There's no denying the benefits of moving to the cloud. It offers businesses a faster, more efficient, and cost-effective way to access vital data than traditional on-premises solutions. But the cloud isn't without its dangers.
Cloud-based breaches account for 45% of all violations. According to a recent survey, 80% of businesses have had at least one cloud security event in the last year, and 27% of enterprises have had a public cloud security problem, a 10% increase from the previous year.
When that data is stored externally, it's vulnerable to external (e.g., malicious hackers) and internal threats (e.g., employees sharing sensitive information unbeknownst to you). There's only one solution to this problem: solution-based Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) solutions.
An Introduction to CASB: Understanding the Key Concepts and Benefits
CASB is a solution that provides a centralized view of all endpoints and user activity. In this regard, CASB is similar to traditional antivirus solutions. However, CASB goes beyond traditional antivirus to identify and protect against data leakage and other security threats.
A CASB solution can be deployed as an on-premises appliance or a software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering hosted in the cloud. The first option is often more cost-effective for small businesses with limited IT resources. In contrast, the second option is more appropriate for large enterprises with multiple locations worldwide.
In addition to protecting against data loss, CASB solutions can help companies comply with regulations like GDPR, PDPA Act by monitoring activity across all endpoints and identifying risky behavior before it leads to a breach.
Secure Your Cloud with Confidence: How CASBs Provide Robust Security and Superior Control over Cloud Services
The cloud offers many benefits but could be a panacea for some security problems. Many organizations find that the cloud introduces new challenges as they try to manage compliance and data protection help you overcome these challenges and protect your organization's data, we've assembled this guide on how CASBs (cloud access security brokers) can help you confidently secure your cloud.
Preventing unauthorized data sharing
One of the most common risks associated with using the cloud is unauthorized data sharing, which can expose sensitive information to hackers or malicious insiders. A CASB can help by monitoring all network activity for signs of illicit file transfers and enforcing policies that prevent them from happening in the first place.
Protecting against data loss and theft with encryption
Cloud encryption protects data from unauthorized access at rest and in transit. Encryption technologies such as AES-256 can make it difficult for hackers or third parties to obtain sensitive information from cloud storage or databases. CASBs can also offer controls that restrict who has access to specific files and folders within the cloud environment — giving administrators more control over sensitive data than ever before.
Cloud-native visibility and control
CASBs provide real-time visibility into every aspect of your cloud environment, including application usage patterns, user activity, and data flow across all platforms where your company uses cloud services. This provides greater insight into what's happening with your sensitive data so you can quickly detect potential threats before they affect your business operations.
Compliance with industry regulations
It's not enough for an enterprise to have a policy that says "no sensitive data should be stored in public clouds." In addition to having a solid approach, they must also have tools that enforce compliance with that policy at every level — from individual users to departments and organizations within an enterprise. This type of compliance is essential when dealing with regulated industries like healthcare or finance.
Maximizing the Benefits of CASB: Best Practices for Successful Implementation and Ongoing Management
CASB is a relatively new technology. As such, many organizations are still figuring out how best to implement and manage it.
Here are some best practices for CASB implementation and ongoing management:
Planning your CASB implementation
Before implementing a CASB solution, it's essential to understand what your organization needs from it.
● Are you looking for integration with existing security tools?
● Are you trying to protect against data loss?
● Do you need visibility into the use of cloud services?
The answers will help determine which features are most important for your business and how much money you should spend on software licensing. They'll also guide you through selecting an appropriate vendor and getting buy-in from stakeholders within your organization.
Integrating your CASB with existing systems
Once you've selected a CASB solution, it's time to integrate it with your other IT systems — namely, identity management solutions such as Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS). You'll also want to consider whether or not you need a proxy gateway solution or whether web application firewall (WAF) functionality is sufficient for what you're trying to achieve.
Enforcing security controls and monitoring activity
After defining your policies, it's important to enforce them by enabling any required security controls on all cloud applications within your organization. For example, suppose you have a policy against transferring data out of the country without approval from IT. In that case, this should be enforced using network controls such as location-based policy enforcement or IP address blocking.
Prioritizing and remediating security issues
As an organization's risk profile changes, so should its CASB configuration. CASBs are designed to provide a high level of protection against current threats and help identify potential security risks that may emerge in the future.
However, organizations must be able to prioritize which threats they address first. An excellent way to do this is by connecting with your internal IT team to discuss what they consider are the most pressing issues and then determining how those issues align with risk tolerance levels established by your company's leadership team.
Educating employees on CASB usage and best practices
Based on the information provided by your CASB, you should educate all employees on how they should use these tools within their organizations. This could include encouraging them not to click links in emails or messages from unknown sources or helping them understand how different types of malware work so that they can recognize them when they see them again later on.
Empower Your Cloud Security with SEMNet's CASB Solutions: Get Comprehensive Protection Against Unauthorized Data Sharing and Threats
Protecting your cloud data is crucial to safeguarding your organization's sensitive information and reputation. Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) are potent tools providing robust security and superior control over cloud services. By implementing CASBs, you can prevent unauthorized data sharing, enhance data protection, and ensure compliance with industry regulations.
With SEMNet's CASB solutions, you can get comprehensive protection against unauthorized data sharing and threats and increased visibility and control over your cloud services.
Our experts can help you choose the right CASB for your organization, implement it effectively, and manage it ongoing. Don't leave your cloud security to chance - contact SEMNet today to learn how our CASB services can help you confidently protect your sensitive data.
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