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Security Tactics to Boost Your Cloud Security
Over the past year, several businesses have accelerated their digital migration plans by adopting cloud services and strategies. While the shift to the cloud environment has helped organizations function remotely, it has also exposed them to major cloud security risks. In this blog post, we will cover the 4 Vital Security Tactics to Boost Your Cloud Security
Most small-scale businesses still use their on-premises security controls. Some have slightly adapted them to suit their cloud environments. But, such half-baked security measures aren’t fully up to pace to offer optimal protection in the current cloud security landscape.
- How serious are the cloud-security risks? According to Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report, 2020 was the first year when external cloud assets of businesses were more commonly targeted by cybercriminals than on-premises assets. The total number of cloud security breaches and incidents across the Western world reached record highs.
- How expensive are the cloud security threats? According to a recent poll, companies will need to spend $2.47 million on average over the next 12 months to close security gaps in their cloud environments.
- What is the biggest cloud security risk in this year? In a recent poll, 64% of corporate professionals claimed data loss is the number one cloud security concern. Ransomware is also a top threat as such Cyberattack threats can quickly bring organizations to complete halts.
IT Support and Security Tactics
71% of organizations in the West currently use hybrid (multi-cloud) cloud strategies. While hybrid cloud approaches offer perks like easy integration of apps, business continuity, etc., they also open critical security gaps.
Leave these gaps open for too long, and your company may experience data leakage, unnecessary downtime, and other security risks. It’s vital for modern-day businesses to be “incident-ready” at all times, meaning companies must implement well-defined cloud security strategies.
Here are four critical cloud security tactics every business must implement in 2021 to protect their cloud environments from security threats
4 Vital Security Tactics to Boost Your Cloud Security
1. Start Automating Cloud Functions
Cloud automation is the process of using code to simplify cloud operations. Companies must invest in cloud automation testing to strengthen their cloud management capabilities. Automate certain cloud functions so that when potential problems arise – they’re flagged and addressed automatically.
Here are three cloud functions you can automate to instantly improve your operational efficiency –
- Automated Server Management: Automation is a lifesaver when servers fail. Temporary standby servers are automatically updated. Workloads are instantly shifted to other locations to keep things running.
- Automated Incident Response: Preventive security controls can’t eliminate all potential data theft risks. Setting up an automated cloud incident response strategy means your company can make faster responses to security-related incidents.
- Automated Software Updates: Replacing end-of-life devices and old software tools with outdated security tools is vital. Even more vital is regularly checking for updates and applying extra security patches whenever they become available. Automating this process with software tools can help businesses save a lot of time.
2. Invest in the Right Technology Stack and an Expert Team to Manage those Technologies
Having antivirus programs or localized internal security processes won’t protect your cloud infrastructure from security breaches. Without the right technology stack, it’s impossible to understand cloud usage and key security risks.
Businesses must invest in technological stacks for threat detection and containment activities. Your cloud monitoring tech stack should be able to –
- Identify and categorize regulated data so that companies can understand how their sensitive data is being shared by cloud participants. It’s okay to store sensitive data in the cloud. But, you need the right tools to monitor who accesses this data, where it goes, etc.
- Set up permission systems on all files and folders in the cloud environment. The tools should be able to track user roles, locations, device types, etc., at all times.
- Uncover harmful behavior of careless employees and third-party cyber-attackers.
Start this process by auditing your cloud configurations for encryption, network configuration, and identity/access management. Then, understand the most exploitable weaknesses in your cloud infrastructure. Employ a skilled cloud security team (in-house or outsource) that can efficiently address these threats and –
- Ensure end-to-end cloud security monitoring.
- Create and manage a comprehensive cyber threat intelligence database.
- Help installs efficient security monitoring systems.
- Conduct threat modeling based on real-time threat intelligence whenever suspicious activities are detected on the cloud.
Outsourcing cloud management responsibilities is the most secure and the most flexible option for business owners new to the cloud. Such service providers prevent security risks and costly downtime by patching all exploits as and when they happen.
