security features. Other advantages of cloud security include scalability, coverage, visibility, and proactive reaction.<h3 id="why-is-cloud-cost-optimization-important">Why is Cloud Cost Optimization Important?</h3>Combining billing and using data to detect and eliminate any waste caused by unused or under-utilized cloud services is the first step in optimising your cloud. Your environment is appropriately scaled based on how much you use it while maintaining a balance of Performance, Cost-effectiveness, and Compliance. Ways to Cut the Costs of Cloud Computing<ul><li>Resize to Fit Your Needs, One of the biggest benefits of cloud computing is the flexibility to scale up or down as needed.</li><li>Using Automation Techniques</li><li>Coordinating the Workflow</li><li>Monitoring and Auditing the Usage</li><li>Eliminating Extremely outdated and Leftover Items.</li></ul><h3 id="how-to-reduce-overheads-by-switching-to-the-cloud">How To Reduce Overheads By Switching To The Cloud?</h3>The Relevance of Cloud computing has been emphasized as a result of the global pandemic. Not only has cloud-based software enabled whole workforces to work remotely with minimal interruption, but moving assets such as IT resources and on-premises apps to the cloud have allowed organisations to scale up and down with more flexibility to better cope with unpredictable situations.A few ways to reduce overheads by switching to the cloud are<h3 id="gains-in-productivity">Gains in Productivity</h3>Cloud solutions enable firms to become more versatile and interactive, which has been found to boost productivity from surveys. Migrating to the cloud not only allows team members to work more successfully from home, but also allows businesses to create a virtual workplace that follows their workers wherever they go. This also enables firms to access talent from all over the world, to the point where they may operate without regard for location.<h3 id="there-is-no-in-house-team">There is no In-house team</h3>When Businesses get into the Cloud, a portion of the money they pay for the service goes toward the provider's operating expenses, which is often far lower than if they handled all of the work in-house. That doesn't imply they'll be compelled to reduce their present workforce; they may be able to increase the efficiency of their IT department's operations by redeploying employees to other parts of the company, so improving bottom-line capabilities.<h3 id="enhanced-security">Enhanced security</h3>In the post-Covid period, security is more important than it has ever before. Not only may data breaches and data loss events have far-reaching financial and reputational consequences for businesses, but Cybercrime has increased dramatically in recent months as hackers seek to use the widespread coronavirus pandemic in their assaults. Phishing attacks have gained popularity to become the most prominent cyber security issue, and the number of ransomware attempts has also increased, due to staff working from laptops on home networks.Businesses may assist guarantee that their important corporate data is protected by the most up-to-date security capabilities. Many built-in security capabilities, including security analytics, frequent updates, and cross-enterprise visibility, are common among cloud providers, reducing the risk of accidental or purposeful intrusions.<h3 id="using-processor-innovations-to-reduce-cloud-expenses">Using processor innovations to reduce cloud expenses</h3>Server CPU innovations such as AMD's 3rd Gen EPYC processors may be able to significantly minimise overheads. The processors' unique architecture provides the best performance of any server Processor on the market. The M100 is the world's fastest machine intelligence and deep learning accelerator, with remarkable computing performance and performance-per-watt to assist automation and HPC operations to move faster.<h3 id="no-setup-investments">No setup investments</h3>When companies initially start migrating, they have to simply choose the correct services for their needs in terms of user count, storage capacity, and functionality. There are no additional expenses because all of their infrastructure needs may be met by a cloud service provider for a specified price. Of course, each company is different, and proper research is essential, but in general, a move to the cloud will lead to significant potential savings. Businesses will pay a tenth of the cost to move their data centre to a cloud provider. In addition, maintenance expenditures will be reduced. A cloud provider is similar to another utility in that all maintenance costs are included in the prices you pay, whether they are related to hardware, software, networking, surveillance, or maintenance. <h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3>While cloud migration may seem daunting, it is apparent that it can increase operational performance and flexibility, workload scaling, security, and, most crucially, IT costs. Cloud computing allows businesses to exchange fixed expenditures, such as those connected with physical servers and data centres, for variable costs and provides the support and flexibility they need to develop.

