Multi-Cloud Security: Key Challenges and Effective Practices from Experts

As more and more organizations adopt multi-cloud strategies, the complexity of managing these environments grows. Together with the benefits of multi-cloud strategies come significant security difficulties.

This article delves into the key challenges of multi-cloud security and offers effective practices and tools to help organizations fortify their defenses.

Our guest expert, Rotem Levi, Cloud Security Architect at CloudZone, contributed to this post with valuable insights and multi-security tools, so take advantage of discovering them from the experience of an industry professional.

Let's start by defining multi-cloud security!

Understanding Multi-Cloud Security

Multi-cloud security refers to practices and technologies that protect data spread across multiple cloud environments. Simply put, if a company follows a multi-cloud strategy, it uses services from multiple cloud service providers. They can be AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, etc.

Each cloud provider sticks to its own security protocols. This fact creates a challenging landscape that requires a well-coordinated security strategy. Multi-cloud security aims to ensure that data, apps, and services are thoroughly protected no matter which cloud provider hosts them.

Differences between Single-cloud, Hybrid-cloud, and Multi-cloud security

Let's see the difference between single-cloud, hybrid-cloud, and multi-cloud security.

• Single-cloud security. It involves safeguarding resources within a single cloud provider's environment. Security management is simpler as it focuses on one set of tools and protocols. Nonetheless, this strategy can result in vendor entrapment and may lack adaptability.
• Hybrid-cloud security. It refers to protecting on-premises infrastructure and cloud services. Hybrid cloud environments provide more flexibility as they combine private and public clouds. However, they also make it more difficult to manage security across different infrastructures.
• Multi-cloud security. It centers on safeguarding resources across multiple cloud platforms. This strategy provides significant advantages, such as avoiding vendor entrapment and optimizing for specific use cases. However, it also presents challenges, such as managing different security controls, policies, and compliance requirements across various platforms.

Common Multi-Cloud Security Challenges

Our experience shows that multi-cloud environments, while offering significant benefits, introduce new complexities. Microsoft's cloud security report emphasizes that 86% of organizations have already adopted a multi-cloud approach "thanks to its benefits, including increased agility, flexibility, and choice."

However, according to Foundry's 2024 cloud computing study, 96% of organizations faced serious challenges when implementing their cloud strategy. Being aware is crucial, so let's explore the most common multi-cloud challenges.

Challenge 1: Visibility and control on multiple platforms

Visibility and control maintenance is, for sure, one of the most significant challenges in a multi-cloud environment. Why is it so? It is not an easy task, as each cloud provider implements its own management tools and interfaces. Thus, it becomes harder to get a single perspective of all resources.

Without a clear, unified view, it becomes problematic for security teams to detect vulnerabilities or respond to incidents effectively. Without consistent visibility across platforms, blind spots appear, so potential threats may go unnoticed.

Challenge 2: Consistency of security policies

Maintaining consistency of security policies across different cloud platforms is crucial. However, the variations in tools and configurations between providers can make it a difficult task. For instance, a security policy employed in AWS may not translate directly to Google Cloud Platform or Azure, so gaps in protection can occur. Inconsistent policy enforcement can create vulnerabilities that are at risk of being exploited by cyber attackers.

Challenge 3: Data protection and compliance issues

Data protection within a multi-cloud environment is of high importance. The difficulty lies in the fact that different cloud providers may have different data protection policies, which makes security maintenance harder. Organizations must ensure that their data is appropriately protected across all clouds involved.

Maintaining compliance and managing digital assets across different cloud providers are very hard tasks.
– Rotem Levi, Cloud Security Architect at CloudZone

Compliance with regulations adds complexity. Depending on where data is stored, organizations must adhere to different compliance requirements. Non-compliance with regulations can lead to financial and reputational losses.

Cross-cloud data transfer can also be challenging. Data delivery between cloud providers increases security risks related to data exposure during transit, such as man-in-the-middle attacks or accidental data leaks. Check how robust your cloud security is with professional cloud penetration testing services.

Challenge 4: Identity and access management (IAM) issues

Managing identities and access rights within multiple clouds is another challenging task. Different cloud providers usually rely on their own identity and access management systems, which are not always easy to integrate with the others. This can result in facing fragmented IAM practices, which makes it hard to ensure consistent access control. Also, managing multiple IAM systems increases the risk of misconfiguration, which can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data.