3. Create a Dedicated Privileged Access Management Strategy
Privileged accounts on cloud systems are user accounts that have more “privileges” than the average user. These accounts can install/remove software, upgrade cloud configurations, etc. That’s why privileged accounts are the most vulnerable to security threats.
Cybercriminals know that compromised ‘privileged accounts’ will grant them unfettered access to the company’s IT infrastructure. Unmanaged privileged accounts are the leading cause of on-cloud data breaches.
Companies must implement a Privileged Access Management (PAM) strategy before attackers gain administrative control over their ‘privileged’ cloud accounts. According to a recent Gartner survey, by 2020, 90% of organizations will implement dedicated PAM strategies.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of organizations currently lack the PAM technology and au fait support needed to implement PAM strategies. Here are some primary PAM practices that are easy to implement –
- Create a concept of privileged identity in the workplace
- Create appropriate access management strategies according to the pre-defined roles and responsibilities of each team member.
- Separate cloud-management duties by giving each team member different roles and authorizations
- Use dedicated monitoring systems to oversee all privileged access requests.
The separation of roles, authorizations, and responsibilities should be based on specific security processes. For instance, there needs to be one privileged user who has access to the company’s encryption keys. Other members shouldn’t have privileged access to this data.
4. Always Respond to Cloud Security Issues
As your business evolves in the cloud, there will be security incidents that demand either automated or personalized responses. These cloud security incidents will happen on a regular basis. Make sure to respond to each security threat.
- Use two-factor authentication whenever users access sensitive data in the cloud. By asking for extra verification for high-risk access situations, you can lower the volume of daily security incidents.
- Keep adjusting cloud access policies as you integrate new tools, apps, services, etc.
- Conduct daily scans of all files in cloud storage. Use anti-malware tools to regularly eliminate all suspicious files.
Cloud isn’t just an IT technology that businesses use to access data or improve their company’s computing capabilities. It’s a solution that’s in the minds of every CIO that wants to advance business their business operations. As your business evolves in the cloud environment, so do the security threats you face by using the cloud.
You’ll need a top cloud security provider to implement new, advanced security solutions on a regular basis. We at Eyes Everywhere are the ideal IT security expert to give your business the cloud security boost it needs. The company offers advanced off and on-site cloud support services. Be it conducting enterprise-grade cloud backups or securing a company’s cloud file-sharing system – Eyes Everywhere can provide end-to-end cloud security solutions for all types of businesses.
Windows 11 Upgrade Hardware Compatibility Guide – Tips & Tricks
Microsoft requires a PC with a TPM 2.0 device to upgrade to Windows 11. New Registry listings, on the other hand, have been found that allow you to evade the TPM necessity as well as the least memory and secure boot demands. In this guide, we will cover Windows 11 Upgrade Hardware Compatibility Guide. We will share with you the best tips and tricks you should know!
Microsoft established additional primary demand with Windows 11, requiring all gadgets to have a TPM 2.0 security engine to use some of the working system’s safety features.
Windows earlier Reported that TPM 2.0 is required for Measuring Boot, Endpoint Encryption, WD Security Guard, System Wellness Attestation, TPM Interface Crypto Service Key Management, and TPM in Hyper-V.
What’s Next?
A hardware encryption TPM is integrated through most CPUs made in the last 5-6 years and may be activated in the BIOS for most users.
Just boot your laptop into BIOS and activate the Intel Platform Trust Technology (Intel PTT) or AMD Security Solutions, based on your CPU, to activate the TPM.
If your motherboard doesn’t contain this function, you might be able to install a separate TPM 2.0 processor. However, if your operating system is old enough to lack a built-in TPM, your motherboard’s component will almost certainly be TPM 1.2, which is incompatible with Windows 11.
This restriction is inconvenient for users using Windows 10 on outdated hardware because they must acquire the latest hardware to install Windows 11.
Windows 11 Upgrade Hardware Guide
Microsoft’s next operating system, Windows 11, is expected to become the next main OS around the board. Since you’re not clear what an operating system is, the most fundamental point to remember is that it’s what the device does when you switch it on.