Janani K

How To Reduce Overheads By Switching to the Cloud

The incorporation of the cloud has brought about a considerable transformation in data handling and storage. The cloud is essentially a huge network of remote servers worldwide connected together, operating as a single framework. These servers help run major applications, are used for data storage and management, video streaming, or delivering social media services. This consequently demands the need for a systematic approach that helps build and run applications across public, private, and hybrid clouds. This approach is referred to as ?cloud-native'.In a nutshell, when an application is said to be ?cloud-native', it means that it is designed to be developed and managed in a cloud environment. More and more companies are using the cloud-native approach to increase app development and delivery and accordingly meet user expectations.<h3 id="what-is-cloud-native-security">What is Cloud-native Security?</h3>The advent of cloud-native technologies has replaced conventional software development models but has also ushered in the critical challenge of cloud-native security. Cloud-native application security has become vital to ensuring that application architecture remains protected. This is challenging in itself on account of the highly dynamic nature of cloud-native application architectures. Cloud apps shift through multiple cloud platforms, move between on and off-premise frameworks, and expanding and shrinking, making this task rather challenging.To implement cloud-native security solutions, one must understand its key elements. Some of these include:<blockquote><ul><li>Data security</li><li>Workload security</li><li>Network security</li><li>Vulnerability management</li><li>Automated response</li><li>Inventory &amp; classification</li><li>IAM security</li><li>Compliance management </li></ul></blockquote>While working toward implementing cloud-native security, it is important to understand where responsibilities lie ? even more, important to know that responsibilities may be varied based on the services. Public exposure of cloud storage services, missing critical patches, accepting traffic from random sources, and compromising important accounts are problems in a cloud architecture that are relatively common.In order to combat these issues in consistently changing digital ecosystems, it is important for enterprises to adopt an all-inclusive cloud-native security platform which incorporates threat detection capability, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation. It is also vital to deploy the best of native cloud security tools to tackle diagnostic difficulties, lack of fixed perimeters, and similar problems.<h3 id="can-existing-security-approaches-work-for-cloud-native-architecture">Can Existing Security Approaches Work for Cloud-Native Architecture? </h3>Considerable cloud-native security controls exist to protect cloud-native architecture. This is basically a methodology that helps increase efficiency and productivity and builds better scalability with the help of cloud solutions. It is also quite highly collaborative. it helps sand off the rough edges as the finished app code is transferred into production. In order to ensure that cloud-native architecture continues to reign, several cloud-native security approaches are being used.Multilayered SecurityA cloud service comprises seven layers - network, OS, hardware, facility, user, middleware, and application. Using multilayered security, one can monitor each one of these layers to identify risks and eliminate them accordingly. Multiple native cloud security tools are used for this purpose, such as end-to-end encryption and cloud firewalls.Cloud-native Security PlatformsThis has seemingly come up as one of the most effective cloud-native security strategies in recent times. Using these platforms reduce cloud vendor lock-in and deliver visibility across ecosystems. Cloud-native security platforms also help establish tools and reminders for overburdened security teams.Shared Responsibility ModelsThese models dictate that cloud providers themselves will be responsible for some security parameters, while customers will be responsible for others. This concept basically provides a base for all the other cloud-native security approaches.Common cloud-native security tools include CWPP (Cloud Workload Protection Platforms) and CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management). CSPM is a collection of security tools that helps enable risk assessment and visualization, DevOps integration, compliance monitoring, and incident response. CWPP on the other hand is a workload security protection technology and is used in hybrid data centers, where, with the help of an agent, it helps address the requirements of server workload protection. This also includes providing cloud-native container security.Although these approaches are good enough, they are not seamless. Managing cloud-native security tools, for example, can become rather inconvenient with time. In the shared responsibility model approach, it is likely that customers may be