What is Security Monitoring in Cloud Computing? Have A Look Over It
In a Cloud Security and Management System, there is a vital role of monitoring process. Depending upon the programmed automated approaches, security monitoring in cloud computing continuously supervises the physical as well as virtual server. This helps in measuring and assessing the application, data, or the infrastructural behavior for potential cybercrime. Cloud Security Monitoring gives assurance to the customers that online platform will hold functioning in an optimal manner, minimizing the risk of sudden data breaches.
Types of Services to be Monitored
Several types of online services are there, which needs monitoring for safety from Cyber threats. Security monitoring is not limited up to the security of the servers hosted on Azure, AWS, etc. For an enterprise, it is about evaluating and managing cloud-based services, which are getting consumed by their employees. Following are the types of cloud services that need to be monitored if utilized in an organization:
- SaaS – Cloud services like Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce, G Drive, etc.
- PaaS – Developer-friendly software like SQL database, storage, caching, etc.
- IaaS – The servers hosted by the CSP like Digital Ocean, AWS, Azure, etc.
- FaaS – New server independent applications like Azure Functions and AWS Lambda
- Application Hosting – Services like Heroku, Azure App services, etc.
All these types of cloud applications can be monitored with cloud security monitoring tools. There are some unique set of requirements for evaluating the server software. Well, different managed security service providers are there who provide cloud monitoring as their services. Large or medium size enterprise can join hand with them to focus more on strategy for their business growth rather than cloud security. It is recommended because both cloud security and the company’s development demands proper plan and attention.
How Does Security Monitoring in Cloud Computing Works?
More than one measures are there that provides online data monitoring process. It can either be done on cloud platform itself or on-premises environment through already existing security software. Following are basic key capabilities that need to be covered in a cloud security monitoring application:
- Scalability – Product should be capable enough to handle and analyze the huge amount of data under a distributed business environment.
- Visibility – The more the visibility process is present in the software, file behavior, and user, the better it will be able to identify Cyber attacks and compromised accounts.
- Timeliness – The best cloud monitoring service should render continuous service to monitor activities that are carried away with business online resources.
- Integration – Security Monitoring in online computing must have the ability to consolidate with broad range of CSPs. This ensures complete monitoring of cloud storage within an organization.
- Audit and Report – Auditing and Reporting: both of these procedures should be present in the online data monitoring software. These help in managing the compliance requirements for business cloud data protection.
Cloud Monitoring Best Practices
A proper planning and strategy is required to achieve the best cloud monitoring service. The strategy should determine answers to a few questions and, major objective for implementation, like:
- Consolidated Platform For Multiple Data – In addition to the cloud monitoring services, enterprises obviously have their own architecture. This demands for approaches that report information from different sources all at one platform. The platform will be the one on which calculation of uniform metrics take place and gives a comprehensive performance view.
- Ability to Calculate the Metrics and Events – What type of business activities need to be evaluated and monitored? There is no need to put each and every single firm activity under security monitoring procedure. Enterprises should be known from the fact that they have to monitor the metrics, which impacts the organization growth.
- Monitor the Employee’s Activity And Experience – Companies need to learn ‘what employees are doing with their allocated business resources?’ The best cloud monitoring service should be having the capability to monitor metrics like data usage frequency and response time. This kind of calculation will help in getting complete performance image of each and every employee working in the firm.
- Carefully Check Cloud Services And Its Use – The cloud computing technology works on the principle ‘pay what you use’. Sometimes a situation might occur where employees are using more than the services, which are not involved in the business plan. This might lead to paying extra charges to use additional services. So, here comes the requirement for a robust solution through which one track that how much industry activity is performed on enterprise cloud and, at the end of the day, how much it costs.
- Instant Alert on Cyber Attack Occurrence – Generally at night, it is impossible for few enterprises to have continuous look on their online resources. This demands for a solution that keeps an eye on the business confidential content both in day and night. Here comes the need for cloud security solution, which appoints a security team to analyze, monitor, and evaluate business data. Apart from all this, if the activity goes below or above the defined thresholds, the security monitoring approach in cloud computing should detect that. When detection successfully takes place remove or add the server accordingly, for maintaining constant performance and efficiency.
- Proper Data Classification and Centralization – A separate location should be maintained by the administrator of the organization where only the data is kept, which is to be monitored with the adopted solution. It should be easy in centralized access for the key stakeholders.
Observational Verdict
Security monitoring in cloud computing technology is important in today’s era because nothing is safe in this Cyberworld. Data protection and safety against Cyber threats both things are in the hand of cloud service providers and its consumers. If anyone of the entity does not deal with online security solutions in a serious manner then, no one can stop the occurrence of internal or external Cyber attacks.