The big challenge is that each cloud platform has different identity mechanisms. Resources from one cloud need to communicate with resources in other clouds. Employees need to connect and work on different clouds. So, the question appears: How can we manage all the user identities in a single place and give a unified sign-in experience in a multi-cloud environment?
– Rotem Levi, Cloud Security Architect at CloudZone

Challenge 5: Integration and interoperability troubles

For a multi-cloud strategy to work effectively, different cloud providers need to smoothly operate together. However, integration and interoperability between various platforms can be tough. Incompatible services or APIs can create security gaps or misconfigurations. Lack of standardization across cloud providers makes it problematic to implement security controls and maintain a unified security system.

When companies implement a multi-cloud strategy, the risk of facing misconfigurations is very high.
– Rotem Levi, Cloud Security Architect at CloudZone

Challenge 6: Monitoring and incident response problems

Monitoring and incident response are key to a robust security strategy. In the world of multi-cloud, monitoring tools and practices can vary from provider to provider, which makes it hard to achieve complete coverage.

Incident response is also complicated by the fragmented nature of multi-cloud. Coordinating security incident response across platforms requires a unified approach that is not easily achieved without the right tools and processes.

Best Practices for Multi-Cloud Security

Snyk's state of cloud security report concludes that 80% of companies experienced at least one cloud security incident in 2022. In order to avoid being among them, let's find out the most effective practices for maintaining security.

Practice 1: Centralized security management implementation

Centralized security management is an efficient solution to overcoming the challenges of visibility and control in a multi-cloud environment. Centralized management tools (read the next section to find the list) enable organizations to gain a comprehensive view of their security position across all cloud platforms.

These tools allow security teams to monitor resources, enforce policies, and respond to incidents from one interface. Centralized management also makes it easier to ensure policy consistency across all platforms.

In a multi-cloud, what we want and need is centralization.
Collecting all the logs for a single security information and event management (SIEM) is necessary. When it comes to choosing a SIEM and SOAR solution for your multi-cloud environment, you have options. You can opt for Azure Sentinel, Microsoft's cloud-native offering, or explore the capabilities of third-party solutions. Both options are robust and can effectively centralize your logs for enhanced security management.
– Rotem Levi, Cloud Security Architect at CloudZone

Practice 2: Zero-trust security model adoption

The zero trust model follows the principle of never trust, always verify. In multi clouds, this strategy is especially useful because it does not presume that any user or system is inherently reliable, regardless of their location.

This model involves strict identity verification, continuous monitoring, and minimum privilege access. It mitigates the risk of unauthorized access and protects sensitive data across all cloud platforms.

Practice 3: Data encryption and protection

Data encryption is an inseparable part of cloud security. Organizations must ensure that data is encrypted at rest and in transit across all clouds. This includes such procedures as implementing strong encryption protocols and managing encryption keys securely.

In addition to encryption, data protection should encompass regular backups, access controls, and monitoring to prevent unauthorized access. These practices will shield sensitive information and maintain compliance with legal requirements.

Practice 4: Policy consistency

Maintaining consistency is vital when applying policies across multiple clouds. Companies should use tools that automate policy enforcement to ensure security measures are applied consistently across all platforms.

Regular audits and reviews of policies will help identify and fix any discrepancies or gaps in protection. Consistent policy enforcement reduces the risk of weaknesses and ensures all clouds are adjusted to the same security norms.

Practice 5: Regular security checks and audits

To have a strong security posture in different cloud environments, companies need to do regular security assessments and audits. Such check-ups are necessary as they help detect potential vulnerabilities, estimate the effectiveness of existing security measures, and monitor compliance with regulatory requirements.

Organizations should perform security assessments regularly and whenever changes to the cloud environment are made. Permanent evaluation and improvement in security measures will keep your company one step ahead of threats and protect all platforms.

Practice 6: Advanced threat detection and response tools

Advanced threat detection tools rely on machine learning and artificial intelligence to spot threats in real time. They are particularly useful in a multi cloud architecture where traditional monitoring is not enough.