irresponsible. According to Gartner, a minimum of 99% of cloud failures is likely to be the customer's fault, by 2025.Lack of communication between security teams and business leaders is a major issue regarding cloud-native security. While stakeholders focus on cost, customer experience, and business needs, they neglect the infrastructure, which is observed by security leaders later on. Another problem with current security approaches is that perimeter security does not apply when the perimeter dissolves. Even certain scanner and firewall approaches lack the ability to provide adequate security that leads to the detection of false positives.Organizations will require more efficient and powerful tools in order to deal with the issues that crop up with conventional security approaches. To that end, cloud-native security companies are coming up with unique techniques to address the inconsistencies in the existing controls. They are working to shift from traditional approaches that depend on network-based tools. Instead, they are hoping to do some pioneering work in serverless and cloud-native technologies that will enhance security efficiency at reduced costs.One of the popular cloud-native security companies, PerimeterX Inc., is focusing on the same. It hopes to secure a serverless web application and make security smart, inexpensive, and portable. Although the perimeter dissolution issue may still persist with this one, it is a vital solution that may help introduce security into many environments.<h3 id="challenges-with-detecting-and-managing-vulnerabilities">Challenges with Detecting and Managing Vulnerabilities</h3>Despite the number of fairly good cloud-native security approaches, there persist a number of challenges in vulnerability detection and management.No fixed perimetersThe lack of fixed perimeters is a major problem in detecting vulnerabilities. With cloud-native applications, security personnel can no longer establish a static firewall surrounding an application across multiple clouds that is likely to scale a million workload instances at one time and mere hundreds at another.Less IT expertiseIt's surprising to know that many companies still haven't migrated to the cloud due to a lack of IT expertise. The 'Cloud Adoption Practices &amp; Priorities Survey Report', by the Cloud Security Alliance claims that around 34% of companies avoid the cloud as they believe their IT managers don't have the experience to handle the demands of cloud computing and management. What's more, even enterprises that are already on the cloud have apprehensions regarding their security due to a lack of experienced personnel.Insider threats and data breachesThe problem of data breaches and cyberattacks is well-known, but few companies are doing anything solid and concrete about it. Of course, there are security mechanisms to keep them at bay, but they are insufficient. Not dealing with data breaches on time leaves the business vulnerable to malicious threats and compliance risks.Insider threats are rather commonplace as well. In fact, a research report by Intel states that insider threats may be responsible for a shocking 43% of data breaches. The public cloud environment is also a highly appealing attack surface for hackers. If not secured with the highest possible techniques, enterprises are at risk of exposing their cloud data and workload to malicious threats. Despite effective strategies, this remains a major challenge in vulnerability management in the cloud-native security ecosystem.Difficulty in diagnostics and the presence of complex environmentsCloud-native application architecture can be rather complex, in the presence of which it can sometimes become rather challenging to quickly diagnose the reason for a security breach. There is a considerable lag between the threat occurrence and the time security teams take to diagnose and address the same. Complex cloud environments require specific tools to ensure seamless security and protection across private and public cloud providers and on-premise deployments - even for edge networks. However, it can get tedious at times when the cloud environment is too complex and layered, making vulnerability detection quite a challenge.DevOps and related complexitiesEnterprises that have adopted the DevOps ecosystem are required to deploy appropriate security controls at the beginning of the development phase. Implementing security tools later can severely cripple the organization's security mechanisms. Given that individual services can now be handled without having to disrupt other functions of the application, DevOps teams can expedite new updates and releases. However, this in itself may pose issues on account of outdated policy management processes and manual provisioning.Cloud Migration IssuesAlthough many enterprises are eager to move to the cloud, not all of them consider doing the same in an efficient, well-planned manner. Cloud migration has to be handled very carefully, or else the business is exposed to vulnerabilities even before its operations are shifted to the cloud. Using straightforward migration strategies that involve breaking