July 31, 2019
The “cloudification” trend goes on and digital transformation is in full swing, and moving cybersecurity to the cloud is no exception. It reduces the costs of investing in the infrastructure, technology and expertise required to perform risk detection and mitigation, thereby reducing the burden of in-house security while boosting productivity.
Cybersecurity as a service can offer businesses significant value, especially from a cost, deployment, and maintenance standpoint. One of the biggest incentives for using cloud-based cybersecurity services such as DDoS prevention is remaining competitive in saturated markets, where security-aware companies must do all they can to move quickly and retain an edge over counterparts.
Despite the advantages of being positioned to access automated threat detection and mitigation remotely at any time while not having to manage, upgrade, replace, or purchase many hardware appliances, the cloud can be a double-edged sword for those concerned about the security of their organization’s data.
Compliance issues are aplenty, where data must be controlled and managed in accordance with the rules, regulations, and laws of the country in question. Data Sovereignty initiatives must be addressed too, with a level of transparency that keeps consumers well-informed.
But many suggest data sovereignty can act as a barrier when moving cybersecurity to the cloud. Can it really?
Most customers fail to consider where their data is stored, but this philosophy must change if companies are to safeguard valuable information.
When it comes to sovereignty law, the strictest countries are France, Germany, and Russia.
The mandates here suggest personal information must be stored on physical servers within the country’s borders.
Some industries demand the same level of security, especially government ones. For example, United States federal agencies permit information is stored within the United States only.
But fortunately when legal and enterprise IT companies jump to the cloud, they usually rely on new service providers to meet compliance laws, a responsibility and weight off of the mind.
This has facilitated the opening of various new cloud data centers across the globe, providing companies ample opportunity to select a provider whose data locations are in line with data sovereignty laws.
Location is a critical factor to consider when migrating to the cloud, especially when you consider the importance of data sovereignty.
When you’re striking up a contract with a new cloud provider, remember to check the small print!
Review the SLA of your cloud contract and assess local laws to ensure everything is in order.
You should discuss data sovereignty concerns with relevant parties, investing time into clarifying uncertainties with internal departments.
When looking for a cloud computing partner, make sure you consider whether or not the company PCI-certified. PCI-certified vendors like Nexusguard are recognized by the PCI Security Standards Council as a PCI-certified service provider.
These vendors have the required security measures to safeguard the processing, storage and/or transmission of credit card and sensitive information.
Security and control must not be disregarded where data sovereignty is concerned.
But unfortunately, some companies shy away from moving to the cloud-based DDoS protection and other services because they believe it’s impossible to simultaneously comply with data sovereignty laws.
The fear of losing complete control over confidential data is a worrying prospect, despite there being valid data privacy considerations.
This is true of countries within the EU, which have restrictions on the data they can transfer to parties outside of the EU.
Can you imagine the position of HR and legal teams when private information is kept beyond closed doors?
This is encouragement to choose a transparent vendor, one you can trust is in full compliance and will ultimately protect your data.
The cloud vendor should offer capabilities like sophisticated access controls and end-to-end encryption. You should hold all the keys, with data being held on premises before it’s transmitted to the data center of choice.
Recent changes to data regulation around the world like GDPR are increasing restrictions on how user information can be stored and giving end users more control over how their data can be used.
Qualified cloud-based DDoS prevention vendors will stay on top of the latest changes in transparency and data collection regulation to help keep their clients in compliance.
Companies that avoid switching to the cloud-based DDoS prevention and similar security measures can be left in the dirt of competitors, so it seems the quicker companies choose to use cloud-based services the more competitive they’ll be in modern markets.
Considerable innovation and financial benefits are behind cloud computing, which should be capitalized as part of a continuous improvement philosophy.
Ban using the cloud and you’ll introduce a world of shadow IT that can result in poor resource control and still leave companies with compliance issues.
Data sovereignty should never prevent companies from using cloud-based security services, but instead, compel cloud vendors to be transparent.
At Nexusguard, data sovereignty and security is of the utmost concern. If you’d like to learn more about our data storage policies and PCI certification, please download our white paper on the subject.
If you have any questions, please contact our team of experts at Nexusguard.
We’re always on hand to resolve your issues and privileged to help those in need.
