Cyberattacks and data breaches are continuing to grow—with ransomware attacks rising 62% worldwide and 158% in North America in the last three years. There are some essential basics that businesses must focus on when putting in place a cybersecurity solution to build a security-first culture into their software architecture and mitigate risks from potential attacks. 

It’s not just financial services—every possible industry is now exposed to cybersecurity attacks and threats, as shown by one of the largest recent examples: JBS—industry leaders in food production, hit by a cyberattack. What’s more, the remote business practices that have become part and parcel of normal operations since the COVID-19 pandemic began accelerated the issue and created easier access for cybercriminals to attack, as many businesses shifted to remote or hybrid working.

Experts now predict that global cybercrime costs will grow by 15% per year and reach $10.5 trillion by 2025. In this environment, businesses must look to prioritize security or risk the devastating impacts of a cyberattack.

A new generation of cloud security solutions is coming to the rescue. The growth in cloud deployments and the need to ensure continuity on all mission-critical business operations is driving huge growth in reliable cloud security solutions—and this trend is only expected to increase in the coming years. It’s for this reason that the cybersecurity market worldwide is estimated to reach $281.74 billion by the year 2027. 

There are three particular cloud cybersecurity areas I see being prioritized in light of this increasingly challenging enterprise security landscape. A shift away from hybrid cloud, tighter access controls combined with up-to-date compliance measures and reducing the burden on existing IT teams are key priorities to help businesses defend their systems and data from encroaching cyberattacks.

Legacy Systems Finally Go the Way of the Dodo 

Outdated on-premises systems that are not regularly updated are most likely to be targeted for cyberattacks. That is why there is no better place to start tightening security than putting these legacy systems under the microscope. Research showed that over 10,000 new malware threats are discovered each hour, and companies that still rely on legacy solutions without a reliable set of maintenance and update processes will continue to expose themselves to inflated cybersecurity risks. 

Even a hybrid cloud approach is not a foolproof cybersecurity solution, as companies are reliant on the security of their own infrastructure and IT team’s ability to maintain applications and keep operating systems up to date. With full cloud adoption, however, businesses can rely on the extended built-in configurations, capabilities and security patching to ensure that vulnerabilities are kept to a minimum. For instance, an all-in approach relies on layers of AES-128 or AES-256 encryption to protect data in storage and in motion. This extra level of protection can block any potential attackers attempting to access information in the database, helping companies significantly improve their defense measures.

Limiting Access and Staying Compliant

Choosing relevant cloud computing software for specific industries is crucial for every business to match their organizational needs. 

For instance, with a single-tenant architecture, companies can benefit from greater management control and higher levels of isolation; these are perks they would not be able to receive from a multi-tenant hosting architecture. This removal of access points allows companies to dramatically reduce the risk of data inadvertently falling into unauthorized hands. In the event of a cloud neighbor being compromised by a cyberattack, a single-tenant architecture can ensure that the customer remains isolated from the threat and that their data is left intact.

In light of the recent increase in cyberthreats, many regulated industries such as manufacturing and aerospace and defense now have to comply with stricter cybersecurity controls but often lack the infrastructure to support this. For instance, data safety regulations and policies, including GDPR and ITAR, require companies to leverage cybersecurity to protect critical business data—and failure to comply can result in huge penalties and fines for businesses. This is where the cloud can make the difference. 

Due to its security-first nature, ensuring greater compliance within a cloud solution along with the right technical support can help enterprises maintain enhanced compliance infrastructures. The right cloud solution can be tailored to certification specifications per industry and allow companies to demonstrate that their IT infrastructure is SOC 1 and SOC 2 compliant. This increased security support ensures that businesses can adhere to various data privacy and protection laws in their particular spheres of operation.

Leave Cloud Security to the Experts and Free up IT Resources 

A lack of IT resources can lead businesses to lose some of the potential benefits of cloud cybersecurity. But this is where dedicated cloud solutions providers come to the fore to provide the highest possible protection to remove the IT burden on overstretched in-house teams. Advanced security features are built into every product, process and service, which can help businesses bring security into any cloud migration and maintain that going forward.

Cloud solution providers have entire teams dedicated to detecting vulnerabilities and conducting patch management. These teams can scan for software vulnerabilities and conduct regular, intensive, automated or manual penetration testing, software security reviews and external audits. These teams are often larger than the employee size of most businesses. For instance, Microsoft alone has a “team of more than 3,500 global cybersecurity experts that work together to help safeguard business assets and data in Azure.” 

For many businesses with small IT departments, the assistance of cloud solution teams made up of a combination of data scientists, security analysts and vulnerability engineers help them keep security a top priority, 24/7.

Better Security Oversight Now and Into the Future 

Cyberattacks are uncertain by their very nature, but one thing is for certain—security measures built into supporting cloud software architecture will increase safety and help many businesses mitigate risk. Sectors such as aerospace and defense and manufacturing, which have been afflicted by recent cyberattacks, will be able to realize safer and more secure operations while reaping all the benefits of cloud infrastructure.