down the process into stages may help achieve the transition efficiently without pressurizing IT personnel and reduce the risk of critical errors leading to vulnerabilities.Lack of VisibilityThe absence of visibility and tracking is commonplace in the IaaS model, where cloud providers refrain from exposing the infrastructure layer to customers. This is, however, being extended to the PaaS and SaaS models as well, preventing customers from identifying their cloud assets.Open SourceThis is rather obvious. indeed, using open-source software for app development is far more vulnerable than anything. Most hackers attack the well in the Git repo and wait for developers to use the packages. Soon enough, they use an attack vector to compromise the application.Cloud ComplianceOrganizations have to adhere to numerous federal regulations when migrating on the cloud. There are several international mandates that have to be addressed, such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, FERPA, FISMA, etc. Although enterprises do their best to comply with all the necessary regulations, this can still be a tedious process that can leave a business vulnerable to attacks. There has to be granular-level attention paid to the technical capacity needed to adhere to these mandates.Unsecured APIsThe cloud is a massive storage system with a fragmented surface attack area, and there are consequently many entry points for attacks to make their presence felt. While APIs are great, they have to be highly secured, as attackers can easily infiltrate the system by hacking into unsecured APIs.<h3 id="best-practices-for-cloud-native-security">Best Practices for Cloud-native Security</h3>In order to ensure that cloud-native security is as seamless as possible, security personnel must attempt to follow the best practices, some of which are outlined below:<ul><li>Ensure to start the security process early in the development phase - right at the container level.</li><li>Ensure consistencies while implementing security. Cloud-native security controls are not a one-time thing. They have to be periodically checked and rechecked and new policies have to be implemented to ensure that vulnerabilities haven?t been introduced.</li><li>Use as many helpful native cloud security tools and techniques. Stay updated with the latest in the industry.</li><li>Introduce multi-factor authentication and strong, zero-trust identification to ensure protection.</li><li>Educate stakeholders and liaison with DevOps stakeholders at the beginning of the security implementation cycle.</li><li>Encrypt data with top-of-the-line computing technologies and follow best security practices.</li><li>Enable threat detection for databases, IoT, and virtual machines. Integrate threat intelligence into the security platform to make faster decisions.</li><li>Enable an excellent firewall and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection.</li><li>Work to eliminate false positives during vulnerability detection. Also, prioritize vulnerabilities by risk.</li><li>Maintain transparency in shared responsibility.</li><li>Enable a cloud security solution that helps maintain the visibility of the entire ecosystem. Granular-level security strategies can be implemented level to mitigate risks.</li><li>Ensure to have a very strong password protection policy in place.</li></ul><h3 id="where-is-cloud-native-security-going">Where is Cloud-native Security Going?</h3>There are already several advanced strategies in place to make cloud-native security tight and seamless. In the future, cloud-native security is likely to be characterized by powerful API security, highly secure open source and ML, simplicity; rather, simplicity at scale, and adopting an excellent DevSecOps approach. Cloud-native security companies are making every effort to mitigate loopholes in existing security approaches and have been coming up with newer strategies to protect cloud-native architecture.Recently, for example, cloud security solutions provider Barracuda Networks, Inc. announced the launch of a SASE platform. This cloud-native security platform is designed to help businesses reign control over data access from anywhere, anytime. It will help achieve SASE convergence by bringing together Secure Web Gateway, Secure SD-WAN, Zero Trust Network Access, and Firewall-as-a-Service from Barracuda.Self-healing infrastructure is another doctrine that is expected to define the future of cloud-native security. Modern software teams will come to adopt Infrastructure-as-code (IaC) to enhance the security review process. In essence, IaC will help security teams to work on threat modelling and assessments even before the actual deployment, enabling DevOps teams to receive immediate feedback and troubleshoot accordingly.This, in turn, will require a self-healing infrastructure to be in place so that problems can be autonomously identified and fixed without the interference of manual effort. This infrastructure can be realized by embedding suitable security controls in the development process to eliminate common bottlenecks and increase the efficiency of cloud-native security.

