Summary:
Cyberthreats are at an all-time high, so effective cybersecurity solutions are essential in complex cloud environments. Organizations should assess their vulnerabilities, use cloud firewalls and partner with cloud security experts for optimal protection.
The average cost of a data breach hit a staggering all-time high in 2023, reaching $4.45 million. Cybersecurity threats show no sign of letting up, as attackers constantly find new and sophisticated ways to compromise organizations with ransomware, Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks and malware. Multi-cloud environments—those comprised of private, public or hybrid clouds—heighten cybersecurity challenges because of their expansive attack surfaces.
According to PwC’s 2024 Global Digital Trust Insights Survey, although 33% of organizations claim that cloud security is a top investment, few have comprehensive management systems in place.
Among the 42% of respondents who use more than one cloud, 54% cite the cloud as their most pressing cybersecurity risk. Yet nearly every organization (97%) has gaps in its cloud risk management plan—only 3% have implemented and continually update a risk management plan.
Here, we share ways that organizations can take steps to close those cybersecurity gaps in their multi-cloud environments.
How to shield a multi-cloud environment against cyberattacks
As more organizations adopt multi-cloud environments, they find that the benefits of the cloud also come with a downside—they must confront an ever-widening cloud attack surface that makes it challenging to maintain robust cybersecurity and reduce their cyber risks.
A research study of C-suite and cybersecurity leaders found that “too many attack surfaces” was the most cited internal challenge to organizations’ cybersecurity approaches, brought on by the transition to cloud computing at scale and Internet of Things (IoT) adoption.
But there are actionable ways organizations can improve the cybersecurity of their multi-cloud environments, so let’s take a look at those best practices now.
1. Assess the vulnerabilities across your multi-cloud environment
Organizations can use technological risk assessments to identify potential threats associated with their technology, such as systems, data or cloud environments. These assessments analyze vulnerabilities that could lead to a potential malware or ransomware attack on the business’s cloud.
However, despite the advantages of this approach, among companies bringing in under $1 billion in revenue, only 40% addressed cybersecurity in their latest technological risk assessments.
Ever-shifting work environments have significantly increased the number of endpoints across physical locations, cloud resources and mobile users. But you can strengthen your security posture with an assessment and close off some of those entry points for potential cyberthreats.
Conduct a multi-cloud security assessment at least once annually and examine critical vulnerabilities and compliance issues, reviewing cybersecurity policies, employee access and data processes.
2. Make sure you have visibility into shadow IT
According to a Gartner study, by 2027, “75% of employees will acquire, modify or create technology outside IT’s visibility—up from 41% in 2022.”
Controlling visibility is vital because you can’t protect what you can’t see. A limited or fragmented view of your multi-cloud environment makes it hard to control and manage cloud security. This is especially true when it comes to shadow IT, where employees use cloud-based SaaS applications without the knowledge or approval of IT and security departments.
Unsanctioned applications are an additional attack surface that can compromise the information stored within them. One solution to this issue is Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), a key component of Windstream’s Secure Access Service Edge (SASE).
CASB helps protect against cloud security risks by monitoring all enterprise SaaS-bound traffic and providing a detailed shadow IT report, giving your organization essential visibility and protection.
3. Improve cybersecurity with cloud firewall protection
Like traditional firewalls, cloud firewalls filter out potentially malicious traffic and protect against external cyber threats. Organizations tend to use their cloud service provider’s (CSP) firewalls, as the native integration with the CSP’s infrastructure simplifies management and deployment.
However, the firewall tools from your cloud service providers may not be updated with the latest security signatures to protect against next-generation malware. They likely can’t stand up to the security needs of an organization’s network perimeter, which may encompass multiple cloud-based endpoints, branch sites and remote end users.
Instead, organizations should consider Windstream’s SASE, which comes with Firewall as a Service (FWaaS). This solution makes network security capabilities, such as URL Filtering, Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), Next-Generation Anti-Malware (NGAM) and Managed Detection and Response (MDR), available everywhere.
4. Outsource cybersecurity to the experts
The cybersecurity market faces a critical shortage of talent—and projections show that it will only get worse. According to Gartner, 75% of IT executives claim that talent shortages are impacting innovation at the enterprise level. Multi-cloud environments are no exception, since organizations need a variety of IT professionals skilled in providing security protections for each cloud.
That’s why many organizations are outsourcing their IT needs to a managed IT services provider for better detection, response and security posture. By working with a managed services provider with expertise in multi-cloud cybersecurity, you’ll free up your IT teams to focus on other business-critical issues.
Windstream has a scalable suite of proven security advisory and managed services solutions to ensure a fully protected IT environment, including an in-house Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) that provides implementation and support of security technologies and services by certified analysts and engineers.
If you’re ready to safeguard your multi-cloud environment, Windstream’s robust services can help shield your organization against the latest cyberthreats.
