How can small and medium enterprises ensure cloud security on a budget?

In the realm of cybersecurity, a common pitfall is the one-size-fits-all approach. SMEs must avoid this. Context is key. Knowing what you want to safeguard is the first step in defining your cloud security journey. For instance, protecting patient medical records demands a different approach compared to seasonal sales data. With every piece of data holding unique value and risks, understanding your landscape can lead to tailored, and consequently, more efficient budgetary security decisions. Remember, it's not just about saving money—it's about strategically investing it.

Stick to the basics, don't be alarmed by the buzzwords. Know your business/data to be secured. Legal/Regulatory implications. Internal/External threats. Decide on the type of security control framework to start with (Zero trust vs Least privilege). Based on the above, list and prioritize your cloud security requirements. Typically risk assessment activity will help you get these information. Once you are clear with the cloud security requirements and its priorities, budgeting would be relatively easier.

Prioritize essential security measures: Focus on implementing the most critical security measures, such as strong access controls, data encryption, and regular vulnerability scans. Leverage cloud provider's security tools: Utilize the built-in security features offered by cloud providers, such as identity and access management (IAM) services and security groups. Adopt a layered security approach: Implement a multi-layered security strategy that combines cloud provider's security, open-source tools, and third-party solutions to address specific security needs.

Some buzzwords can be very powerful and alluring. Cloud is one of these. Most companies think, “Everyone else is doing it so we need to do it…” But cloud is just like any other infrastructure solution, first a company needs to define its requirements - these should be somewhat predefined as part of a business strategy anyway - before deciding what infrastructure to utilise. From here the company needs to then identify what services and USPs cloud offers (elasticity, scalability, outsourced maintenance) to cater for said strategic requirements/goals. If then (and only then) a cloud solution satisfies that requirement compared to on-premises and the company is willing to invest in adequate training, it is then likely the right solution.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can take several measures to ensure cloud security on a budget. Here are some practical steps they can follow: Risk Assessment. Choose a Reputable Cloud Service Provider (CSP). Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Data Encryption. Regular Software Updates and Patching. Access Controls and Permissions. Security Monitoring and Logging. Security Policies and Training. Regular Security Audits and Assessments. Utilize Cloud Security Tools. Incident Response Plan. Compliance and Regulation. By taking these steps, small and medium enterprises can significantly enhance their cloud security posture without breaking the budget.

Following your assessment, you may learn that your development team is well versed in the GCP stack whereas corporate would like to use O356, and AWS for the SaaS offering. Choosing a CSP or several can be daunting but consider exploring your local job market for availalble talent to explore the available talent pool. Lastly consider hiring a consultant with experience in the field to assist you in the selection using informed decisions.

By following the best practices and expertise of trained professionals SMBs and startup can control their budget and secure their environment as well.

One way small and medium businesses can access top tier cloud security solutions on a budget is by investing in integrated solutions rather than licensing individual products. There are various suites offered by reputable cloud providers that combine the productivity tools most small and medium enterprises need with best in class security products that can help protect businesses from attacks that target identities, data, applications and devices.

Does your company need the cheapest provider? What kind of data are you planning to move to the cloud? Is this provider trusted and accredited? Is it tied to governments? All allies? Research past incidents, talk with the community about that vendor and don't believe in everything the sales guy says - conflict of interest

As we often say in the cybersecurity space, trust but verify. The cloud market is vast and varies greatly in security offerings. Beyond the polished marketing, SMEs must dig deeper. Certifications are good indicators, but the real testimonial lies in how these providers handle adversity—data breaches, outages, and customer complaints. Dive into case studies, ask for references, and even reach out to peers. A trusted cloud partnership isn’t just about today's needs but anticipating tomorrow's challenges.

As most small and medium enterprises lack the human resources or budget to build a full-fledged information security team or program, implementing and maintaining security controls that adapt to changes in the business or the threat landscape can be a challenge. However, engaging the services of a reputable managed security services provider (MSSP) with a focus on the small and medium enterprise market can prove to be a worthwhile investment that makes the difference between business growth and total loss due to reputational damage, intellectual property loss/theft or regulatory fines.

Selecting a trustworthy cloud provider is the initial crucial step. Once that decision is made, it's imperative to appoint well-qualified personnel to oversee service management. Given that cloud security is a shared responsibility, it's paramount to gain a comprehensive understanding of your role within this shared accountability framework. Furthermore, regardless of the specific tasks being executed, it's essential to prioritize Identity and Access Management (IAM) by strictly implementing the principle of least privilege. This involves granting users and applications the absolute minimum permissions necessary for their designated functions, minimizing potential security risks.