Saipriya Iyer

Cloud-Native Security: Current Strategies, Challenges, and Best Practices

The field of IT and software development has experienced nothing short of a revolution in the 21st century. The inception of cloud automation deserves a lot of credit for this. It was critical in facilitating this technological advancement.Cloud automation is fueled by cloud orchestration, which is an important element of the cloud workflow. Let's go through some of the key points concerning these two topics. We'll also learn about the benefits of adopting cloud automation/orchestration in cloud workflow in this blog. Without further ado, let us dive in.<h3 id="what-is-cloud-automation">What is Cloud Automation?</h3>Cloud automation is the activity or process of automating a portion or all of the manual processes connected with operating and running cloud-dependent IT systems. Cloud automation is achieved by using specialized software tools and techniques. The process of cloud automation can help IT companies and application development teams to decrease manual labour by a lot. It also decreases operational complexity and accomplishes business goals like simultaneous testing and deployment in private, public, and hybrid or blended cloud scenarios.<h3 id="why-is-cloud-automation-needed">Why is Cloud Automation Needed?</h3>Cloud automation is a necessary tool these days. It essentially supports IT professionals and software developers to construct, change, and shut down cloud resources automatically. Among the most appealing aspects of cloud computing is the ability to access services on demand, as and when required. As a matter of fact, previously, someone had to fully replenish such resources, evaluate them and ascertain whether they were no longer needed. After that, they are put out of business, which may be time-consuming. However, thanks to cloud automation, such long operations may be quickly automated and retrieved.<h3 id="cloud-automation-use-case">Cloud Automation Use Case</h3>Modern companies and project workflows benefit from cloud automation in a variety of ways. One of the most typical situations is listed below as an example of cloud automation use cases.Infrastructure as Programmable Code (IaC) IT infrastructures must be specified in configuration records and deployed automatically based on that specification under the IaC model. Similar to the source code, configuration files should always be saved in version control, monitored, inspected, and updated. Since public and private clouds possess authority over nearly all parts of the system, they can orchestrate complicated systems; cloud automation renders IaC considerably more robust. <h3 id="best-cloud-automation-tools-in-2021">Best Cloud Automation Tools in 2021</h3>Cloud automation tools and procedures help to decrease the amount of human work involved in certain IT and software development processes. They may involve deploying, configuring, and administering public, private, hybrid, or blended cloud operations. Some of the best cloud automation tools available in 2021 are as follows.<blockquote><ul><li>Microsoft Azure Automation</li><li>AWS CloudFormation</li><li>Puppet</li><li>Ansible</li><li>Chef</li><li>Kubernetes</li><li>Terraform</li><li>Google Cloud Deployment Manager</li></ul> </blockquote><h3 id="types-of-cloud-automation">Types of Cloud Automation</h3>Cloud automation is divided into two categories. The first one is&nbsp;assistance with the management of information systems for businesses. The second is scalability in online and mobile app hosting. AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure have public cloud infrastructure hardware that may be used for any of these two. <h3 id="what-is-cloud-orchestration">What is Cloud Orchestration?</h3>The practice of streamlining the processes required to manage connections and operations of workloads in an automated way on private and public clouds is known as cloud orchestration. Automated activities and processes are consolidated into a pipeline using cloud orchestration technology to perform various corporate operations. <h3 id="cloud-orchestration-use-case">Cloud Orchestration Use Case</h3>While cloud orchestration greatly depends on cloud automation, it is far more vast. Here is a cloud orchestration use case to illustrate the point. A system with three levels of redundancy In the cloud, you have mission-critical operations. Even though you have incorporated redundancies into your AWS setup, you might still be worried about depending solely on a single vendor's platform. Now, there is a way out when you opt for cloud orchestration. You can create a Microsoft Azure implementation that can be turned on automatically in the unfortunate event of AWS systems failure. <h3 id="best-cloud-orchestration-tools-in-2021">Best Cloud Orchestration Tools in 2021</h3>Cloud orchestration tools enable organizations to overcome the obstacles of implementing automation tools. These tools help to remove isolated pockets of automation and replace them with a unified strategy spanning cloud-wide that includes both public and private cloud aspects. In this respect, some of the best cloud orchestration tools in 2022 are as follows.