The cloud does have many benefits when it comes to HR technolgies, but it can also make your organization vulnerable if you don’t take the necessary precautions. Implementing cloud security is a common sense approach to these risks. With all of that vital data at stake, you can’t take the chance that the next wide-scale attack will compromise this valuable info. So what should your look with your HR cloud vendor organization?
Put a Priority on Code Security
Hackers are always on the prowl, constantly looking for ways to exploit any infrastructure weaknesses in your organization, so they can compromise applications. Code should always be completely secure; the best way to ensure this HR cloud security best practice is by testing.
If your code hasn’t been thoroughly tested, then it’s just that much easier for hackers to cause your organization harm. Security must be part of the software development’s lifecycle. This includes not only testing libraries, but also scanning plugins.
Come Up With a Solid Access Management Policy
Always keep in mind that logins are crucial to your organization, as they’re really the keys to your kingdom, so to speak. Your access management policy has to be well-defined and not make exceptions for anyone. This particularly applies to those who only have temporary access to your system.
Here are a couple of ways you can make your access management more sound:
- Bring your cloud environments and applications into your corporate LDAP or AD
- Consider using a two-factor authentication model
Implement a Patch Management Method
Major HR cloud security issues can pop up if your software and systems are unpatched. To keep the environment secure, establish a process where you update your systems on a consistent schedule. Check and double-check important procedures. Test all of your updates to verify that they don’t hurt your infrastructure or create security weaknesses prior to bringing them into your live environment.
Be Mindful About Log Management
Reviewing your logs has to be a fundamental aspect of your organization’s security procedures. Yes, logs are useful for compliance, yet they’ve evolved to be vital for so much more. These days, they’re essential security tools. You can utilize log data to monitor for any sinister activity and even forensic investigation.
Create a Security Toolkit
No matter how integrated your organization is, realize that no one piece of software is going to be your company’s one-stop cure-all for security breaches. Instead, you have to think more collaboratively.
Your HR cloud security strategy should include a multi-faceted approach that is so in-depth that it covers all of your bases. Here’s a list of strategies that you can implement for a more comprehensive approach to security:
- Web application firewalls
- IP tables
- Intrusion detection
- Antivirus
- The aforementioned log management
- Encryption
Rely on a Secure-by-Design Mentality
Your organization should prioritize identifying controls that deal with the lack of straightaway access to info. A secure-by-design philosophy is the foundation of your strategy for entering the cloud; it empowers your organization to regularly handle security needs based on the specific data and workload found in its cloud efforts.
In turn, this also allows audit capabilities and resiliency within the cloud. In other words, it lets you extend your security approach right into the cloud.
Pick Alternative Deployment Locations
It’s a good idea to choose alternative deployment locations that allow you to quickly redeploy your images. A part of the aforementioned secure-by-design approach, this is a focus on finding alternative environments of deployment.
It also includes choosing agile vendors that don’t put you in a tough spot because of their contribution to so-called cloud lock-in. As a result, your organization will enjoy much more flexibility, which means you can swiftly respond to changing conditions with only small interruptions to your business operations.
Find an Active Monitoring Solution
To successfully deal with both unstable conditions and availability, you must find an active monitoring solution. Not doing this means you’re really just depending on cues from users, which could have grave consequences for your business. This could result in lowered customer satisfaction and, ultimately, customer loss.
Instead, it’s wise for your team to sit down and determine how often to monitor and when, which should be based on data content. Another good idea is for your organization to install manual or automated processes to effectively respond to related events.
Develop a Threat Response Plan
A huge component of successful security involves having an adequate response to threats as they come up. It’s not just having a sound plan in place; it’s also being able to mobilize your team and rapidly respond. That’s why having a threat response plan and educating your team on its implementation are key.
Being well-organized helps in this regard. Your organization can chronicle logical responses to certain event classes and institute education efforts to promote smooth responses to any adverse events that pop up.
Take Advantage of Security-as-a-Service Solutions
Here’s an example of a security-as-a-service solution: Having a managed backup service gives you the option of specifying exact image storage locations. Such a managed security solution lets your organization share accountability for monitoring and then managing security functions.
In today’s security environment, where threats come quicker and are more invasive, this is particularly useful. Whether it’s hackers or other security breaches, today’s threats require professional skill sets to enable efficient responses.
Conclusion
The cloud. It is, hands down, a far securer option than what many organizations have in place today. With that being said, it’s by no means impregnable, and vulnerabilities can and do pop up if your organization doesn’t put a premium on HR cloud security. It’s no exaggeration to say that there are real concerns about cloud computing’s security, inside and outside the data center.
However, as you can see, protecting your infrastructure simply relies on common sense approaches that put a priority on guarding data. With some changes in how your team looks at security, your organization can implement effective security measures.
