As cloud computing has grown over the last few years, organizations have been trying to find ways to enjoy the host of benefits cloud technology has to offer while avoiding its challenges. A hybrid cloud environment turns out to be an ideal option for several businesses, as it provides flexibility, scalability, cost savings, enhanced performances, and many more advantages. 

According to Statista, the global hybrid cloud market will reach USD 145 billion by 2026. The wide adoption of hybrid cloud proves how useful this blend is turning out to be. However, with every great technology, there is a set of pitfalls that need to be addressed. 

While hybrid cloud keeps its promises of flexibility, scalability, etc., it also poses challenges like lack of visibility and issues of data security. In this article, we will talk about the risks of hybrid cloud security and how businesses can overcome them. Let’s begin. 

  1. VISIBILITY

Blending public clouds with private clouds can increase complexity, making it difficult for firms to view and control their distributed systems clearly. Lack of visibility increases security risks as manual configuration management and patching become complex. Consequently, it can slow down operations, cause internal conflicts, hinder agile development, and cause threats to grow exponentially. 

Solution: Companies must focus on automation to enhance hybrid cloud security. Implementing both infrastructure and security as code, avoiding manual operations, and leveraging relevant open tools can help firms to:

  • ensure visibility 
  • simplify security audits
  • enable shareability and verification
  • increase control
  1. HUMAN ERRORS

Human error is a significant reason behind cloud security breaches. Human errors that occur during basic configuration, access, and architectural design lead to security breaches. Additionally, partnering with vendors for hybrid cloud implies a shared responsibility for security. You may often end up with the entire burden of managing security updates, configurations, data, guest OS, etc. In such cases, even the advanced security technologies implemented by the vendor may not prove efficient if a human error occurs. 

Solution: Understanding the model of shared responsibility and then encrypting sensitive data is essential. You must be clear about the shared responsibilities from the beginning to know what falls under your supervision. Subsequently, you must encrypt sensitive data to ensure data safety. 

Once you clarify the shared responsibility aspects, you must ensure regular management of updates. Managing security updates regularly and using strong security measures like data classification and IAM with encryption can also enhance security. 

Additionally, you can educate your end users about safety standards and limit access according to the principle of least privilege.

  1. COMPLIANCE

Today, cloud technology is used across all industry verticals. The ones with high regulatory requirements and compliance standards may struggle significantly with hybrid clouds. Many organizations ensure compliance with compulsory regulations and standards through manual verifications. The process can be highly complex and prone to errors due to different compliance requirements, and the blend of different clouds may increase the complexity. Also, manual compliance checks may not be completely reliable.

Solution: Automating the process is essential to avoid errors. Automated compliance checks can lead to quicker verifications, enhanced accuracy, less complexity, and better visibility across the entire infrastructure. As a result, effective compliance and better security are ensured.  

  1. DATA

Data security is a complex task in itself, and when it comes to hybrid clouds, it may become more arduous. A single measure cannot ensure complete data security, and many organizations struggle with maintaining multiple security measures at once. Also, data in motion may face significant threats like alteration and interception. So, data at rest and data in motion may require different protection strategies, which may be hard to manage.

Solution: Some steps you can take to protect your data at rest are:

  • Using hardware encryption like TPM (Trusted Platform Module)
  • Using full-disk or partition encryption 
  • Avoiding manual entry of passwords into encrypted drives
  • Make TPM a part of network-bound disk encryption to provide two layers of security

Some steps you can take to protect your data at rest are:

  • Encrypting network sessions
  • Using internet protocol security to encrypt communication among hosts
  • Leverage solutions that ensure the implementation of standard protection measures  
  1. RISK MANAGEMENT, ASSESSMENT, AND MONITORING

As cloud technology evolves, so do the ways of cybercrime. Hybrid cloud networks face high risks surrounding the compromise of vulnerable communication channels and network endpoints. An increase in vulnerabilities and threats demands extensive risk assessment, monitoring, and management for increased security. However, it can be confusing and arduous for many organizations, especially the ones new to hybrid cloud security. 

Solution: Evaluating and quantifying risk to develop a detailed risk profile can help you to identify the resources you need for superior security. Knowing the kind of resources you’ll need to ensure protection can help keep all end-points updated with no loopholes. 

Additionally, you can monitor the traffic behavior in your network with the help of modern AI-based monitoring solutions. It can help you approach hybrid cloud security proactively by finding potential risks and alerting you about them. 

CONCLUSION

Hybrid clouds are in high demand owing to their myriad of benefits. These benefits range from flexibility to scalability, making hybrid clouds exceptional solutions for businesses across all industries. Its challenges may act as a barrier in your journey to success, but effective management with the proper practices and relevant solutions can help you overcome them.

All users of hybrid cloud technology generally face the risks mentioned in this article in some way or the other. By implementing the solutions mentioned above, you can tackle these challenges effectively.