Implementing advanced threat detection and response tools allows organizations to detect anomalies, investigate suspicious activity and respond to incidents better. These tools are the foundation for security in complex and multi-component clouds.

The best threat detection tools are:

• GuardDuty (AWS). It provides continuous monitoring for malicious activity and unauthorized behavior across AWS environments. GuardDuty uses machine learning and threat intelligence to spot potential threats in a multi-cloud environment.
• Microsoft Defender for Cloud (Azure). It provides unified security management and advanced threat protection for Azure, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. Microsoft Defender helps detect threats across platforms through integrated intelligence.
• Security Command Center (GCP). This tool offers centralized visibility and control to detect vulnerabilities, threats, and misconfigurations across Google Cloud resources.

Practice 7: Strong identity and access management practices

Strong identity and access management are fundamental to the security of multi-cloud systems. Organizations should ensure that they are implementing effective identity and access management practices. These must include multi-factor authentication, role-based access control, and regular access checks.

Such practices guarantee that only authorized users have access to sensitive data and resources. A robust IAM across all cloud platforms will decrease the risk of unauthorized access and safeguard an organization's digital assets.

Choosing a single point of trust and federating all the cloud identities to one provider are effective practices. I prefer Microsoft Entra ID or others like Okta and JumpCloud.

So, to simplify tracking of potential IAM misconfigurations across all clouds, I recommend the following:
1) Сreating and implementing Google identity (Google Workspace). It enables organizations to manage who has access to your cloud resources.
2) Using Microsoft Entra ID (the new name of Azure AD). It is an effective cloud identity and access management solution.
3) Using AWS IAM Identity Center. It optimizes and simplifies workforce user access to apps and AWS accounts.

– Rotem Levi, Cloud Security Architect at CloudZone

Other Popular Multi-Cloud Security Tools

Various tools and technologies have been created to tackle the abovementioned multi-cloud security challenges. We've described some of them in the previous section, but let's have a look at the other popular and effective multi-cloud security tools and sources:

• Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud. Full security across multi-cloud environments with features like threat detection, compliance management, and centralized security controls.
• Microsoft Azure Security Center. Advanced threat protection and security management for Azure and other cloud platforms. Integrates with different tools to give you one security management experience. It allows you to gain insight into your security state across hybrid cloud workloads and reduces your exposure to attacks.
• Google Cloud Security Command Center. Manage security across your Google Cloud assets with real-time visibility, threat detection, and policy enforcement.
• AWS Security Hub. A centralized security service that helps companies manage security and compliance across AWS and other cloud platforms using third-party integrations.
• AWS IAM Access Analyzer. It helps identify and monitor resources in your AWS environment accessible from outside your account to determine overly permissive or not-used roles, users, and keys, ensuring that your access policies are secure and compliant.
• HashiCorp Vault. A tool to manage secrets and encryption keys across multiple cloud environments. Vault ensures your sensitive data is stored and accessed securely in multi-cloud.
• IBM Security QRadar. QRadar is a SIEM tool that enables centralized visibility and analysis for multi-cloud environments.
• Check Point CloudGuard. CloudGuard provides multi-cloud security with advanced threat prevention, unified security policies, and compliance enforcement.
• Prowler. This is an open-source security tool for AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes to perform security assessments, audits, incident response, compliance, continuous monitoring, hardening, and forensics readiness.

I recommend using external cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools to manage and protect your company’s digital assets. Some of the most effective ones are:

• Orca Cloud Security. It helps you achieve a robust cloud security posture and efficient vulnerability management.
• Wiz. It is a cloud security solution that connects to clients' cloud environments and has prevention and response capabilities.
• Fix.security. It is quite a cheap but effective CSPM security tool that is easy to use. It spots misconfigurations and gives recommendations to correct detected issues.

I also recommend implementing infrastructure-as-code tools. For example, Terraform is an infrastructure-as-a-code tool that enables secure and predictable provisioning and management of infrastructure across any cloud.

– Rotem Levi, Cloud Security Architect at CloudZone

Real-World Examples of Multi-Cloud Security in Action

Let’s examine several examples of well-known companies maintaining robust security while relying on multiple cloud service providers.

Capital One

Capital One is a cloud-first financial services company that has high security standards. At Capital One, they use a multi cloud strategy with AWS as their primary cloud provider. Capital One has invested heavily in building custom tools to secure and manage cloud environments.

