An Ultimate Guide to Choose the Right Cloud Security Platform
As cloud computing adoption grows, security in the cloud has become an important topic for many organizations.
A new report from Gartner gives guidance on choosing a gateway to protect an organization’s assets in the cloud against advanced threats. According to the report, “Organizations should evaluate cloud security gateways based on their ability to provide visibility and control of data flows, protect against advanced threats, enable safe sharing of data with business partners, and meet compliance requirements.”
Here are the steps to choose the right security platform like Sonrai systems for your cloud infrastructure.
Define Your Security Needs
Before choosing a security platform, you need to define your specific security needs. What are your organization’s priorities? What assets do you need to protect in the cloud? What are the specific threats you need to protect against?
Organizations should evaluate their cloud security needs and identify the required security features.
Evaluate the Cloud Security Gateway Providers
According to statistics, an average of 51 percent of organizations publicly exposed at least one cloud storage service.
There are several cloud security gateway providers on the market, so it’s essential to do your research and compare features.
The provider should offer the features needed to protect your organization against the specific threats you face. You should also ensure it provides visibility, regulation of data flows and meets all the rules and regulations and legal requirements.
Ensure Full Visibility and Control
A critical aspect of a cloud security gateway is providing complete visibility and control over data flows.
In addition, organizations should consider how their role in a partner ecosystem affects their security needs. In some cases, sharing secure information with specific partners may be critical for business operations.
Organizations need to understand which applications their business partners use to access their data and how those applications are protected. If the partner’s application is compromised, it can open a backdoor into an organization’s cloud-based assets.
You should ensure that the solution you choose provides a complete command of data flows, along with the ability to monitor user behavior across cloud services. It is imperative because it enables you to detect malicious or unauthorized activity and protect your data.
Ensure Compliance
Many organizations face regulatory requirements that must be met to protect their data. Choosing a cloud security gateway like Sonrai systems that meets compliance requirements is essential.
The provider should have a robust compliance program that includes certifications from leading standards organizations, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), etc.
The platform should also provide reporting and auditing capabilities to help you demonstrate compliance to your auditors.
Ensure Control of Your Cloud Infrastructure
Finally, it’s essential to choose a cloud security gateway that delivers the level of control you need over your infrastructure.
At first glance, this may seem counterintuitive – isn’t the cloud model about having no infrastructure?
However, even in the cloud, you need to have some level of control over your environment to protect your data and applications.
You should also get confirmation that the platform provides the ability to centrally manage security policies and settings, deploy agents to cloud resources, and receive real-time alerts when something goes wrong.
It enables you to quickly respond to threats and protect your organization’s data and applications.
Connect Your On-Premises Security Tools
You must make sure your chosen security gateway is compatible with other on-premises tools to facilitate end-to-end security. It will help you protect your cloud infrastructure while maintaining a consistent security policy across your organization.
Test the Security Gateway
Before you purchase a cloud security gateway, make sure to test it in a lab environment. It will help ensure that it meets your specific needs and can be integrated into your existing infrastructure. A vendor should be willing and able to provide a functional demonstration of its solution.
Understand the Total Cost of Ownership
Understand the total cost of ownership (TCO) for a cloud security gateway. You should also ensure to understand what’s included in the TCO and that the provider offers a competitive price. It includes the initial purchase price, licensing, maintenance, and support costs.
When selecting a cloud security gateway provider, selecting a trusted partner is essential. The security service provider should have a track record of success and provide a complete solution that meets your specific needs.
Also, the provider should be a member of relevant industry associations and have a strong reputation in the industry.
When choosing a cloud security gateway, it’s essential to consider your organization’s specific needs and evaluate the features of each platform.
