Cloud environments offer a lot of flexibility to end users. Multi cloud deployments are also an extension of the cloud, but drastically add to the complexity and cyber security challenges associated with them.
In this post, we will discuss some insights from a recent study conducted on the state of cyber security protocols in US federal agencies that are currently using multiple cloud services to support their processes.
Also Read: Cloud Security Market to Reach $68.5 BN by Year 2025
Adoption of Multi Cloud at Federal Level
The study revealed that almost 80% of the surveyed federal agencies were using a multi cloud environment. It was also observed that this adoption rate of multi cloud will pick up further pace going down the years.
The research in question was conducted by MeriTalk, a company that closely watches IT related developments across different US federal agencies. The worrying bit was that only half of the surveyed entities were currently using a comprehensive security mechanism.
Although it may not be a very alarming statistic once viewed in isolation, but when we view this ratio in the context of the presently hostile cyberspace, we realize that most federal agencies are lagging behind in implementing strong security mechanisms.
Also Read: Work from Home and Cloud Security Challenges
More Insights from MeriTalk Research
Let’s dive into some specific stats revealed in the study. Although these figures may not reflect the corporate environment, they can still serve as a reference point for areas where we need to pick up the pace when it comes to cyber security.
- 91% of the surveyed US federal agencies regard multi cloud security a top priority over the next two years.
- To support remote work initiatives in the wake of the global pandemic, 83% entities have reported an increase in the adoption of multi cloud solutions.
- 76% of the surveyed entities were in the process of migrating critical or core workloads to cloud environments in order to ensure remote work and high availability rates.
- Nearly 42% of respondents said their cyber security solutions are not at par with the pace at which multiple cloud solutions are being adopted.
Constraints in Securing the Multi Cloud
According to the study, the respondents highlighted the following factors that are acting as constraints in securing multi cloud deployments across federal agencies:-
- 39% of the respondent entities cited budgetary constraints as a factor that was impeding the adoption of multi cloud security solutions.
- As per 32% of the entities surveyed, meeting tougher regulatory requirements was becoming more and more challenging.
- The lack of a skilled IT workforce was cited as a constraint towards multi cloud security by another 32% of the respondents.
- 30% respondents believed the lack of embedded security tools and an increased threat surface after the pandemic made security of multi clouds a challenge.
Also Read: Security Priorities for Cloud based Remote Work Environments
State of Existing Security Mechanisms
Now, let’s take a glimpse of the security mechanisms that are already in place at the surveyed federal entities.
- 51% of the respondents confirmed using data encryption at the entity level, which is a low percentage, given the sensitivity of data involved.
- A modest 41% of the respondents were using zero trust security principles, which is worrisome as identity theft is a rampant cyber security challenge.
- 38% of respondents use centralized threat detection. This is a low percentage especially once gauged in the context of multi cloud environments.
- Only 34% of federal agencies surveyed used a cloud access security broker (CASB). Any CASB solution automates a large part of your cloud and network security.
Conclusion
The stats about multi cloud security at the surveyed federal agencies do not reflect a very encouraging picture. Towards the end, the research report reiterates the cyber security challenges and urges the respondents to pick up pace of their security initiatives.
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