Cloud computing has transitioned from a new-age infrastructure option into a critical foundation of modern digital experiences. According to Gartner, 85% of organizations globally will shift to a cloud-first approach in their technology ecosystem. The benefits of scalability, adaptability to a wide range of architectures and development paradigms, affordability, and guarantee of continuous availability make the cloud the de facto option for enterprise application development initiatives.
A decade ago, when the cloud started to make waves, enterprises were hurrying to migrate their on-premises technology into the cloud. Fast forward to the present, studies show that 95% of all new digital workloads will be deployed on cloud-native platforms. Ensuring that your key business applications are built as cloud-native apps will help in embracing the many benefits of cloud as an integral characteristic. However, there is one aspect that poses a major challenge for enterprise leaders when it comes to cloud-native application development initiatives – security.
The Cloud-native Security Dilemma
With the rapid adoption of cloud-native application development practices, enterprises are also opening the doors to unique security challenges from the digital realm. As more business services and workflows transition into a model where they are delivered via cloud apps, the landscape for protective measures also expands into new dimensions. Cloud-native applications are renowned for their architectural flexibility. Different technologies, diverse deployment mechanisms, vendor complexities, and many more facets must be considered while deciding on security policies.
For example, an enterprise may deploy a business service via a cloud app that exists as a series of microservices that communicate with each other. Contrary to the traditional security landscape, the scope of protection extends to the APIs, service communication, orchestration approaches and tools, networks, and storage options.
The Unique Security Challenges of Cloud-Native Applications
If we are to narrow down the focus points of security considerations for cloud-native applications, what stands apart from traditional approaches would be in the following areas:
Architectural Complexity
Cloud-native applications are built using a variety of development paradigms like microservices, containers, serverless functions, etc. The highly dynamic nature of app development further escalates when the business experiences growth and new trends begin to pop up in the market.
From a security perspective, every angle of diversity in the technology architecture will require heightened oversight and focus on automated threat detection and neutralization. The surface of attacks for cyber criminals becomes enlarged when enterprises shift to cloud-native app development. Legacy security tools may prove to be highly inefficient in handling the rapidly changing environments of cloud-native apps. What businesses need are tailored security solutions and products that are built for cloud-first environments.
Early Start
As far as security is concerned, cloud-native applications require a much earlier head start than on-premises or traditional applications. One of the best ways to mitigate security incidents is to prevent them from happening in the first place. For cloud-native applications, this means that security must be an integral part of the build stage. Right from the time the app is conceptualized, engineers must ensure that security dimensions are concentrated on.
It is critical to ensure that vulnerabilities are prevented from being exposed to criminals. Enterprises can achieve this success by placing tailored and intelligent security checks across build and deploy channels. By placing effective controls in the development stage itself, it becomes easier to identify and isolate threats before the app goes into production.
Zero Trust Security
One of the fundamental pillars of security for cloud-native applications is the enforcement of zero-trust principles. In simple terms, no stakeholder should be provided a free pass to access any digital resources residing in the cloud. The stakeholders could be people, tools, services, or any business system.
By promoting a no-trust environment, it becomes easier to establish a resilient and reliable guardrail for every digital asset. Every access request must be approved only after a series of security checks and verification measures. Besides, cloud-native apps should also be designed for the least privilege mechanisms. Only the bare minimum of permissions will be provided to any user for performing their operational duties. This will help in establishing uncompromisable boundaries for core digital resources in the event of a threat incident.
Automated Security
From all the focus areas we have covered, the need for automation in security measures is perhaps the most important one regarding cloud-native security. Handling cloud-native applications' dynamics and complexity scale requires more than just manual security measures. A great deal of automation is required to ensure that no validation checks are left out.
Gaining successful business results from cloud-native applications will require them to be agile and accommodative of business workload volume. By going the automation route, it becomes easier to enhance security coverage in tandem with the growth of the business.
Cloud-native Security is a Journey
As businesses go deeper into the realms of possibilities in their digital universe, cloud-native applications will be at the forefront of driving ROI. However, the shift to cloud-native applications is not a one-time endeavor but a long-term journey that requires a strategic security approach. This is where a dedicated technology partner like Wissen can help enable a secure future for a business's cloud-native technology ecosystem. Get in touch with us to know more.
