The difference between traditional IT systems and cloud computing

Today, companies increasingly rely on data for their daily operations. It is therefore important for enterprises to have systems based on infrastructure that is not only safe but cost-effective and scalable.

The storage and retrieval of data from traditional servers may be out of date and insecure. To address the increasingly complex requirements of data transfer, storage and analysis, enterprises must take into account cloud infrastructure.

What are traditional IT systems?

The IT infrastructure of the model organization consists of devices connected to local servers. Enterprise data is stored on servers. One of the benefits of storing data on a traditional server is that you have greater security control. This means that you can easily secure your electronic data because you have primary access to the server. Because data storage needs to increase, you'll need to upgrade your IT infrastructure with additional hardware on-site. These infrastructures can be very expensive.

What are cloud computing systems?

Cloud computing systems refer to a set of interconnected infrastructures over the Internet for data retention purposes. Infrastructure is hosted and maintained by the cloud service provider, which is also responsible for security controls.

There are three main categories of cloud IT systems:

1. General cloud

Most organizations use the public cloud in their daily operations. Examples of cloud services include Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud platforms. Public cloud services are typically designed as a service-as-a-service infrastructure (IaaS) to allow for extensibility.

However, given the use of general cloud environments to store huge amounts of data, they are often the target of malicious parties. A report by McAfee in 2018 showed that about 25 percent of companies using the public cloud suffered from data breaches.

2. Private cloud

Private cloud environments are largely safe from security issues that affect the public cloud. With a private cloud, the company has full access to data centers and security compliance and control. However, this also means the enormous costs associated with running and maintaining the private cloud environment.

According to an article by SearchCIO, operating costs and maintenance of private cloud can easily reach more than one million dollars, which explains the financial capacity of many enterprises.

3. Hybrid drag (hybrids)

Cloud cloud arrangements provide the best value for organizations looking to secure their data and manage scalability costs.

Using hybrid cloud computing, enterprises use private and public servers to store their data. A private server can be used to store the most important data while other public servers can be used for other data. For example, payment information can be stored on the local server while other non-personal data can be stored on the PaaS environment.

Difference between cloud and traditional servers?

With traditional servers, data is stored on local machines and can be accessed directly by the parties concerned.

On the other hand, with cloud servers, data is stored on the cloud provider's servers. To access data, you must configure your applications to connect to servers through APIs.

When your system connects to servers through the API, you can get many important security information such as how many connections are created, where connections originate, and so on. Because the API is provided by the company, connecting your applications to the server will only be secure as the API is configured.

Tips to prevent mixed cloud security threats

If you want to store your data in a mixed cloud environment, you should think more about security. You can control the information you share with cloud services. However, you can not always control who can access the information.

Here are some steps to take to mitigate cybersecurity threats to your data in a mixed cloud environment.

1. Review the data stored in the cloud

While you may not have full control over everything within the cloud environment, you should regularly review the data you store there. Because the data is transferred and stored daily in the cloud, it is easy to forget the old information in the servers.

You should check the data stored in the cloud regularly to ensure its safety. You must remove old data to keep server costs low.

2. Work with a cloud-focused service provider

Before you sign up with your cloud service provider, check their security protocols to protect your data. The company must have a strong and up-to-date infrastructure that always ensures your data is available.

If you use any of the service providers' APIs, try the appropriate controls and service level agreements to ensure data integrity.

3. Monitor threats continuously

Keep up with the cloud security threats and make sure your provider has the latest corrections and mitigation measures to address the interventions. Choose a cloud provider that regularly evaluates security measures to mitigate emerging threats that target cloud environments.

4. Meet your compliance obligations

If you must comply with the General Data Protection (GDPR) Regulation, you will need to store your client data in a local data center. Some regulatory compliance laws require companies to report data violations. Make sure your service provider will keep you informed of violations to avoid non-compliance.

The above is an overview of the differences between traditional security systems and cloud.