Strengthening Security and Compliance in Multi-Cloud Environments

More and more businesses are embracing a multi-cloud environment, seeking enhanced scalability, cost-efficiency, and other advantages along with the flexibility to choose the best applications among various cloud vendors to match their business needs.

However, while offering advantages, the multi-cloud model also introduces complex security and compliance challenges that need careful management. Ensuring robust security and meeting compliance requirements across multiple cloud platforms can be daunting, but it is essential for protecting sensitive data and maintaining regulatory standards.

Below, we’ll discuss the rise of multi-cloud, its advantages and disadvantages, and how organizations can ensure strong security and comprehensive compliance in the evolving digital infrastructure environment.

Why Multi-Cloud Use is Escalating

Multi-cloud, which refers to the use of two or more public cloud computing service providers, has become a dominant force in cloud computing. According to the Flexera 2024 State of the Cloud Report, 89% of respondents are using multi-cloud, while 73% have adopted hybrid cloud.

Multi-cloud’s many benefits cover a wide range, such as:

• Scalability and Performance Optimization by enabling organizations to quickly scale resources to meet demand, leading to better performance and reduced latency
• Cost Efficiency by giving businesses the flexibility to choose the most cost-effective services since they can compare pricing and performance across cloud providers
• Improved Redundancy and Reliability by reducing the impact of provider-specific issues or regional outages via distributing workloads across different providers
• Avoiding Vendor Lock-in by preventing reliance on a single cloud provider, allowing the use of multiple services from various competitive cloud operators

A multi-cloud approach helps organizations address special data storage compliance requirements, such as regional data location, by providing a variety of storage locations via different cloud providers.

Challenges of a Multi-Cloud Environment

While there are many advantages to multi-cloud environments, diversified environments can also bring additional complexities such as:

• Complicated Platform Integration/Management –  Integrating various platforms from multiple providers can be challenging as different cloud vendors use distinct technologies to maintain a competitive edge.
• Security Concerns – Managing security across a multi-cloud architecture brings greater complexity, expanded attack surface, and varying security controls and compliance standards between providers.
• Potential Latency Issues  – Migrating data between cloud platforms can lead to latency, performance, and reliability issues unless carefully managed by skilled professionals.  

6 Key Strategies for Multi-Cloud Success  

The complexity of managing a multi-cloud environment requires highly skilled individuals with deep experience, particularly in light of growing cybercrime. Simply put, businesses need a proactive and comprehensive strategy that covers all aspects of cloud security, compliance, and successful operation. Some key strategies for success include:

1. Implement Comprehensive Data Governance – Effective unified governance in a multi-cloud environment is crucial for success, ensuring consistent application of policies, configurations, compliance, and management across all platforms. A well-defined workload placement strategy is also key, offering clear guidance on selecting the most suitable cloud for each specific requirement. This strategic approach enables optimized resource utilization and streamlined operations.
2. Standardize Security Policies and Procedures – Consistency in security policies and procedures across all cloud platforms is vital. Develop and enforce uniform security policies for user access, data protection, and incident response. Automated security orchestration and centralized management tools can help streamline policy enforcement and monitoring, reducing the risk of configuration drift and ensuring compliance with internal and external standards.
3. Monitor and Manage Access Controls – Effective access management is a cornerstone of security and compliance. By implementing strong authentication mechanisms, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), enterprises can better safeguard access to cloud resources. Enterprises also need to regularly review and adjust user permissions based on roles and responsibilities, and promptly revoke access for terminated employees or contractors. Use automated tools to monitor access patterns and detect anomalies that could indicate potential security issues.
4. Understand the Shared Responsibility Model – Each cloud service provider (CSP) operates under a shared responsibility model, which delineates the security and compliance duties of both the provider and the customer. In a multi-cloud setup, both parties need to clearly understand their responsibilities. In some industries, such as healthcare, IT managed service providers offer assistance with this process. For instance, LightEdge is one of a select group of IT providers worldwide that offer the HITRUST Inheritance Program, which gives healthcare providers the ability to “borrow” HITRUST compliance from their IT provider. Connectria, meanwhile, has created a special guide to assist customers with AWS compliance.
5. Stay Informed About Regulatory Changes – Regulatory landscapes are constantly evolving, and staying informed about changes is essential for maintaining compliance. Subscribe to updates from regulatory bodies and industry groups to keep abreast of new requirements and standards. Regularly review and adjust your compliance strategies to align with the latest regulations and ensure that your multi-cloud environment remains compliant. Another option is to connect with an IT managed service provider that focuses on compliance certification, such as LightEdge, which recently renewed 10 compliance certifications and added three more.
6. Conduct Regular Compliance Audits – Regular compliance audits are essential for identifying and addressing potential vulnerabilities in your multi-cloud setup. Schedule routine internal and external audits to evaluate your adherence to regulatory requirements and industry standards. These audits should cover all aspects of your cloud infrastructure, including data protection, access controls, and configuration management. Use audit findings to make necessary adjustments and ensure continuous compliance.

How LightEdge Can Help

Many businesses are turning to an IT managed service provider for an overarching security, compliance, and operations plan that protects against current threats and anticipates future ones. With LightEdge’s expertise, enterprises can ensure their organization receives rock-solid security and all of the cost-efficiency, scalability, and other benefits of a multi-cloud architecture.

For nearly three decades, LightEdge has been the leader in compliant cloud and colocation services delivered locally with 24/7 support from real people. With a compliance certification record second to none and the most scalable, redundant, and secure network in the U.S., we’re known for our above-and-beyond security and compliance. Throughout the years, we’ve grown and evolved into one of the leading hybrid and multi-cloud managed services providers in the country. To learn more about how LightEdge can help your business harness the advantages of multi-cloud to advance your organization’s success, contact us here.