In recent years, household names like Co-op and M&S have made headlines, not for innovation, but for devastating data breaches. The common thread? A public cloud-first strategy. Off the back of this news, it’s no wonder the 2022 State of Public Cloud Security report reveals critical gaps in public cloud security strategy, with 78% of attack paths identified using known vulnerabilities.
Public clouds are ideal for simplifying tasks and integrating tools, but they often fall short when it comes to protecting businesses. As more enterprises rush to the cloud, drawn in by the promise of scalability and flexibility, they’re overlooking a harsh reality – that the public cloud’s security measures can be unreliable, and the hidden costs of securing it properly can be staggering.
The consequences of not choosing a secure cloud infrastructure can be serious, from exposure or theft of sensitive data to erosion of public trust and loss of customers for good.
This blog explores why signing up your business for a public cloud can be a double-edged sword, promising convenience and cost-effectiveness but perhaps at the cost of your business’s security.
The Cloud Security Misconception
There’s a persistent myth in the industry: “The cloud is secure by default.” It’s not. Public cloud platforms operate on a shared responsibility model; your provider secures the infrastructure, but you’re responsible for your public cloud’s security, including safeguarding your data, your workloads, and your users.
To achieve true enterprise-grade visibility and protection, you must rely on a complex web of tools:
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
With hybrid and remote work still thriving, IAM provides secure access to your organisation’s resources to the right people at the right time on the right machine, through identity management and access management (such as through multi-factor authentication). In short, without IAM, you’ll struggle to manage who and what has access to your company’s systems.
Web Application Firewalls (WAF)
WAFs are specialised firewalls that filter and monitor traffic between your web application and the internet and safeguard your web applications from cross-site forgery, cross-site scripting (XSS), file inclusion, and SQL injection.
Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS)
IDS/IPS are network security applications that monitor network traffic or system activities for possible threats and block them from entering your organisational network.
DDoS Protection
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) protects your cloud from attacks that can cripple business operations by overwhelming servers with traffic and causing websites or applications to go offline.
SIEM Integration
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems are deployed to detect suspicious activity and alert security teams by collecting and analysing logs across your cloud.
Compliance Monitoring
Compliance monitoring is critical for finance, healthcare, or public services that need their cloud configurations and data processing to meet GDPR and ISO 27001.
Each of these services added is another line item on your bill. The result? A security posture that’s only as strong as your budget, and in many cases, that budget doesn’t stretch nearly far enough.
4 Common Public Cloud Security Risks
Here are four common security concerns with the public cloud that your organisation should be aware of:
1. Data Breaches
The increasing popularity and adoption of public cloud make it a more appealing target for hackers. Public clouds often use APIs to allow integration with other systems, which often creates vulnerabilities if these APIs are not adequately secure.
2. Weak Authentication
The security of your business data is reliant on the cloud security strategy in place. It’s essential that you have robust authentication methods and processes, including multi-factor authentication (MFA).
3. Lack of Encryption
Failing to encrypt data in your public cloud security strategy means you’ll run the risk of it being intercepted, accessed without permission, or stolen by cyber criminals. Data encryption converts your data into ciphertext and makes it unreadable to anyone without authorised access.
4. User Identity Theft
Storing data in the public cloud increases your risk of identity fraud and phishing attacks. Cyber attackers use various means, such as data breaches, malware, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, to steal your customers’ personal data.
How Public Cloud Costs Can Spiral Budgets Out of Control
Public cloud providers thrive on the consumption model. It’s marketed as “pay for what you use,” but in reality, it often becomes “pay for what you didn’t realise you were using.” Complex billing dashboards, variable charges, and unpredictable workloads combine to create surprise bills that spiral public cloud costs out of control.
Want better security? That’ll cost you.
Need deeper audit trails? Open your wallet.
Accidentally left a high-throughput service on for a weekend? Brace for impact.
With a public cloud, security and cost become trade-offs, not complements.
When Security Fails, Reputations Follow
It’s not just about budgets, it’s about trust. When major retailers and service providers suffer breaches, the consequences ripple across their customer base. Loss of reputation, regulatory fines, shareholder scrutiny; it’s a painful reminder that cloud convenience can lead to catastrophic oversight.
What’s the Alternative?
For businesses with compliance-sensitive workloads or complex security requirements, private and hybrid cloud models offer a compelling alternative. With predictable billing, complete infrastructure control, and customisable security frameworks, managed sovereign private cloud providers like BlackBox Hosting empower businesses to:
Maintain Full Data Sovereignty
Our UK-based sovereign private cloud ensures complete data security and privacy of your data, so you can avoid any geopolitical risks.
Harden Security from the Infrastructure Up
Our robust and reliable security measures include:
- 24/7 Monitoring: We keep a constant watch over your digital domain.
- Swift Response: We take immediate action in detecting even the minutest of threats to prevent service disruption and downstream impact. Plus, we don’t charge you for DDoS protection.
- Reliable Experts: You can rely on our team of cybersecurity experts to work tirelessly to shield your digital assets.
- Bespoke Solutions: Personalise private cloud security to fit with your operations and industry-specific risks.
Avoid the Billing Minefield of Public Cloud
We’re 50% cheaper and 76% faster than public cloud providers (AWS and Azure), with clear, fixed billing practices, and you’re never penalised for consumption.
Access Uncompromised Private Cloud Security from BlackBox Hosting
Public cloud has its place, but it’s not a silver bullet. The idea that cloud equals security is a dangerous misconception. So, before going “cloud-first”, ask yourself:
Can you afford public cloud security?
Or are you ready for something smarter?
If you want true protection, visibility, and control with the flexibility of a public cloud, consider our managed private cloud services.
Call us on +44(0)203 740 7840 or contact us to partner with a leading managed cloud provider to bolster your cloud security.
