Cloud technology continues to change the way businesses function, with 98% of companies leveraging cloud services, underscoring its critical role in business operations. Microsoft is leading the charge in the enterprise sector with more than 95% of Fortune 500 companies relying on Azure for trusted cloud services, showcasing its advanced capabilities and appeal to businesses.
However, as businesses transition to the cloud, data protection becomes a top priority, and making sure your move to the cloud is secure is vital to the success of your cloud migration. Your data is one of your business’s most valuable assets, and that data becoming compromised, corrupted, or simply lost in transit can represent a significant risk. In this blog, we'll look at some of the key considerations for Azure migration, Microsoft Defender, and key tips to enable you to migrate to the cloud with confidence.
Key security considerations for migrating to Azure
The first step in preparing to migrate to Azure is to take a look at your current security posture and assess how it can be improved.
By doing this you can easily ensure that security concerns can be addressed swiftly and that any high-priority concerns are known and prepared for. The process of assessing your current security posture may seem tedious and unnecessary, but this allows you to have a good overview of your current security readiness.
This involves taking a look at your current security precautions and processes and trying to identify weak spots and vulnerabilities — making sure to tackle any high-priority ones before migration. Once this is done, you’ll need to plan security procedures for when you migrate. When assessing and planning, you'll need to consider the below:
Current inventory
Begin by cataloguing all your existing assets, applications, and data. This inventory will help you understand what needs to be migrated and what security measures are already in place. Knowing exactly what you have ensures that no critical element is overlooked during the move to Azure, allowing for a seamless and secure transition.
Data security
Implement robust encryption methods both at rest and in transit to safeguard sensitive information. Consider how Azure's data protection features can enhance your existing security measures, ensuring that your data remains confidential and intact during and after the migration process.
Network security
Assess your current network security protocols and identify any weaknesses that could be exploited. Strengthen your network defences by employing firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and secure access protocols. Azure offers a range of network security tools that can be leveraged to reinforce your existing systems and create a more resilient network environment.
Incident response
Develop a comprehensive incident response plan that details how to handle potential security breaches or issues. This plan should include roles and responsibilities, communication strategies, and recovery procedures. Having a well-defined response strategy in place will ensure that your team can act swiftly and effectively should an incident occur during the migration.
Cloud considerations
Understand the specific security features and compliance requirements of Azure. Familiarise your team with Azure's shared responsibility model and how it integrates with your security strategy. By aligning your security policies with Azure's capabilities, you can take full advantage of the cloud's scalable and flexible infrastructure while maintaining robust security standards.
Leveraging Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) that encompasses a range of security measures and practices aimed at safeguarding cloud-based applications against diverse cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
Defender for Cloud combines the capabilities of:
- A development security operations (DevSecOps) solution that consolidates security management into one environment at the code level.
- A cloud security posture management (CSPM) solution that highlights actionable steps to mitigate the risk of breaches.
- A cloud workload protection platform (CWPP) that offers targeted protections for servers, containers, storage, databases, and other workloads.
Defender for Cloud helps you to incorporate good security practices early during the software development process, or DevSecOps. You can protect your code management environments and your code pipelines and get insights into your development environment security posture from a single location.
The platform will simplify your security strategy, making recommendations and identifying steps you can take to better secure your cloud environment.
Key features and benefits
Here are some of the most important features and benefits of Microsoft Defender for Cloud, that solidify exactly why you should implement it into your organisation:
- Unified Security Management: A unified solution simplifies management and streamlines operations, reducing costs and the need for extra personnel to cover multiple systems at once.
- Advanced Threat Protection: Microsoft Defender for Cloud protects your business from any threats that it may face, using AI-powered analytics to combat malware, ransomware, and even zero-day attacks.
- Vulnerability Management: Microsoft Defender for Cloud identifies vulnerabilities and gives actionable recommendations to fix them.
- Compliance: Microsoft’s awareness of the importance of compliance protocols means that there are lots of tools within Microsoft Defender that help you meet compliance regulations — especially when paired with other tools like Microsoft Purview.
As you transition to Azure, remember that the strength of your cloud environment relies heavily on the security measures you put in place. By leveraging the comprehensive capabilities of Microsoft Defender for Cloud, you can bolster your defences against cyber threats and confidently manage the security challenges that come with cloud operations.
Getting started
OneAdvanced's relationship with Microsoft goes back over 30 years, over which our Azure experts have helped numerous organisations leverage the benefits of the cloud. We advise, assist, secure and operate – wherever you may be on you cloud journey. Get in touch with our team today to see how we can help.