Cloud adoption presents a solution to many enterprise challenges related to agility, performance, and data analysis, all while enjoying the cost efficiency that comes with a subscription-based pay model. In some situations, an organization only needs to dip a toe into the cloud pool before they realize its benefits and want to experience it in as many areas as possible.

The trouble that inevitably confronts enterprises making a shift to the cloud through digital transformation generally comes in the form of security vulnerability. The push to the cloud happens fast, but traditional security policies and measures aren’t adequate for the cloud.

A Broadening Security Plane: For instance, a company may implement a Software as a Solution (SaaS) application that makes it easy for all of their remote and mobile workers to access the same tools on laptops and tablets that office staff use on a desktop. The change offers cost efficiency, as well as flexibility and agility.

The problem is that it has added vulnerabilities in the form of additional endpoints, as well as countless access points as the data is transmitted to the cloud. In addition, security measures such as firewalls that typically protected the perimeter of the network are no longer useful in a network that has no perimeter.

Responsibility Confusion: When switching to cloud adoption, many enterprises mistakenly believe the cloud provider will be handling security. While there may be some measures in place for securing data while it resides in the cloud or as it moves to and from the cloud, the enterprise is still ultimately responsible for securing data and systems.

During cloud adoption, it’s important to create a solid security strategy throughout the process that takes into account the data and systems affected by the changes. Even if the cloud provider is particularly robust in their approach to security, the risk still rests on your shoulders, so invest in cloud security.

Misconfiguration: As enterprises turn to cloud adoption in swift transitions, they often make mistakes with configurations that leave them exposed. The company names you see in the headlines are often because of misconfiguration, rather than a breach. In many cases, sensitive data has been left exposed without a password protection.

Finding a Solution: There are two important steps that enterprises can prioritize as they speed up cloud adoption. First, they simply need to invest more in their security budgets. It is often easier to receive additional funds for innovations that promise cost-savings and added revenue, but it’s also important to protect your data and systems assets.

Second, many enterprises are focusing on efforts to remove teams from their respective silos and encourage integrated security. Tacking security on at the end of a project simply doesn’t work well. That’s why many enterprises are working through DevSecOps to ensure that security is right in the middle of every innovation.

For more information about balancing the pace of your cloud adoption with strong security policies, contact us at eXemplify.