Top 6 cloud computing mistakes to avoid

The cloud is now a business imperative. However, common cloud computing mistakes threaten to increase risk and downtime.  

According to Gartner, 99% of all security failures will be the customer’s fault through 2025. That number is significant and demands attention. 

It’s critical to highlight common cloud computing mistakes to mitigate risk in the current threat landscape. So we put together the top six cloud computing mistakes to help you address them and avoid them.

Although it may seem like a no-brainer, it sometimes happens when there is a rush to replace legacy systems and leverage cloud infrastructure. But without engaging in extensive planning, you can run into problems quickly. 

For example, it’ll be critical to map it all out on paper before embarking on the project. By developing an extensive outline of your tools and technology requirements, firewall and backup demands, network diagrams, storage, and more, you will be able to get a real sense of the size and scope of the project. 

Proper planning also ensures that your transition is smooth. By addressing all potential problems on paper, you minimize risk considerably.

Conflicts often arise when the task of server management isn’t clearly defined. If both you and the cloud hosting provider are managing the server, it can create confusion and chaos. 

This scenario can be compared to driving a car with two people at the wheel. One person steers left while the other turns right, and you end up crashing the vehicle. 

Whenever this happens, who do you blame?

Instead of assigning blame after the fact, it’s better to negate this scenario altogether by assigning key responsibilities from day one. 

For example, you can be in charge of enterprise applications while the cloud company manages the underlying server (including patching the OS and any technology installed on the server).

However, if your company needs to update tools and technologies regularly, then it would make better sense to manage the entire process, including the server.

Testing at the client-end is crucial to building robust cloud infrastructure. When you fail to test how the system behaves (when you add and remove components), it can lead to more significant issues. 

Your testing protocols should also cover backups and server restoration. These actions, along with security testing before your enterprise infrastructure is live, can ensure stability and security.

Cloud outages can happen at any time without warning. This can be attributed to any number of reasons from the breakdown of hardware, cyberattacks, human error, and more. 

Whenever you fail to plan for this, you risk going dark along with your cloud-based services. To ensure business continuity, it’s essential to deploy monitoring systems to track every part of the cloud infrastructure in real-time. 

When a single point of failure supports these systems, the entire cloud environment won’t fail whenever there's a minor problem.

Your security protocols should also include a robust firewall, Secure Sockets Layers (SSL), and encryption to secure sensitive data. But this alone will not be enough.

As the threat landscape grows exponentially, you’ll need to leverage a variety of tools and technologies to keep your digital assets secure. This scenario also makes it critical to take a proactive approach to security from discussion to deployment.

While vigorous in-house security testing helps, there’s always the risk of your in-house security team missing something. By engaging an ethical hacker or a whitehat penetration tester, you will be better placed to identify and resolve potential vulnerabilities before it’s found and exploited. 

This cloud computing model helps build a highly secure ecosystem that helps avert data breaches and regulatory fines.

If you don't have the necessary resources to secure your cloud environment, it's best to partner with an established cloud security company. This approach provides access to top security talent who can help better protect your enterprise environment through knowledge, experience, and a wide array of security tools.

If your company needs help to better secure sensitive data, schedule a commitment-free consultation now.