Hybrid cloud security

In our interconnected world, an organization’s ability to thrive is based on a foundation of operational resiliency, flexibility, and agility and the assurance of data security and privacy. The flexibility and resiliency of a hybrid cloud environment enables organizations to innovate more cost effectively and efficiently.  Our new physically disparate workforce demands a greater level of self-service, which requires us to focus even more on security. In fact, CCS Insight’s Senior Leadership IT Investment Survey (August 2020) showed that IT security is the highest investment priority for senior leaders over the next 12 months.

Security attacks, vulnerabilities, and data breaches are among the leading causes of downtime for many organizations, with resulting costs of up to $150,000 to $1,000,000, based on company size. Greater than two thirds of businesses have suffered a data breach in the past 3 years, according to CCS.  No organization is immune; it’s not a matter of if, but when.

A holistic approach to security planning

So it is key that everyone in an organization co-creates together to develop a holistic security solution based on common goals.  That’s exactly why in our upcoming webinar, Secrets from the C-Suite: Building a Secure Hybrid Cloud, we discuss the importance of a collaborative effort across an organization to develop an end-to-end security strategy.

Comprehensive evaluation is key

Many organizations work on security in a piecemeal manner, addressing specific applications or employing individual tools or strategies. That approach can leave an organization vulnerable. Comprehensive planning should assess the security landscape taking all stakeholders into consideration–both the business and technical organizations–to encourage collaboration. This will ensure a complete view of the entire organization’s goals, vulnerabilities, risks and existing solutions. Your approach and your infrastructure architecture need to consider not only your needs today but also your needs tomorrow.

We often hear that leaders are aware of the risks but don’t consider a holistic plan to be an important goal for their organization — until they are impacted by a breach. That’s why it’s never too early to get started.

Multi-faceted hybrid cloud security

A multi-faceted approach to hybrid cloud security is the most comprehensive. This strategy should take into account both internal and external vulnerabilities — because internal breaches often occur with greater frequency and can incur as much damage as external threats. Equally important is the approach to encryption. Selective encryption can result in obvious vulnerabilities; bad actors can identify specifically encrypted data as their target, as it is clearly the most valuable.

Pervasive encryption protects data, at rest and in-flight, across your entire organization. Eliminating vulnerabilities with pervasive encryption prepares your organization to comply with regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR, providing a safe harbor to avoid potentially significant fines for non-compliance.

Security is a crucial focus for all industries.  In the healthcare industry the protection of proprietary information such as test results can impact patient outcome; patients need to feel confident that their information is protected. In the financial industry, trust is imperative. Individual or corporate financial data must be considered safe to be trusted. Across all industries, a comprehensive security strategy is an opportunity for competitive advantage.

Source: ibm.com