Security for business-critical applications is possible in the cloud

The role of security is to be a supporting and enabling entity in deployments, bringing trust and peace of mind. In this way, security demonstrates its vital role as a component of business continuity and risk management.

By default, cloud vendors offer a plethora of tools to ensure resources are safe in the cloud, and these should be used in every cloud installation. But if you really want to have a truly secure environment you need to bring in some third-party tools too. Another important aspect is the automation of deployments – running everything with code minimizes the risk of human error.

Well-designed and maintained security protects deployments

Well-designed cloud security protects all data and applications for short and long-term deployments. All applications have their weak points from a security point of view. When the security around an application is well maintained, applications can be run for a long period without interruptions caused by security incidents or the urgent need to install a security patch. Virtual patching and vulnerability management ensure that the relevant parts of an application remain secure.

Automated security measures save time and effort

Automation enabled by cloud deployments helps to meet the most important security requirements. Secure connectivity between the cloud and traditional data center environments can now be self-healing. Vulnerability management can be fully automated with continuous monitoring and reporting available for relevant parties. Application and API security can be automated using machine learning and artificial intelligence to eliminate boring and repetitive tasks and enable security professionals to concentrate on more urgent matters.

Achieve a consistent level of security across your organization

Third-party security solutions have the domain expertise to enable better security in cloud environments. In practice, this ensures the same level of security across the organization using the same tools and technologies and without limitations. This is a key concept when digital trust is being created with high visibility and manageability.

Reduce the risk of weakpoints

Cloud architecture differs from most on-premises solutions in that it has not been built incrementally over a long period; vendors invest heavily in hardware and all networks are implemented in such a way that everything can and should be monitored. On-premises solutions on the other hand are commonly a mix-and-match of old and new data-center technologies. This is a clarion call for hackers and provides them with several potential weaknesses to exploit. The cloud eliminates all of these challenges, minimizes the attack vector, and makes it easier to manage even large systems.

Cloud security is not an easy task to tackle and should be handled by experts in the field. Some "server huggers" speak out against the cloud because they lack knowledge and are afraid of anything new. The first step is yours to take, and the benefits are there for the taking. We encourage you to dive in and get started. We’re here to help.

Got interested? Read more: SAP on Public Cloud