Cloud computing offers many opportunities for companies and governments. The entire infrastructure can be hosted centrally on the cloud provider’s platform. At the same time, individual applications will be available around the world around the clock. Working in the cloud offers clear benefits when teams and project teams from different offices collaborate. All employees gain access to IT services such as software, storage space or computing power over data networks. It depends on their needs.
Cloud security is the act of protecting all services and data in the cloud from attacks on their availability, integrity, confidentiality, and data leaks. While cloud service providers must ensure the security of the cloud infrastructure, the shared responsibility model also requires customers to self-protect their workloads, applications, and data in the cloud.
Cloud Security
At first glance, it might seem that the client company has no control over the security of the cloud. The entire cloud – all servers, routers and switches – is the property of the supplier. However, there are many ways you can protect your business and ensure that your responsibilities are fulfilled in a shared responsibility model. While taking full advantage of the cloud.
Before discussing securing the cloud architecture, it is worth taking a look at the structure of the cloud with cloud application consulting. Companies now have a variety of cloud options available: three cloud service models and four deployment models.
Cloud service models:
- Infrastructure as a service (IaaS). It allows companies to create their own virtual data center;
- Platform as a Service (PaaS). It provides a variety of options for obtaining, deploying, or building software;
- Software as a service (SaaS). The client can use the program without installing it on his computer or server. Examples of SaaS include Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) and Gmail. To work with them, the client only needs a device with online access.
Various vendors may name their products differently from what NIST defines them in order to clarify what exactly they provide. For example, DRaaS – Disaster Recovery as a Service, or “disaster recovery as a service”. Other similar terms are built on the same principle, and you can even come across the concept of XaaS – “everything as a service”. It can be difficult for product marketing to define its cloud service model. But in any case, clearly defining supplier responsibilities remains more important. Cloud service providers are also extending their contracts with additional security services such as HSMaaS (Hardware Security as a Service) or DRMaaS (Technical Copyright as a Service).
Four deployment models:
- Public cloud. Cloud services can be purchased by anyone. Notable examples at the moment are Amazon Web Service (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP);
- Private cloud. Created for a specific company, with the underlying hardware used only by the client company. A private cloud can be created in the public cloud or in the client company’s own data center. Also, a private cloud can be provided by a Managed Service Provider (MSP);
- Public cloud. In this case, a group of organizations share services or data in the cloud. An example of this model is clouds used by several government agencies;
- Hybrid cloud. A combination of at least two of the above cloud models: public and private, private and public, or public and public. All three models can be used at once.
Cloud architecture
Cloud architecture is the organization of the components and elements of the cloud environment in a logical and efficient structure. And here you can get more info. This structure should allow the components to work together to achieve a goal. The architecture, ideally, guarantees the maximum level of productivity and has a minimum of weak points. The basic components for building a cloud include networks, routers, switches, servers, firewalls, and intrusion prevention systems. Also, parts of the cloud are such elements within the servers as the hypervisor, virtual machines and, of course, applications. Building, managing, and delivering cloud services involves a vendor, architect, and broker.