When mainstream cloud computing first began to appear on the horizon, (Amazon launched its Elastic Compute Cloud product in 2006.) many organizations were initially hesitant to entrust their most valuable data and processes to a technological innovation named after something that appears so delicate.

Oh, how times have changed. Today, an estimated 96% of organizations use cloud computing, with over 80% operating multi-cloud landscapes thanks to a range of benefits that include efficiency, scalability, flexibility, mobility, disaster recovery and security.

As organizations continue to transition more of their computing infrastructure to cloud environments, the decision on what provider to use commonly comes down to the Big Three — Amazon Web Services vs. Microsoft’s Azure vs. Google Cloud Platform. And one of the top concerns when choosing a cloud computing provider is, yes, security.

At one level, the “clouds” are a metaphor for heavily fortified data centers that feature maximum-security-prison levels of physical protection including:

  • Dual authentication systems
  • Vehicle-access barriers
  • High-resolution cameras
  • Laser beam intrusion detection systems
  • Biometric iris scanners
  • Electronic access cards

So the physical facilities themselves are incredibly secure. The question is: How do Amazon (AWS), Azure and Google (GCP) stack up when it comes to virtual cloud security?

A Closer Look at Cloud Security

Despite some early hesitancy on the part of leading technology-dependent organizations to move to the cloud, the cloud computing market is booming. According to 2018 Q4 numbers from industry analyst Canalys.com, the market share leaders are:

  • Amazon Web Services — 32.3% market share worth $7.3 billion
  • Microsoft Azure — 16.5% market share worth $3.7 billion
  • Google Cloud — 9.5% market share worth $2.2 billion

When it comes to cloud security, there are three critical aspects to consider, according to Haresh Kumbhani, founder and (Read more...)