Cloud Storage Security: Understanding the Tools

Wagner Nascimento

Sep 08, 2022 / 4 min read

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If you are a chip designer migrating your operations to the cloud, it is essential to understand the cloud storage security tools available to securely protect your work.

Although storing data on the cloud eliminates the need to utilize in-house infrastructure, the supposed lack of control over storing your data in the cloud remains a concern for businesses. Yet cloud storage is often more secure than on-premises storage. 

This article acts as an introduction to cloud storage security. It highlights the methods available for maintaining strong security while retaining the cloud’s speed, flexibility, efficiency, and productivity benefits.

What is Cloud Storage Security?

Cloud storage security is the collection of technologies, policies, and practices that keep data safe from unauthorized access and attacks. Malware, DDoS attacks, hacking, data breaches, data leaks, and disaster recovery are all primary focuses of cloud storage security. Working with your cloud vendor to ensure you understand its security and how it differs from others is essential before you commit to a vendor. 

Cloud storage enables enterprises and organizations to store data in the cloud as opposed to on-site. Through this method, files live on a third-party server and provide employees access from any device and, if enabled, any location.

Cloud storage is especially useful for data backups, primary file storage, disaster recovery, and file archives. It can also aid with testing and development environments for DevOps. 

As the data itself does not physically stay on-premises, companies must rely on the cloud vendor to secure it. Vendors see this reliance as a top priority. They use a collection of methods to ensure security and uptime, including:

  • Secure authentication protocols
  • End-to-end data encryption
  • Redundancy to ensure availability
  • Data storing across distributed servers
  • Various cloud monitoring features

How Does Cloud Storage Security Work?

One of the most essential goals of cloud storage security is preventing unwanted access through encryption, data recovery, and backup options. 

When data traffic moves around, it is filtered and then sent to the application system. During the transfer process, transport layer security (TLS) protocol prevents eavesdropping. Cipher, authentication, and key exchange, work together to ensure a secure connection. When the data leaves this security channel, it is decrypted and therefore accessible to the end-user. Before storing the data on disks, you have the option to encrypt the data again, known as at-rest encryption. 

Other forms of cloud storage security include client-side encryption, zero-knowledge authentication, two-factor authentication, content control, and ransom protection.

Cloud Storage Security Tools

For successful cloud storage security, responsibility splits between the cloud vendor and the consumer. Both sides must have strong data protection. The consumer must utilize extra measures to bolster security, while the provider must implement baseline frameworks for their platforms. These measures include the following tools: 

  • Continuous monitoring with real-time visibility into every server.
  • Security tests and vulnerability assessments that run on a regular basis, ensuring protection against the latest threats. 
  • Redundant servers with regular cloud backups in case of unforeseen disasters, ensuring your data stays accessible. 
  • Hardware and software-based firewalls to filter traffic to and from cloud storage. 
  • High-end encryption, both at rest and in transit. Client-side encryption allows for only the client to see the data, as the vendor does not keep the keys. If the provider’s server is breached, decryption key access fails.
  • Two-Factor Authentication through a biometric scan, a one-time PIN or hardware token.

When choosing a cloud provider, keep in mind their location and where they store data. You should avoid countries with lax data regulations if possible. Before signing a contract, examine the gateway and firewall services your provider offers. Check for encryption technologies for in-transit and at-rest data. AES encryption, SSL/TLS handshake, and HTTPS are all valuable protocols that you should also confirm. 

Always make sure to validate the source of any data that comes into your network. Especially if many employees and customers interact with files, make sure that you regularly scan your network and keep alterations to data visible and auditable.

Advancement of Cloud Storage Security into the Future

By nature, cloud storage is safer than typical on-premises servers. These advancements in security will only continue. AI tools have begun to play a larger role, taking the burden off staff members and handling low-level security analyses.

The utilization of multi-cloud storage will further improve redundancy and disaster recovery procedures. As hardware advances, cloud-based infrastructure will also continue to increase its scalability and flexibility. 

As more companies switch to the cloud, vendors will reduce costs to become more competitive. They will utilize confidential computing, expanding at-rest and in-transit encryption capabilities and further increasing security’s robustness.

Synopsys, EDA, and the Cloud

Synopsys is the industry’s largest provider of electronic design automation (EDA) technology used in the design and verification of semiconductor devices, or chips. With Synopsys Cloud, we’re taking EDA to new heights, combining the availability of advanced compute and storage infrastructure with unlimited access to EDA software licenses on-demand so you can focus on what you do best – designing chips, faster. Delivering cloud-native EDA tools and pre-optimized hardware platforms, an extremely flexible business model, and a modern customer experience, Synopsys has reimagined the future of chip design on the cloud, without disrupting proven workflows.

 

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About The Author

Wagner Nascimento is vice president and chief information security officer at Synopsys. As the CISO, Wagner is responsible for developing and implementing the Information Security Program for the enterprise . Wagner has over 20 years of experience in the cybersecurity space, leading security efforts in other larger organizations such as VISA, Cisco, and Albertsons. A Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Wagner is adept in security architecture/analysis, cyber threat detection, risk management, incident response, and contingency planning. He has a B.S. in Information Technology from American Intercontinental University and an MBA (Finance, Strategic Management) from California State University, East Bay.

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