Just like securing any applications and services. Information security policy is essential - defined and enforced Passwords, software updates, permissions. The most significant emphasis is on the precise identification of business needs and then protection accordingly.

Make use of inherent security features provided by the Cloud Service Provider. Azure, GCP and AWS have compliance tools built-in which cost a fraction than a substantive dedicated solution provider. Example: AWS security hub, Microsoft sentinel, GCP Assured workloads or command center These can be tagged on to your critical resources and should give you a cost-effective way to protect your information and assets on the cloud.

From a cloud tenant's perspective, effective cloud governance and vendor contract management are essential to ensure proper security and incident handling measures by the Cloud Service Provider (CSP). Conducting thorough vendor due diligence assessments and regularly monitoring SOC (System and Organization Controls) reports issued by CSPs helps assess the security compliance level of the CSP's internal controls. Additionally, tenants must ensure the proper implementation of complementary user entity controls (CUECs) as listed in the SOC reports to meet the CSP's control objectives from the tenant's perspective, creating a shared responsibility model that enhances overall cloud security.

If we start a good information Security Awareness process then we can elemenate the week peace of information Security chain.. by identification of risks and responsibilities of miss using the company information systems and infrastructure even if the infrastructure is on-premise or cloud.

Educating your team on the use of cloud services is a good way to reduce security incidents and assessing knowledge is the key to measuring the level of security awareness. Your team doesn't need to be technical experts, they need to have the tools to identify and report any suspicious activity or behavior.

This is the most important part of ensuring a secure environment. Acquiring great technology is good enough but the implementation of if is much more important. Users that will be using the technology need to understand what can go wrong with their actions. Hence the importance of user training.

Your users are the most prominent allies in your security program Invest in meaningful training and educate them on using the systems in a safe manner Update your guidelines and ask for feedback

The most important protection for your data in any regards is a well trained team. You received an attack email? Great! Show them, talk about it, train them. How can I share a document properly without risking making it public? Being aware and knowledgeable about data protection and security is a necessary core competency for any company these days.

As your cloud attack surface grows with tenants in various CSPs and SaaS services, consider using Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) to create policies meeting your requirements in securing access to cloud assets.

The best part about this practice is that you can imbibe as many services you want to and meet the required control effectiveness. Once you reach a certain perspective and require more, you can just add them as you grow !! When you finally start reporting your compliance and needed requirements like SOC 2 etc., you would be well informed of your vulnerabilities and can make controlled decisions.

Monitoring how well your cloud security posture is doing and coming up with improvements is necessary Continue looking for new solutions, automation, and cost reduction

First things first, the main benefits of moving to the cloud was never cost savings. The ENISA and CSA have these documented for the past 10+ years. There are instances where cost savings would be realized but it needs to be noted that the risk profile, attack surface and protect surfaces change when you move from on-prem to cloud. Furthermore if you do a lift and shift Vs SaaS, public Vs private or hybrid etc. - there are also different implications for securing the infrastructure. I’m an advocate for the cloud but there needs to be this baseline understanding of the fundamentals which is often lacking.

Just some tips - Don't be afraid of spending for the better EPDR system (most if not all breaches are initiated by staff) - Less is more, by this I mean have your connections and services really locked down. The less places can access the better. - Not set and forget - cyber security is an evolving beast and will continue to be. - Sh! Happens.. Make sure you have a recovery plan -MFA on all the things -generated passwords on all the things

There is the tendency of many small and medium enterprise leaders to think, "We're too small; no threat actor is interested in hacking us." This is a dangerous perspective that could spell doom for a business. Most large organisations have the resources and reputation to survive a successful cyber attack. Therefore the impact may be low compared to a small or medium enterprise. Similarly, as most small and medium enterprises lack the financial and human resources to develop a robust security programme, their level of exposure tends to be high. These two factors make small and medium enterprises the ultimate low hanging fruit for an attacker.

One of the best approach for Cloud security is to use the Benchmarks published by leading cloud security organisations, for the example CIS Cloud Security benchmarks provide checklist based checks that can be performed manually or using automated tools to identify misconfigurations or accidental exposure of data. In addition to cloud resources, there are also specific benchmarks for Virtual machines and Internet facing services.

Taking care of the low hanging fruit is a good starting point. There are lots of resources to find best practices, CSPs included, which when implemented will reduce the attack surface.