Cloud security: what it is and how to ensure security in the cloud

Technology / Date: 01-15-2025

Cloud security is a very important concept for any company that wants to protect its technology assets and protect its customers' data. Cloud security involves a set of techniques, measures and policies to protect information, ensuring that only authorized users are allowed to view sensitive information.

Properly defined and implemented cloud security ensures that a business's data is protected from the eyes of cybercriminals. As such, to better understand this approach, we have prepared the content based on some of the main concepts related to cloud security.

What is cloud security?

Cloud security refers to a set of technologies, controls, measures and policies adopted to protect a company's data, services and applications . The main objective is to promote protection of a company's environment against external and internal threats and vulnerabilities.

In other words, the cloud security emphasis is on policy-making and implementing them using technological tools for protecting information. The service providers for CSPs operate from a shared model of responsibility whereby the model delineates and ascribes the levels of responsibility to either the provider or the customer.

Companies in the market are moving quickly towards digital transformation to streamline their operations, and therefore, adopting the cloud environment is a common movement across all segments.

How important is cloud security?

Cloud security is important because it allows companies to safeguard their operations. This approach creates ways to protect information, networks, systems, and applications — as well as helping to recover data and identify the cause of breaches.

To ensure security in the cloud, companies must adopt a server that is concerned with security issues, correctly configure their service and adopt safe habits with their employees when using technology devices.

What are the benefits of cloud security?

Cloud security provides a number of benefits for companies that adopt the cloud computing model . The first benefit is data security, as it ensures that what is stored will be protected against unauthorized access and threats.

Other benefits of adopting a set of cloud computing security measures include ensuring reliability and integrity, information availability and protection against attacks. Learn more about each of them:

Reliability

Cloud security makes the technology environment more reliable because it provides greater control over application and infrastructure configurations . By adopting secure cloud environment practices, the company protects itself against problems that may affect the availability of services.

Availability

By keeping the environment free from virtual attacks through security strategies, the company guarantees the continuity or availability of its operations — that is, its systems and applications continue to operate correctly, without affecting business processes.

Protection against attacks

The set of technologies and measures adopted in cloud computing helps to ensure protection against attacks. It is possible to use tools to control access to data, check for intrusions and other types of vulnerabilities. When migrating to this environment, companies must ensure cloud security.

Data security

Cloud security helps keep data safe because a cloud environment offers businesses easy backups and recoveries , as well as built-in analytics that help automatically check for incidents and respond quickly.

Cloud security is essential for the sustainable growth of a business, because as the search for digital solutions increases, the risks regarding the data stored by a company increase.

How does the cloud structure work?

The cloud structure is made up of different components that work together to create a platform and provide services to the user. It is an extensive network of remote servers used to store, manage and run applications and data.

The cloud structure is made up of the following components: a back-end platform (covers all the resources and services offered by a provider), a front-end (client-side interface), a network (which connects the two front and back sides) and a delivery model that can be one of the three below:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): in this model, instead of a company installing its own server, it contracts the service, which would be a type of virtual data center with storage resources;
Platform as a Service (PaaS): This is an option widely used by companies that develop software. In this model, the company can deploy and create its software through third-party environments;
Software as a service (SaaS): the company uses software hosted on a server and only pays for the service and applications it uses, like a subscription.

How to ensure security in the cloud?

To ensure cloud security, it is necessary to use tools to back up data and manage user access. In addition, it is recommended to adopt measures such as educating staff on best security practices; when setting passwords, when using applications and devices and choosing a reliable provider.

Through cloud security, companies can protect their data against internal and external threats. In short, some practices that help ensure cloud security are:

Perform constant backup;
Use encryption on files;
Have password policies;
Manage user access;
Use tools to monitor suspicious activity.

How does the shared responsibility model work?

In the shared responsibility model, the cloud provider is responsible for the security of the underlying infrastructure made available to its customers. This includes hardware, facilities, networks, and software. While the contractor is responsible for the areas over which it has control (data, configurations, access management, and devices connected to the cloud).

But this division can vary and depends on the cloud model adopted (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS). But, in short, customers are responsible for what is executed “in the” cloud, and providers are responsible for the main infrastructure and the cloud.