Cloud is an incredible technology that has completely changed how businesses operate as they have significantly reduced unnecessary costs by offering scalability, and agility. As more and more businesses have started adopting cloud computing and storage for their businesses, an important question arises; how are they going to ensure cloud security of their data?
Well, two key players are working to enhance an organization’s cloud security: public and private cloud security solutions. Each of them has its own advantages and drawbacks which makes the selection a bit difficult.
In this article, let us understand the best cloud security strategy and understand which of these two is best for your business.
A brief overview of the world of Clouds
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) provide public clouds that offer on-demand computing resources like servers, storage, databases, etc. over the internet. However, these resources are shared among multiple users with the service provider managing all the underlying infrastructure.
Therefore, the security against different kinds of cyber threats in the public cloud becomes a shared responsibility where the service provider secures and manages the infrastructure, and users have to secure their data and applications on their own.
On the other hand, private clouds are dedicated resources for a single individual or organization. private cloud can be formed by building an on-premises cloud infrastructure or via leasing private cloud service from a provider. It offers a greater level of control over security and compliance, however, managing it can be a difficult task and organizations may need skilled cloud security professionals for this.
Let us explore in detail the advantages and disadvantages of both of them.
Public Cloud Security
Advantages
Economies of scale
Public cloud providers invest heavily in their security infrastructure and cloud security professionals to secure their infrastructure which even exceeds what many businesses can afford of their own. This offers better security measures including next-gen firewalls, intrusion detection systems, encryptions, and more.
Compliance Support
The leading cloud providers offer a huge range of compliance certifications which makes it suitable for businesses that fall under regulated industries such as healthcare and finance.
Automated Security Features
The public cloud also offers many built-in security features that can automatically patch vulnerabilities, detect anomalies, and perform some repetitive tasks automatically. This frees up the organization’s cybersecurity professionals to focus on other productive and strategic tasks.
Concerns
Shared Responsibility Model
The security of your data and applications is your own responsibility. Your cloud security professionals should manage it properly else misconfigurations and inefficient security practices from your end can lead to data loss or make it vulnerable to exploitation.
Vendor Lock-in
Migrating applications and data out of the public cloud can be an expensive step and therefore you might need to stay with a single vendor for a longer time.
Insider threats
The Public Cloud’s infrastructure is highly secure but insider threats from their employees can be serious cyber threats.
Overall, the public cloud is popular and widely used and almost 90% of security incidents happening in the cloud are because of misconfiguration errors by the customers (as reported in the Cloud Security Alliance 2023 report).
Private Cloud Security
Advantages
Better security
Since the private cloud has a dedicated environment, it reduces the risk of unauthorized access and offers complete control over the security configurations. Cybersecurity professionals can implement strict policies whenever needed.
Regulatory compliance
Private clouds are often highly flexible to meet complex compliance requirements, especially for industries with sensitive data regulations.
Customization
Organizations can customize the security architecture of their private cloud as per their specific needs.
Challenges
Cost
This is the biggest concern, especially for small businesses, as building and managing a private cloud infrastructure can be very expensive and require huge investments in hardware, software, and skilled cloud security professionals.
Scalability
If organizations are exhausting their resources, then scaling it up can be a slower and expensive process. Similarly, scaling down if there are unused resources can also be a daunting task.
Expertise
Organizations need highly efficient cloud engineers and cybersecurity professionals who can maintain and secure the private cloud infrastructure.
Which one to choose? The final verdict!
Now that you know the advantages and disadvantages of both, let’s check out some factors to help you decide which one will be best for your business.
Sensitivity of data: If your business is related to handling highly sensitive data, then private cloud security will be more suitable.
Compliance regulations: check your organization’s compliance requirements as some industries have strict data privacy and security regulations and decide accordingly.
Scalability requirements: also consider your resource requirement and how it’s going to fluctuate over time. Public clouds offer greater scalability whereas private clouds can be expensive and require more technical expertise.
Pro-tip!
Deploying and managing services on the cloud requires high technical expertise. Securing data over the cloud needs efficient cloud security professionals. So, organizations must invest in cybersecurity certification programs to upskill their existing workforce to do the job over the cloud.
Also, individual professionals must upgrade themselves by earning top cloud and cybersecurity certifications which are in high demand these days to ensure the safety of their organization’s data and infrastructure.
Conclusion
Going through the advantages and disadvantages of public and private clouds and accessing your specific requirements, you can decide properly which one is best for you. Additionally, as an individual, you can invest in yourself and master cloud security through top cloud cybersecurity certifications and help organizations navigate the cloud landscape efficiently.