The user experience allows you to perform running programs, browsing the internet, and storing data. Since the mid-1980s, Microsoft has just been building Exe files, and it is currently the world’s most famous operating system. Windows 11 is the OS’s eleventh big release, and it will include several significant functionality and relevant analysis.
The vital characteristic of Windows 11?
Windows 11 offers a new design, faster productivity, better gaming efficiency, Android app integration, and much more to Windows users. It will have a fresh, simple, transparent look and a redesigned start menu, nicknamed the Docks. It is optimized for multi-touch on the newest technology.
Customers will be able to reorganize windows into novel formations, such as a 4×4 grid. That may then be saved as a Snapshot Group and retrieved. Microsoft Widgets, an AI-powered stream of data based on hobbies and daily tasks, will be installed on the device. It will include scheduled maintenance updates, transportation, weather, athletics, and much more.
The operating system has integrated Microsoft Teams connectivity for productivity. According to Microsoft, the addition of Teams capabilities to the start button and taskbar would make it much easier to communicate with friends and coworkers among devices.
In addition, when you are using Windows on a computer with an output device, Windows 11 remembers the location of window frames on that screen when it’s unplugged and restores them when you connect it back in.
Straight Storage allows the GPU to get files directly from an expanded SSD, reducing loading times in games. Auto HDR uses machine learning to offer a high dimensionality to games that don’t have it natively.
Integration for Android apps is yet another remarkable aspect of the new OS. These will be available for free download through the Windows Store and, once downloaded, should function similarly to other Windows programs.
You can also use Snap Templates to attach them to a specific region of your display, so you don’t have to search for your phone. It’s worth noting that Microsoft is collaborating with Amazon rather than Google to provide this feature.
As a result, Windows Store Android apps will use the Amazon marketplace rather than the Google Play Store, restricting the total number of options. Being outside the app store, it appears to be able to implement or load apps.
How to get around Windows 11’s TPM necessity
It’s possible that you don’t have a TPM 2.0 loaded or activated if you try to install Windows 11 and get a notice saying, “This PC can’t run Windows 11.”
The great news is that Microsoft has included a new ‘LabConfig’ configuration file. This file adjusts settings to disable TPM 2.0, 4GB memory, and Protect Boot.
Established on the title of the registry key, it’s probable that Microsoft or OEMs use it to build up a “lab” environment to evaluate Windows 11 on existing devices or evaluate the latest features.
Follow these procedures to avoid the TPM 2.0 prerequisites when upgrading To a new 11:
- Download Windows 11 from an ISO file or through the Windows Insider Program. If your machine does not fulfill the hardware necessary for Windows 11, you will receive a notice. “This PC can’t run Windows 11.”
- The installation of Windows 11 has been halted due to a lack of hardware requirements.
If you see the following message, simultaneously hit Shift+F10 on your keyboard to open the run command. To open the Windows Registry Editor, write Regedit and hit enter at this command line.
- Type LabConfig and hit enter when requested to define the keys.
Create a variable named BypassTPMCheck and fix its content to 1 by right-clicking on the LabConfig key and selecting New > DWORD (32-bit) value.
- Shut the Registry Editor after configuring the three values underneath the LabConfig key. Then press exit accompanied by a key to stop the Command Prompt window.
- You’ll now get a warning claiming that the PC is unable to dash Windows 11. In the Windows Setup dialogue, press the back button.
- You’ll be taken back to the computer, where you can choose the category of Windows 11 you want to install. You could now proceed with the installation without worrying about the hardware requirements, enabling you to install Windows 11.
Windows 11 Upgrade Hardware- Conclusion
It’s crucial to note that deactivating certain functions may have an impact on Windows 11’s efficiency or security; therefore, only use them on a virtual device or trial box if you’re comfortable working in a prohibited environment.
Moreover, by removing the TPM 2.0 standard, you are lowering Windows 11’s safety. Lastly, we do not recommend using Windows 11 on less than 4GB of RAM will not provide a better outcome.
Being a leading IT company, we provide fully managed IT services and consulting. We help business owners to find solutions and solve their IT problems. If you encounter any errors relating to TPM, Protected Boot, or Windows 11 setup process we are here for you. Eyes Everywhere will make every effort to assist you.
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