Security in the Cloud

When updating IT solutions, security is an immediate problem that comes to mind alongside cost and time. In our previous post, we mentioned the outstanding security measures and procedures built into Azure. This week, we're going to take a closer look at the security risks associated with public, private, and on-premises solutions. When building your IT solution, you’ll be choosing between them.

With good security measures in place, the location of your data matters less than how you access it. This is where securing networks, restricting access, and monitoring access come into play. Below we explore some of the risks and benefits associated with each of your cloud options!

Public Cloud Solutions

*Risks*	*Benefits*
Data is stored on a shared server and maintained by provider Users agree to terms of use and providers have access to data on servers Network outages: Relies on access to internet in order for access to your data Difficult to see where the data resides	Providers notify users of security breaches For non-sensitive data, it's cheap and easy to set-up Can scale up or down as needed and pay accordingly No cost of ownership, maintenance or upgrades – just operating cost

Private Cloud Solution

*Risks*	*Benefits*
Data can be stored off prem, in a partitioned server owned by a host Existing security tools can be affected when data volume increases Meeting compliance requirements changes with two different regulatory environments	Replicate servers and data in even of disaster recovery Configure on-prem and cloud servers can communicate on a private network Securely scale up or down as needed, including during maintenance

Hybrid/On Prem Solutions

*Risks*	*Benefits*
Siloed data can't be recovered in the event of hardware damage or corruption Employees can threaten security with malicious intent or misunderstanding May take time to notice security breaches, leaving you vulnerable	Security is under your discretion, as are your employees Complete ownership of data and server Easier compliance with industry regulations

Take the time to examine your IT and understand if it meets the security standards that concern you right now. This step is the most important way to decide what you need from a cloud solution. If you need help, assessments are a great step towards identifying vulnerabilities, the best solutions, and migration-ready workloads.
Contact us for an assessment to build a more secure IT future!

Posted by Fuse on 05 Dec 2016

About the author

Fuse

Fuse is a Microsoft Partner, based in Northampton. We help organisations of all sizes to maximise IT efficiencies through the use of Microsoft cloud computing solutions.