For organizations that employ cloud infrastructure, it is easy to assume that adopting cloud is enough to ensure that your IT framework is up to the mark. However, employing the cloud is just the tip of the iceberg. You must also have a holistic idea of the state of your cloud services and very importantly, ensure that the cloud setup is secure from all sides. To attain this, cloud services need to be evaluated continuously. This will help you establish and maintain proactive security standards and also understand how well your cloud is performing.
In other words, achieving the right level of cloud maturity is essential and for that, your organization to adopt the right security posture. This is where Cloud Security Posture Management or CSPM enters the scene. Cloud Security Posture Management provides a centralized method of effectively assessing the status of your cloud security – real-time detection of vulnerabilities and evaluating the security posture.
CSPM comes with certain practices that help determine where your organization stands in terms of cloud security and compliance. But very often organizations tend to make mistakes in their implementation of CSPM.
Some of the most commonly observed mistakes that you must avoid include –
Underestimating the maturity of the company
No matter how small your organization is, securing its assets should always be your primary concern. The thought that your company is not enough large to enforce CSPM practices only makes it more vulnerable to cloud security threats. So the first mistake is assuming that your company is not big enough for CSPM, and this mindset must be totally avoided.
Not going for a multi-cloud CSPM setup
Each cloud setup comes with a different control pane, governance, and management structures. So you should invest in CSPM applications that offer multi-cloud protection and monitoring when you have multiple setups. Many companies go for third-party CSPM tools which are said to be one-size-fits-all, but these hardly provide a cohesive view across all your cloud setups. So relying on such tools will only lead to a lack of visibility, inconsistency and also heighten the chances of missing critical insights which in turn increases risks.
Trying to manage it all by themselves
When it comes to individual cloud projects, your organization can implement its own processes to secure a cloud setup. But when there are several cloud pipelines, users, and projects to take care of, the sheer vastness becomes a formidable challenge. And avoiding collaboration with professional CSPM service providers only leads to additional complexities. The main objective of adopting the cloud is to enjoy unlimited scalability; but as you scale up, its management becomes more difficult. In such cases, your organization will need comprehensiveness to ensure the security of the overall cloud infrastructure.
Restricting the focus
Many organizations consider CSPM to be a one-time investment; they only purchase a CSPM solution and train a handful of employees. However, that approach can be costly in the longer run. Ideally, they should familiarize and train people across the projects about CSPM. If you think of it, vigilance about cloud security is not only needed once the project is complete but throughout the lifecycle, as soon as the project starts its development phase. So, the DevOps team should also be included for training for CSPM. This way when you choose to not silo cloud processes, your company gets to avail of more benefits and opportunities.
What are some of the CSPM best practices to follow?
The best way to move ahead is to first build a strategy for CSPM adoption. You need to clearly chalk out aspirations and goals when it comes to cloud posture. Next, streamline compliance standards for your organization and train all your employees and teams to stay mindful of cloud security. Employing guidelines like CIS and their cloud-specific benchmarks is the best way to detect and remediate issues related to compliance. And with a robust CSPM solution, you can automate the entire process to ensure timeliness and rapid resolution.
But, most important is to formulate a plan of proactive and continuous evaluation and monitoring so that no vulnerabilities go unnoticed. CSPM does not have to be a challenging integration to your organizational infrastructure; you only need some careful planning to derive the best outcome.
