The cloud is now a way of life for virtually everyone, even if it is not immediately evident to the everyday user. From free email accounts to social media pages, most of us couldn’t imagine being without the flexibility which the cloud offers.
With the public cloud becoming more prolific every day, and companies increasingly shifting to the agile processes the cloud enables, new threats and security risks are challenging conventional security paradigms, making it necessary for organizations to look for new and better cloud networking security solutions. 
Cloud Networking Security When the Walls are Down
As we transmit and share our data across the internet in increasingly interconnected ways, the walls that used to exist between your company’s data and the outside world are no longer there. The lines have become blurred, and security professionals are now forced to address network-wide security strategy almost on the fly. A company’s security methods must now not only be specific enough to address the threat of the day, but it must also acknowledge the threat and full scope of ongoing security risks.
By its very nature, the public cloud presents a shared security situation. This reality dictates that businesses must play a more active role in managing their data security than they may have had in the past. (Despite the urge to believe that “the cloud” is taking care of their security.) Infrastructure is maintained by the cloud provider, Because of this, responsibility for security has been decentralized. The cloud provider does provide certain base security to the companies it supports, but the data owner must directly develop infrastructure of their own as an additional layer.
The public cloud environment is rapidly growing and evolving, and it is more agile than most companies could ever dream to be. This is the draw of the cloud model. However, it is the advantages which the cloud offers which often create a significant amount of risk. Security mistakes and missteps are going to travel at the same lightning speed as the cloud offers.
Typically, business owners and data center managers worry about protecting their network equipment, machines and applications. In the public cloud, however, there are so many other possibilities for attack, ranging from infrastructure to platform and software services. You may not know understand the components of all the vendors’ security protocols – or if they are sufficient to protect you.
As organizations migrate more and more of their operations to the cloud, they must take a two pronged approach to security. First, there must be protections and procedures in place on a local level. These may include strategies such as password protocols, employee training, physical access control (card key access), or firewalls and anti-virus. But the second aspect is to understand the security protocols of the cloud based services which are employed in the organization.
How Managed Services Can Help
As complex as security can be within the four walls of your facility, it becomes exponentially important to manage once your data is in the cloud. Not only can a Sarasota managed services firm navigate the SLAs and agreements of all cloud-based applications. The benefits of having an expert team of IT professionals on your side cannot be emphasized enough in today’s fast past – and ever evolving – cyber security environment. Not only does your organization benefit from the breadth of knowledge they bring to the table, but their focus on the newest threats, trends, and safety measures which appear on a daily basis.
If you are concerned with your company’s data security, give Alliance IT a call. We will explain the benefits and risks of moving your network enterprise to the cloud, and how to best protect yourself no matter the model you choose.
