Evolving Cloud Security: Integrating Advanced Access Control Systems

As cloud computing becomes more popular, businesses are increasingly starting to rely on cloud services to store and handle their data. However, as with anything else operating online, these cloud services are also susceptible to serious cyber attacks and data breaches. In 2022, data breaches were reported to be 7% lower than in 2021, but a staggering 79% of companies experienced at least one cloud breach in the previous 18 months​​, which means it’s of utmost importance to put in place security measures. The risk becomes significantly higher for most companies during cloud migration. Fortunately, there are methods to address the data security challenges associated with cloud adoption.

The digital world is always changing into new forms, but this convenience creates a major security problem. So, it is necessary to make sure that private data stored in the cloud is kept safe. 

To solve this problem, lots of businesses are using complex access control systems to ensure cloud security. In this blog post, we'll look at five important aspects that show how adding advanced access control systems can make cloud security better.

Augmented Authentication Mechanisms

Strong authentication mechanisms are one of the best solutions for improved access control systems. These systems go beyond the usual combination of username and password and use multiple forms of authentication. 

Multiple-factor authentication (MFA) requires users to provide at least two factors of authentication. These factors can be based on information (password), possession (smartphone), or biometrics (fingerprint or facial recognition). By adding multiple layers of identification, the risk of someone getting into your cloud assets without your permission is greatly reduced.

Nuanced Access Control

Most traditional access control systems work binary, going back and forth between letting someone in completely and not letting them in at all. On the other hand, advanced access control methods offer more complex solutions. 

For instance, companies that are using SAP solutions such as Ariba, to manage their procurement processes, can improve their operations by leveraging Ariba access control capabilities with the help of third-party tools to enhance security. 

This level of oversight ensures that users only access the data and functions that are relevant to their jobs. This reduces the risks of data leaks and unauthorised operations.

Unlimited Surveillance and Scrutiny

Another important feature of modern access control systems is their ability to keep an eye on and record what users are doing in the cloud at all times. These systems use machine learning and behavioural analytics to find trends of behavior that aren't normal or seem fishy. 

If a person acts in a way that is different from how they usually do things, the system can send them a message or automatically take away their access rights. For organisations, this proactive method helps them find possible security threats and act quickly to lower risks.

Conformance and the Audit Trail

Following industry and internal security rules is very important for a company. Compliance management is easier with advanced access control systems because they provide full audit trails and reporting services. These systems carefully record every action a user takes with cloud resources, including attempting to log in, retrieving files, and making changes to the system. 

If necessary, this collection of data can be used to make compliance reports, show that security standards are being followed, and look into security events. This ensures that businesses can meet their legal responsibilities and show that they are dedicated to keeping data safe.

Integration with Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Modern access control systems can easily work with identity and access management (IAM) programs that are already in place. This smooth integration speeds up the onboarding and offboarding of users, making it easier to control their access across a wide range of cloud services and platforms. 

By keeping user identities and access rights in sync, businesses can keep a single location for authenticating and authorizing users, which lowers the risks of security holes or inconsistencies in the cloud.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to cloud computing, keeping data and tools safe is the most important thing. Modern access control systems offer a strong response to the changing problems that cloud security faces. 

Organisations can completely change how they handle cloud security by adding more authentication methods, giving users more control over their access, constantly monitoring and checking movements, meeting the needs of compliance and auditability, and integrating with IAM solutions smoothly.

Going forward with these steps will help protect private data and keep you safe from the constantly changing threats in the digital world.