&nbsp;&nbsp; <blockquote><ul><li>Amazon Web Services CloudFormation</li><li>CloudFX</li><li>Flexiant Cloud Orchestrator</li><li>Cisco CloudCenter (formerly CliQr)</li><li>Fugue</li><li>IBM Cloud Orchestrator</li><li>Ingram Micro Cloud Orchestrator</li><li>Microsoft Azure Automation</li></ul> </blockquote><h3 id="differences-between-cloud-automation-vs-cloud-orchestration">Differences Between Cloud Automation Vs Cloud Orchestration</h3>Cloud orchestration offers synchronization between and throughout numerous automated tasks; cloud automation is simply a subset of orchestration. Cloud automation is concerned with making a single job repeated quickly with minimum human involvement. At the same time, cloud orchestration is concerned with the entire process. Alongside cloud automation, cloud orchestration is a step forward. Cloud orchestration comprises the synchronization of automated tasks across many platforms and their management. Despite the diverse, dynamic components in the cloud, orchestration unifies accessibility, scalability, loss recovery, and dependency control, among many other activities. Cloud orchestration integrates several features into a single process that has the ability to cut down on staff time and costs drastically.Cloud orchestration also offers visibility into systems and capabilities that basic cloud automation does not. For example, a corporation may limit capacity for deploying applications by using predefined resource templates and keeping track of who wants what resources. <h3 id="benefits-of-using-cloud-automationorchestration-in-cloud-workflow">Benefits of Using Cloud Automation/Orchestration in Cloud Workflow</h3><ol><li>Cloud automation reduces costs for IT and development. Cloud automation minimizes the level of manual labour necessary to operate cloud-based activities when businesses implement these into their IT architecture. Standard procedures require a lesser duration and may be configured to run dynamically in some situations. As a result of reduced manual practices, corporate teams will waste fairly significant time analyzing and troubleshooting and more time getting things done. </li><li>Continuous Deployment through the use of cloud automation Continuous integration aims to automate the software deployment process to maximize the magnitude with which applications are updated. Cloud automation tools can help software development teams achieve Continuous Deployment or work in the DevOps framework by allowing them to integrate deployments to a cloud-based IT environment. </li><li>Reduction of human error through Cloud Orchestration Cloud orchestration eliminates the possibility of human mistakes. This also frees up time for companies to focus on creativity and the development process. How does that happen? It occurs by allowing for quicker application deployment across heterogeneous IT infrastructure and coordinating operations spanning different domains and services. The end product is a better user and customer experience across the industry. </li></ol><h3 id="effective-implementation-of-cloud-automationorchestration">Effective Implementation of Cloud Automation/Orchestration</h3>Cloud automation is the only way to maximize the potential of cloud infrastructures. Through the effective implementation of cloud automation/orchestration systems, a lot of work can be made easier. Cloud automation allows businesses to modify their cloud settings more rapidly in answer to organizational problems by automating administrative operations, which would normally take a huge amount of resources.As a result of this, IT settings may be adjusted to respond to evolving corporate operations. For instance, the necessity of additional or lesser simulated device versions or the modification of existing users to a cloud service. <h3 id="final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h3>In conclusion, we have many essential things to remember when it comes to cloud automation. Another important thing to keep in mind is that DevOps and cloud automation are inextricably linked. Scaling one without the other is extremely challenging. Although cloud orchestration is similar to cloud automation, it is not the same. The fundamental differences between cloud automation tools are whether they support only one or several clouds and whether they are free and open-source or exclusively accessible as commercial solutions. For any significant cloud infrastructure, cloud automation is a must-have.

