cloud-security

Secure Cloud Environments with Three Pillars of Transformation from DeepSeas.

DeepSeas secures cloud environments in the same way on-premises environments are secured. Why? Consistency is key in managing security for both cloud and on-premises environments, which means the processes and cybersecurity strategies should not be all that different. Divergent approaches lead to running two separate security missions, resulting in heightened expenses, added complexity to your cybersecurity strategy, and the risk of overlooking potential threats.  

To secure cloud environments, DeepSeas incorporates three pillars of cloud security within an overall transformational cybersecurity program. Below we will cover these three pillars in detail, including the importance of a unified security stance across both cloud and on-premises environments, a comprehensive framework that covers the entire cybersecurity lifecycle, and a layered detection strategy that aligns the appropriate technology with the corresponding service model.

DeepSeas Cloud Security Pillar #1 – Secure Cloud Environments with a Holistic View
The first pillar of the DeepSeas cloud security strategy involves providing you with a holistic view of your overall security strategy, including both on-premises and cloud spaces. For those starting the cloud security journey, you will see that the tactics are the same and only the tools are different. 

Let’s look at a couple of examples.

First, when we consider lateral movement within your environment, one security tactic we will use is to look for anomalous “east-west” traffic between systems that normally do not communicate. In an on-premises environment, you can use network sensors to monitor this traffic over the wire. However, in a cloud environment this is not always possible. Instead, we will need to analyze the NetFlow data to detect the same anomalous patterns.  

In this next example, you will see again how the critical fundamentals of a good cybersecurity posture, whether it be cloud-based or on-premises, still apply. When organizations start their journey to the cloud, we typically see well-defined and implemented policies and network controls around accessing technical assets on their networks, but we also see a lack of policies and controls within their cloud environment. When this is the case, developers and engineers working within their on-premises systems use a VPN and MFA and are granted minimal permissions based on their roles. These, and other controls, are used to create a secure working environment on-premises. This is great, but then we often see developers standing up a publicly accessible virtual server in the cloud with shared credentials and an overly permissive user.  

Scenarios such as these are what will typically happen when a cloud environment is treated disparately in a cybersecurity strategy and not included as a part of a holistic program.

DeepSeas Cloud Security Pillar #2 – Prepare, Prevent, Protect
The previous example in Pillar #1 also ties into the second pillar of our cloud security solutions at DeepSeas in which we always consider the entire cybersecurity lifecycle. We do this for you through the DeepSeas prepare, prevent, and protect framework.   

When we meet with new clients seeking to secure cloud environments, we often see excellent policies for acceptable usage and clearly defined roles and responsibilities (preparing and preventing), but many lack any threat detection within the environment. On the other hand, sometimes we see exactly the opposite, where an organization has substantial threat detection (preventing and protecting) but no real policies or central control system for determining and implementing those policies, resulting in a mix of conflicting priorities. When you transform your cyber program with DeepSeas, we will ensure you have an effective cloud security strategy using the comprehensiveness of our prepare, prevent, and protect framework. 

DeepSeas Cloud Security Pillar #3 – A Layered Approach for the Unique Challenges of Cloud
Due to the unique aspects and challenges of cloud computing, our expert crews at DeepSeas often see confusion and concern around cloud security. The third and final pillar of cloud security at DeepSeas addresses this very concern through our programmatic and layered approach.  

No single tool will be able to secure 100% of your cloud environment, and cloud vendors are constantly releasing new services and features. This results in the need for multiple tools and techniques to properly detect and respond to threats. In response to this, a critical component of your cyber transformation with DeepSeas will be implementing a multilayered threat detection strategy that comprehensively addresses various facets of cloud computing. To achieve this, we will help you dissect the approach based on the distinct service models employed in the cloud, namely infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS). 

IaaS – With IaaS, you are working with resources similar to those with an on-premises environment, which uses heavy virtualization. DeepSeas will help you optimize many of the same tools, such as endpoint monitoring as well as log and network-based detection. 

PaaS – PaaS is a bit more complicated depending on the technologies used, such as ASW Fargate or a self-hosted Kubernetes cluster. Your cloud security experts at DeepSeas will guide you in how to use log and network analysis and, if possible, endpoint detection which monitors containerized workloads. 

SaaS – With SaaS applications, DeepSeas will help you leverage a log-analytic solution to collect and analyze threats. 

Programmatically implementing the three pillars of cloud security from DeepSeas will empower your organization and is a critical part of transforming your cybersecurity program. The three pillars of cloud security from DeepSeas will ensure your organization can: 

• Attain a holistic perspective, encompassing both on-premises and cloud-based environments throughout your organization. 
• Embrace a transformative cybersecurity program with the prepare, prevent, and protect framework. 
• Implement a layered detection strategy that aligns the appropriate technology with each service model, optimizing your defense mechanisms.

Watch How DeepSeas Secures Cloud Environments