In this article, we will share seven best practices for securing your cloud service, based on industry standards and expert recommendations. By following these tips, you can ensure that your cloud service is safe and reliable for your business needs.

1. Encrypt Your Data in Transit and at Rest

Encryption is the process of transforming data into an unreadable format that can only be decrypted with a secret key. Encryption helps prevent unauthorized access to your data by making it unreadable to anyone who does not have the key.

There are two types of encryption you should use for your cloud service: encryption of data in transit and encryption of data at rest.

• Encryption of data in transit means encrypting the data while it is being transferred between your devices and the cloud service. This helps prevent interception or tampering of your data by hackers or malicious actors. You should use end-to-end encryption, which means that the data is encrypted at the source and decrypted at the destination, without any intermediate decryption by the cloud service provider or any third party. You should also use secure protocols such as SSL/TLS or HTTPS for data transmission.
• Encryption of data at rest means encrypting the data while it is stored on the cloud service. This helps prevent unauthorized access to your data by hackers or malicious actors who may gain access to the cloud service’s servers or storage devices. You should use strong encryption algorithms such as AES-256 or higher for data storage. You should also use field-level encryption, which means that you can specify which fields of your data you want to encrypt (e.g., credit card number, SSN, CPF, etc.).

2. Implement Identity and Access Management

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a system that controls who can access your cloud service and what they can do with your data. IAM combines multi-factor authentication and user access policies to ensure that only authorized users can access your cloud service.

• Multi-factor authentication means requiring users to provide more than one piece of evidence to prove their identity before accessing your cloud service. For example, you can require users to enter a password and a one-time code sent to their phone or email. This helps prevent unauthorized access by hackers or malicious actors who may steal or guess your users’ passwords.
• User access policies mean defining rules and permissions for different users or groups of users who access your cloud service. For example, you can grant different levels of access to your employees, customers, partners, or vendors based on their roles and responsibilities. You can also restrict access based on time, location, device, or IP address. This helps prevent unauthorized access by hackers or malicious actors who may impersonate or compromise your users’ accounts.

3. Conduct Vulnerability Testing and Incident Response

Vulnerability testing and incident response are processes that help you identify and fix any security issues or breaches that may affect your cloud service. Vulnerability testing means scanning your cloud service for any weaknesses or flaws that may expose your data to hackers or malicious actors. Incident response means responding to any security incidents or breaches that may occur on your cloud service.

• Vulnerability testing should be rigorous and ongoing, meaning that you should conduct regular scans of your cloud service using industry-leading tools and methods. You should also update your cloud service with the latest patches and security updates from your cloud service provider or any third-party vendors you use. You should also monitor your cloud service for any unusual or suspicious activity or behavior using tools such as logs, alerts, or analytics.
• Incident response should be swift and effective, meaning that you should have a clear plan and procedure for handling any security incidents or breaches that may occur on your cloud service. You should also have a team of experts who can respond to any incidents or breaches quickly and efficiently. You should also communicate with your stakeholders and customers about any incidents or breaches and how you are resolving them.

4. Define and Enforce a Data Deletion Policy

A data deletion policy is a policy that specifies how long you will keep your data on your cloud service and how you will delete it when it is no longer needed. A data deletion policy helps you comply with regulatory requirements and protect your customers’ privacy.

• Define a data deletion policy that is appropriate for your business needs and legal obligations. For example, you may need to keep your data for a certain period of time for accounting, auditing, or tax purposes. You may also need to delete your data after a certain period of time to comply with data protection laws or customer requests.
• Enforce a data deletion policy that is consistent and reliable. For example, you should use tools or methods that can automatically delete your data according to your policy. You should also use tools or methods that can securely erase your data without leaving any traces or copies on your cloud service or any other devices.

5. Add Protective Layers with User-Level Data Security

User-level data security is a security feature that allows you to add extra layers of protection to your data based on the user who owns or accesses it. User-level data security helps you prevent unauthorized access or sharing of your data by hackers or malicious actors who may compromise your cloud service or your users’ accounts.

• User-level encryption means encrypting your data with a unique key that is generated and controlled by the user who owns or accesses it. This means that only the user who has the key can decrypt and access the data. This helps prevent unauthorized access by hackers or malicious actors who may gain access to your cloud service or your users’ accounts, but not their keys.
• User-level permissions mean granting or revoking access to your data based on the user who owns or accesses it. This means that only the user who has the permission can access or share the data. This helps prevent unauthorized access or sharing by hackers or malicious actors who may compromise your cloud service or your users’ accounts, but not their permissions.

6. Get a Virtual Private Cloud and Network

A virtual private cloud (VPC) and network are cloud services that allow you to create a private and isolated environment for your cloud service within a public cloud. A VPC and network help you enhance the security and performance of your cloud service by giving you more control and flexibility over your network configuration and traffic.

• A VPC is a virtual network that is dedicated to your cloud service within a public cloud. A VPC allows you to define and manage your own IP address range, subnets, routing tables, gateways, firewalls, and other network components. A VPC also allows you to connect your cloud service with other resources within the same VPC, within different VPCs, or with your on-premises network using VPNs or dedicated connections.
• A network is a set of rules and policies that govern how your cloud service communicates with other resources within or outside your VPC. A network allows you to control and monitor the inbound and outbound traffic of your cloud service using tools such as security groups, network ACLs, load balancers, NAT gateways, and proxies.

7. Insist on Rigorous Compliance Certifications

Compliance certifications are certifications that attest to the security and quality standards of a cloud service provider or a cloud service. Compliance certifications help you verify that your cloud service provider or your cloud service meets the requirements of various regulations, frameworks, or best practices in the industry.

• Cloud service provider compliance certifications are certifications that are issued by independent auditors or organizations to a cloud service provider after conducting an audit or assessment of their infrastructure, processes, policies, and controls. Some examples of cloud service provider compliance certifications are ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, etc.
• Cloud service compliance certifications are certifications that are issued by independent auditors or organizations to a cloud service after conducting an audit or assessment of its features, functions, performance, and security. Some examples of cloud service compliance certifications are CSA STAR, FedRAMP, FIPS 140-2, etc.

You should insist on rigorous compliance certifications from your cloud service provider and your cloud service to ensure that they meet the highest standards of security and quality in the industry.

Conclusion

Securing your cloud service is not a one-time task but an ongoing process that requires constant vigilance and improvement. By following these seven best practices for securing your cloud service, you can reduce the risks of cyberattacks and enhance the trust and satisfaction of your customers.