Security Control, Cybersecurity, Security
As more businesses transition their infrastructure to the cloud, understanding how to securely migrate to the cloud is imperative. After all, if companies don't adapt security architecture, they run the risk of substantial and costly downtime, challenges, and possibly millions of dollars in damages. Not to mention, the cloud poses particular security and risk issues. However, if your company already has security in place, it may be time to rethink how you’re safeguarding your network under the cloud.
The cloud has many advantages, but it can hurt your business more than it helps if you overlook secure cloud migration. Let's discuss how to develop important secure cloud mitigation strategies for your business.
Is Your Business On Cloud 9 Or Struggling?
Simply put, the cloud is exploding for many businesses. As the "SaaS-ification" of software and the abilities of platforms has matured, many businesses are shifting with the evolution of cloud technology. Today, many businesses are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits that cloud computing can have in terms of efficiency and driving profitability. Nearly 80% of all businesses are currently utilizing the cloud. Yet, despite its popularity, 2/3 of companies utilizing the cloud identity cloud migration as a struggle and important issue.
5 Things To Keep Top-Of-The-Mind When Migrating To The Cloud
1. Have A Defined Strategy And Business Objective
One of the primary benefits shared by those who are successful within the cloud is better alignment between IT and core business objectives. Your business strategy should include your near and long-term cloud migration goals and consider the fact that, as your company transitions to the cloud, the need for a network security ecosystem increases. Moving data from one application to another--especially, the cloud--must have a proper security business strategy in place. A cloud mitigation strategy is necessary to successfully and effectively move your business to the cloud or existing networks. Here are three strategy techniques your business should employ:
- Homogeneous (i.e. lift and shift)
- Technical Mitigation (maintains existing applications, but upgrades the OS and DB to meet your transformation goals)
- Application Mitigation (the application is transformed along with OS and DB)
New System Implementation
New system implementation means starting your transition to the cloud over. All your functionality must be duplicated by the new system. Remember, your business data is being transferred and preserved during the new system implementation.
Aligning your IT and business goals will help you guide and form your decision making. Focusing your IT towards data-driven business objectives will show your business values their IT, your team is working towards the same goals, and help your stakeholders focus toward business.
2. People And Process
Ironically, technology isn't the problem in migrating to the cloud. Many experts will agree, it's the people and processes that must change and this takes time. Getting cloud ready involves people, processes, and infrastructure. As your business moves away from silos, your initial infrastructure, network, and storage resources are impacted by the push to another paradigm. United architectures or converged infrastructure involves VCE Vblock, EMC VSPEX, or IBM VersaStack which are all important processes in the shift towards migrating your network to the cloud.
Your IT team must think as an IT strategist to match the right internal and external cloud option to match the internal customer need, which is based on a diversity of services. People and processes need to be cross-trained to better support converged compute, network, and storage. Preparing your team includes evaluating the right candidates for cloud service, evaluating cloud provider performance, determining how much of the cloud is being used by elements of your business, and define how businesses will access the internal or external cloud services.
Listen now to learn what the real cause of most data breaches is.
3. Don't Get Caught Up In The Hype
Your business can't afford to get caught up in the hype about the cloud and lose focus on what's truly important: migrating safely and how it works for your business. Don't just migrate to the cloud, you can employ the cloud for specific tasks. Your cloud migration strategy should address issues relevant to your business and not just what's currently trending. You have to train your team to understand what the new cloud network will look like and how to assume their new cloud role.
Leveraging the five W's will help your business avoid costly mistakes and avoid the hype of the cloud. Information security is one of the most important elements of migrating to the cloud network.
The 5 W's:
- WHY are we moving?
- WHO is responsible for our cloud migration?
- WHAT do we have?
- WHERE should we move?
- WHEN do we move which apps?
4. Dependable Infrastructure
A dependable cloud computing infrastructure is imperative to your business. Your business goes to the cloud to support their business goals, but there are security threats your business must think through to avoid a cyber attack, data recovery costs, and neglecting your rights and responsibilities. Building a strategy that includes the dependability of infrastructure can drive your costs down and reduce the need to depend on internal power to store information.
To determine the dependability of your infrastructure when migrating to the cloud and protecting your security, here's what your business strategy should include:
- accessibility
- data recovery
- scalability
- speed
- storage
According to the experts, your business should also be paying close attention to security and privacy, bandwidth limitations, vulnerability to attacks, data management, lifetime costs, and compliance.
5. Be Sure To Understand The Total Cost Of The Cloud
Unfortunately, many businesses that migrate to the cloud do a poor job of estimating the true costs. If your applications are local and your data is in the cloud, your business could end up paying network costs. With public storage, the costs can add up and should be calculated to help your business stay on budget. A study by the Ponemon Institute shows; "a data breach can costs millions (average data breach $3.92 million) to resolve." Your business would be better served by understanding the cost of migrating and including it in their strategy.
Lock down your system and unlock your performance! You're invited to contact us at Cadre Information Security to learn more about securely migrating to the cloud today!