Cloud Automation vs Cloud Orchestration

Is IT infrastructure costs becoming a worry for your business? Do most of the spending go on server maintenance? Are you looking to make a switch from on-premise to a more sophisticated and tech-savvy way?If you said a yes to any of these questions, migrating to the cloud is the answer. Gone are the days when there was a need for a dedicated team of experts to monitor and maintain data centers. With the introduction of Cloud technologies, managing and controlling servers are at one?s fingertips. That means using cloud-based infrastructure orgs can streamline the work process, eliminate complexities, and entice forward even during uncertainties.<h3 id="cloud-migration-%E2%80%93-how-it-works">Cloud Migration ? How It Works?</h3>Cloud migration refers to the transfer of data and servers from on-premise to the cloud i.e., servers accessed over the internet. Data stored in the cloud is safe from natural disasters because there are many backup options available. Moving to the cloud is the most lucrative investment as it provides the most effective customization options and excellent ROI. Besides, cloud-based infrastructure companies cut off high maintenance costs, enhanced security and better-quality reliability.Cloud computing works remotely. It allows the storage of data in a secured and organized way. The cloud system contains the hardware and operating system, the main component of any device in the cloud system. It has a hypervisor that offers the framework for virtual machine monitoring. The network handles the physical node and the cloud framework, where the Eucalyptus and open nebula are kept. Verses traditional methods, all operations are done remotely via the internet.<h3 id="how-cloud-tech-helped-businesses-survive-the-pandemic">How Cloud Tech Helped Businesses Survive the Pandemic</h3>The uptake of cloud technology is one of the most disruptive forces in the market. The <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1062879/worldwide-cloud-storage-of-corporate-data/#:~:text=As%20of%202021%2C%20around%2050,next%20to%20advancing%20business%20agility.">significant move from traditional </a>data centers to the cloud justifies the demand for cloud computing. Current events have emphasized the necessity of the cloud and speeded up digital transformation. Cloud helps businesses to flourish. Organizations familiarize themselves and pivot to content any demand in the market.The cloud is the perfect partner to provide the right tools necessary for work and a new way that is hard to visualize. Cloud is secure, responsive, and flexible adequate to help the company develop and endure the crisis.<h3 id="benefits-of-the-on-cloud-premise">Benefits of the On-cloud Premise</h3>The need for cloud computing is growing at an impressive height. There are no surprise organizations are upgrading from on-premise to the cloud. Check out the perks of on-cloud premise and why this is the right time for your business to make a move.1. Save Time and MoneyTraditional ways of maintaining servers and data houses come with huge expenses and expertise. Cloud computing offers the perfect opportunity to make incredible profits and increase the outputs. It permits the hostage of applications and databases on organizations at an affordable fee. Above all, the option to scale up and down saves buying the database and applications. Apart from that, it reduces the IT experts to man servers altogether with the enormous electricity bills that come with it.2. Pay-as-You-UseOrgs need huge investments and storage capacity to store their active applications and software packages. Presently there are limited resources to store data, especially the data generated every day. Therefore, it makes no sense to spend a biggie on infrastructure that will be of no use in future. Thanks to the cloud for offering flexible options and choosing the services] you need at the moment. That means buyers can go up and down as per their needs and pay for the services they use. It also offers solutions that are cost-optimized and something that can grow in line with the progress of the business.Pro-tip: Orgs can leverage cloud models to deal with spikes in requests without the need for mounting or handling infrastructure. For instance, you can choose a list of services on special occasions when the market is up and uncheck when the traffic is low.3. Robust SecurityThe security and safety of information and other applications from other intruding cybercrime is an essential alarm. Data breaches can not only embarrass faux pas but can also tarnish reputation. Cybercrime is sensitive while prioritizing the benefits of cloud computing. Cloud technology has better-quality technology to offer secure and safe data hosting. With the cloud, the servers get safety and security, regardless of whether traditional or physical. Storing data and its encryption is fully automated, with no human involvement. The cloud is, therefore, more protective, reliable and secured.4. Minimized Data LossCloud computing minimizes the chances of misplacing data on the attack of a virus. In addition to the advanced security cloud solution services, safely data storage is another perk. Cloud computing provides improved encryption of data and ensures backup of the data. Instant recovery and server backup options are available with cloud computing. Additionally, the cloud helps to monitor and continually optimizes server performance and provide extra peace of mind for data security.5. Access Data ? Anytime, AnywhereCloud allows storing data remotely, giving accessibility to partners wherever they are. Access to data, its source and destination in a few clicks. Furthermore, in cloud computing, there exists an incredible option to store, process, and access data. Access to information is fast, without depending on emails or other sources from the world to get office updates. One can maneuver every detail with precise and updated data. Getting instant visibility of the firm is a win-win considering the world is moving swiftly and time is crucial.<h3 id="wrapping-up">Wrapping Up</h3>Today, collaborative means of working have been incorporated by the organizations in the cloud, especially at the time of uncertainty when remote work is the new norm. Cloud Computing is becoming the modern way of storing and managing data, replacing the traditional on-premise methods. Businesses adopting cloud computing auto-scalability, flexibility and cost-effectiveness to meet their infrastructure needs. Perhaps, organizations not choosing the cloud are likely to get knock out of the competition amongst their peers who are leveraging this technology.

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