Cloud Security Risks & Threats in 2023, and How to Avoid Them

Maybe you don’t realize it, but we have been using cloud computing for over a decade!

Ever sent an attachment to the email to yourself from your home computer to access that attachment from another location by signing in to your account? Well, that was basic cloud storage in 2005!

Cloud computing is obtaining wider adoption as the years’ pass. It provides many benefits to every size of organization and individual in terms of flexibility, scalability, speed and performance.

Moving onto the cloud is becoming necessary for everyone. However, everything has its pros and cons, and so does cloud computing. It implies different challenges and risks for those adopting it, whether you are an individual, solopreneur, or a multi-international company.

In this article, we have put together some risks and challenges in cloud computing together with some strategies to prevent and minimize them.

OK, but What Is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is an on-demand technology that delivers IT resources (hardware and software services) through the internet with pay to use charges. Instead of buying and maintaining computer products, you can use a cloud computing service.

Cloud services are offered by cloud providers such as AEserver. Like other cloud providers, AEserver also deploys servers in different locations called data centres to deliver the services to the customers. This way, the users who implement cloud services can save time, cost and effort while letting us manage the systems and applications. Users can use the service as long as they need with on-demand scalability in a secure environment.

Challenges and Risks in Cloud Computing

If you are going to implement cloud technology, it’s important to know the challenges and risks you might face. We have also presented some strategies to prevent them along with the risk.

Security and Privacy

Security and privacy are the biggest concerns in cloud computing. As everyone is using the cloud on a global scale, the risks are becoming higher than ever because lots of data is available for hackers to breach.

The drawback of cloud computing is that the users don’t know where their data is stored and processed. If the data is not managed correctly during implementation, risks like data leak, breaches, theft, hacked APIs, account hijacking can happen.

Prevention: First of all, find out that your cloud provider has safe and secure identity authentication management and access control. You should know what security they provide you against any specific factor. Ask them for the security measures they have implemented and do they have enough resources and expertise to handle if something goes wrong? If you are satisfied with their security service, stay with your current cloud provider; otherwise, switch your account ASAP.

Compliance Risks

Due to the increase of cyber attacks, compliance rules are getting more strict. Regulatory bodies like GDPR ensure that organizations obey the federal rules and regulations to maintain data security and privacy for themselves and their customers.

Another big challenge for organizations adopting cloud is compliance because 44% of the respondents fail to comply with the applicable state. The issue arises for everyone using cloud services. When the organization moves their data from on-premises to the cloud, it must comply with the local laws. If they don’t properly do it by any means, they could face penalties that can ruin their reputation, trust and cost money.

Prevention: Always choose a cloud provider compliant with the standard rules applicable in your state or country. A good cloud service provider offers certified compliance. While for some others, you should research and understand what regulations they are compliant with. It will save you from penalties during audits and maintain the customers’ trust.

Less Visibility and Control

Cloud computing saves time, effort and cost by giving the benefit of not managing the infrastructure and resources like servers to keep the system working. But the problem is it offers reduced visibility and control into their software, applications and other computing assets.

Organizations often find it challenging to verify how secure the systems are due to no access to the tools and resources on the cloud. Moreover, they don’t have complete insights into their services to identify any abnormal pattern leading to a breach.

Prevention: Before adopting the cloud, organizations must understand all the necessary details about data management, access and control, and the security the provider uses to reduce risks and data breaches.

By knowing about visibility and control, you can monitor continuously to get a better insight into your data, applications and services.

Migrating to Cloud

Moving your data and other computing assets from on-premises to the cloud enables computing capabilities to take place on the cloud infrastructure and is accessible from any location.

Organizations may face many problems during the process as the overall process takes a lot of time and resources, and they don’t know how to deal with expert cloud providers that are already in business for years. They can face challenges like security, speed, downtime, complexity, troubleshooting, expenses, and so on that ultimately lead to poor user experience. Similarly, the same challenges can be faced when an organization wants to migrate from one cloud provider to another.

Prevention: before choosing a cloud provider, make sure to analyze your requirements and every factor affected while migrating to the cloud. By this, you can compare different providers and choose a suitable service provider, ensuring you minimal troubles in business operations.

Confliction Between Infrastructures

When moving your system from on-premises to the cloud, conflict may arise between cloud service and on-premises infrastructure. This challenge required the organizations to invest more in making the system compatible by any means. Otherwise, it will invite trouble for organizations.

Prevention: First, make a list of all services, technologies, assets and systems you would like to move on the cloud. Then ask the service provider how compatible their services are with yours. If it’s compatible, you can go for the service provider. If not, move to the next provider and repeat the process until you find a suitable one for you.

Improper Management

Improper cloud access control and management can lead to different risks for an organization. Hackers leverage web applications, perform data breaches, steal credentials and other unauthorized activities. They can face access management issues if they have a large workforce.

Due to poor access control and management, organizations can face credential issues, inactive users signed for long terms, mismanagement of certificates and keys. As a result, organizations can be vulnerable to attacks, and their data can be exposed, affecting their reputation and increasing unnecessary expenses.

Prevention: organizations must have proper control and management of their user accounts to avoid such issues. Many identities and access providers are available to ensure you only authorized users can access your network and applications. You can also use a third-party tool to analyze users, groups and roles. Some tools can show you who has access to information and resources and help you detect suspicious activities, and take sudden actions to stay protected.

Lack of Expertise

Cloud technologies are rapidly becoming more advanced to cater to different needs. At the same time, it is also becoming more difficult for organizations to find experts to maintain cloud systems. It is also quite expensive for small to medium-size businesses to hire a cloud expert.

Not everyone in the organization is familiar with cloud technologies, and the IT staff must also be trained to use cloud technologies efficiently by themselves. Again, it is expensive and is a burden for many organizations with limited budgets.

Prevention: those organizations who adopt new cloud technologies make sure they use technologies that are easy to use, implement and deploy. You can also run in-house training where your senior cloud professionals can train the new staff.

Downtime

This is one of the most irritating things about the cloud. Many organizations face downtime due to poor internet connections. If you have high-speed and consistent internet, you can make the most of cloud service. If you don’t, you may face downtime, which will frustrate the users and reduce productivity.

Prevention: it is important to have consistent and quality internet connectivity, especially for businesses. If they don’t have, they must invest more to get the required speed and uptime to access their systems whenever they want. It will increase their work efficiency and productivity and reduce security issues that may sleep in during downtimes.

Conclusion

As cloud computing provides many benefits, it also involves many risks for organizations. That is why it is important to know the issues that may arise if you plan to move onto the cloud.

By now, you will definitely understand what challenges and risks you may face in the cloud. Well, it might look easy to adopt cloud, but it’s not. However, you can make it easy by choosing a good and reputable service provider.

With all these challenges and risks, AEserver is a UAE based hosting and cloud provider ensuring the security of your business and your customers with the best technologies and tools you need on the cloud. Our security services and add-on tools will help you minimize the risk you face in a cloud environment.

So, reduce the troubles and make your first move to the cloud with grace!