It’s not surprising that 89% of organisations are now using a multi-cloud model, given the extra flexibility, improved connectivity and increased resilience it offers. By spreading their resources across multiple cloud providers, organisations can reduce costs, avoid vendor lock-in and tailor solutions to their unique needs, all while meeting data sovereignty compliance requirements.

However, operating a multi-cloud model also expands the attack surface, introducing new and complex security challenges. So, how can you make the most of the multi-cloud without putting your data and systems at unnecessary risk?

Managing multi-cloud security brings many challenges that organisations must navigate to safeguard their data and systems. A significant issue is the uncertainty around shared responsibility and regional compliance. With varying security models across cloud providers and regional data protection laws, understanding and meeting compliance becomes complex. What’s more, inconsistency in security standards across different cloud providers further complicates efforts to establish a unified security framework. This fragmented landscape can lead to gaps in cover and potential vulnerabilities.

Another major challenge is the lack of visibility across multiple cloud environments with security teams struggling to monitor and address threats effectively without a consolidated view. Adding to this is the speed of change in cloud functionality. As the cloud landscape evolves, organisations must continuously adapt their security strategies, but the lack of expertise makes it increasingly difficult to keep up with emerging threats and cloud controls.

Building a strong multi-cloud security posture must involve a step-by-step approach, allowing organisations to overcome these challenges enhance their overall cloud security.

1. Understand cloud responsibilities

Cloud security responsibilities vary across SaaS, PaaS and IaaS models. Many organisations have workloads that require multiple types of cloud services, so taking the time to understand the nuances of these cloud models and how they interact is crucial.

2. Standardising security policies

Enforcing a consistent security policy across multi-cloud environments can be difficult. Start by standardising your security approach while making sure it’s also platform-agnostic. Then, develop robust data classification and categorisation policies before tailoring security measures to each category. This will help to deliver consistent protection across all platforms, reducing the risk of misconfigurations and enhancing overall security.

3. Limit lateral movement with a Zero Trust approach

Legacy security controls are now far less suitable for protecting today’s dynamic, secure access requirements. By transitioning to a modern Zero Trust approach, you can focus on securing access at a granular level and directly protecting workloads by imitating lateral movement. This will help you adapt your security practices to fit the dynamic nature of cloud environments.

4. Enhance visibility and monitoring

Through a Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCOE), you can enhance your visibility and centralise your monitoring efforts. CCOEs can help unify your cloud management, prevent shadow IT and address issues like configuration drift - the tendency of cloud setups to diverge from policy over time as changes are made. Tools like Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) can also advance your security by providing comprehensive oversight and protection across your entire cloud setup.

5. Leverage automation for security efficiency

Finally, adding automation contributes to a more secure-by-design approach. This empowers your security teams to focus on more strategic initiatives by reducing manual tasks and improving response times to emerging threats.