Cloud infrastructure security includes protecting the physical and virtual infrastructure that supports cloud environments, such as data centres, servers, data stores, and networks. Unlike cloud application security, infrastructure security focuses on protecting the underlying technical architecture on which all cloud services run. This includes monitoring physical access to data centres, protection against environmental threats, and safeguards against cyber attacks targeting virtual machines, cloud networks, and data storage systems.
Cloud Infrastructure Security
Type of technology
Description of the technology
Basic elements
- Cloud network segmentation: Separating critical resources from publicly accessible network segments.
- Infrastructure monitoring: Network traffic analysis and activity monitoring in cloud infrastructure.
- Access management: Controlling access to servers, virtual machines, and storage.
- Physical security: Physical protection of data centres from unauthorised access.
- Network security: Firewalls, VPN, segmentation, and protection of cloud server connections.
Industry usage
- Data centre security: Securing physical server rooms and IT infrastructures against environmental threats and physical attacks.
- Cloud network segmentation: Separating critical resources from publicly accessible segments in the cloud.
- Secure management of virtual servers: Protecting virtual machines from attacks and takeovers.
- Managing access to cloud resources: Establishing permissions to cloud resources based on roles and authorisation levels.
- Security of hybrid environments: Protecting the infrastructure that connects local resources to the cloud.
Importance for the economy
Cloud infrastructure security is key to protecting data and applications running in the cloud. As more and more companies move their resources to the cloud, infrastructure breaches can lead to serious financial losses, data breaches, and operational disruptions. Cloud infrastructure security is essential to ensure customer confidence and meet legal and regulatory requirements for data protection and service availability.
Related technologies
Internet of Things
Integrating IoT devices with cloud infrastructure and securing their communications.
Mechanism of action
- Securing cloud infrastructure is based on a layered approach that includes both physical and virtual security. Physical data centres are protected by access control, monitoring, and environmental protection systems. At the virtual level, network segmentation, access control, and monitoring are used to provide protection against attacks targeting virtual servers, machines, and storage. In addition, advanced encryption systems are used to secure stored data and its transmission.
Advantages
- Physical and virtual security: Protection of cloud resources at both the physical and logical levels.
- Data integrity: Securing sensitive data against breaches and sabotage.
- Operational continuity: Protecting cloud systems from failures and disruptions.
- Rapid response to threats: Real-time monitoring and analysis.
- Regulatory compliance: Meeting cloud infrastructure security requirements.
Disadvantages
- Inadequate physical protection: Risk of physical access to servers by unauthorised persons.
- Internal attacks: Threats from employees with access to cloud infrastructure.
- Management complexity: Difficulties in managing multi-level infrastructure security.
- No segmentation: Improper network segmentation can lead to the spread of attacks.
- Risk of hardware failure: Hardware faults can lead to data loss and service interruptions.
Implementation of the technology
Required resources
- Access management systems: Tools to control access to resources in the cloud.
- Monitoring software: Cloud-based log analysis and activity monitoring platforms.
- Network segmentation systems: Tools for creating isolated segments in a cloud network.
- Encryption systems: Mechanisms to protect data stored in cloud infrastructure.
- Physical security of data centres: Access control systems, video surveillance, and fire alarm systems.
Required competences
- Cloud infrastructure management: Knowledge of cloud infrastructure architecture and management.
- Network security: Ability to design and implement cloud-based network security.
- IT security: Planning and implementing security policies for cloud infrastructure.
- Threat analysis: Ability to detect threats and neutralise them in cloud infrastructure.
- Physical security: Protecting physical data centres from threats.
Environmental aspects
- Energy consumption: High energy demand of servers and data centre cooling systems.
- Waste generated: Problems with disposal of obsolete cloud devices and servers.
- Raw material consumption: High demand for scarce materials and electronic components.
- Recycling: Limited recyclability of materials from data centres.
- Emissions of pollutants: Emissions from the operation of server rooms and data centres.
Legal conditions
- Critical infrastructure protection: Regulations for the protection of data centres and cloud infrastructure.
- IT security standards: Network and infrastructure security standards (e.g. ISO/IEC 27001).
- Data protection regulations: Regulations for data storage and processing (e.g. GDPR and HIPAA).
- Physical security: Regulations for physical security of data centres.
- Sector regulations: Standards for infrastructure protection in key sectors, such as finance and energy.