Capital One’s cloud security model includes automation, encryption, and real-time monitoring to meet industry standards, including PCI DSS and GDPR. They practice DevSecOps at every stage of their cloud deployment process.

Capital One’s key security practices:

• Automated security auditing and monitoring tools to detect anomalies
• Multi-cloud data encryption standards
• Centralized security policies across cloud environments

Capital One is known for adopting a cloud-first strategy with AWS and developing custom tools for automation and security. They have publicly discussed their heavy investment in cloud security after a significant data breach in 2019, which prompted a further focus on security and compliance. Their use of DevSecOps and automation in cloud security is documented in case studies.

British Petroleum

British Petroleum uses Azure and AWS for different parts of its business, with a big focus on cybersecurity. They have automated their multi-cloud security by integrating multiple cloud platforms under one security framework.

They use automation for threat detection and incident response, so their multi-cloud environments are secure and scalable. They also use artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect patterns of potential threats and resolve security issues quickly.

BP’s key security practices:

• Automated threat detection across cloud environments
• Unified security management using AI/ML
• Cloud provider and internal security team collaboration

Netflix

Netflix runs on AWS as its primary cloud provider but also uses Google Cloud for certain analytics workloads. They focus on making their security infrastructure multi-cloud ready. Their security strategy is microservices architecture, encryption, and robust IAM. Netflix also uses an open-source security automation Security Monkey framework to audit and monitor AWS and Google Cloud environments for vulnerabilities.

Netflix’s key security practices:

• IAM policies across multiple clouds
• Encryption and secure communication across microservices
• Open-source automation tools to manage security monitoring

Airbnb

Airbnb uses multiple cloud services, AWS and Google Cloud, to power its global infrastructure. Their security approach is to use cloud-native security tools like AWS GuardDuty and Google Cloud’s Security Command Center to have constant monitoring and incident response capabilities. Airbnb also uses zero-trust architecture, which monitors and verifies every cloud interaction for authenticity and compliance.

Airbnb’s key security practices:

• Zero-trust security models for multi-cloud interactions
• Cloud-native security monitoring tools for real-time threat detection
• Continuous auditing and compliance enforcement

Coca-Cola

Both public and private cloud providers are used by Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola relies on Azure and AWS to manage its complex infrastructure worldwide. Coca-Cola’s multi-cloud security strategy prioritizes compliance with international regulations and maintaining visibility across all of its cloud environments. Coca-Cola’s security framework is hybrid. It integrates third-party security tools, such as Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike, to monitor cloud traffic and apply security policies.

Coca-Cola’s key security practices:

• Hybrid security framework integrating third-party tools
• Real-time cloud traffic monitoring and anomaly detection
• Compliance enforcement across multiple regions and regulations

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson, a large healthcare company, operates across multiple clouds and industries where security and compliance are critical. They use a multi-cloud strategy with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud to support their global healthcare business. They have invested in cloud security posture management (CSPM) to monitor and maintain secure cloud environments. They use automated patching, encryption, and a risk-based approach to manage security risks across multiple clouds. They also use IBM Security to create a single pane of glass for visibility.

Johnson & Johnson’s key security practices:

• Single pane of glass for visibility
• Automated patching and encryption
• CSPM to manage security in real-time

These companies manage their multi-cloud security using automation, centralization, and industry-specific security frameworks. They are a great example of how an organization can have the flexibility of a multi-cloud system while maintaining strong security.

Best practices from real-life examples

Companies like Capital One, BP, Netflix, Airbnb, Coca-Cola, and Johnson & Johnson show us how to secure multiple clouds efficiently. They focus on automation, centralized management, and using cloud-native tools for security and compliance.

Let's sum up key points and strategies from their experience:

Automation is the key

Automation is crucial for real-time threat detection and fast incident response. BP and Netflix automate their multi-cloud environments to reduce human error and scaling.

Centralized security management

Centralized management tools simplify security across platforms. Capital One’s centralized policies ensure consistent security across multiple cloud environments.

Cloud-native security tools

Airbnb uses cloud-native tools like AWS GuardDuty and Google Cloud’s Security Command Center, which provide continuous monitoring and rapid response. These tools are integrated into the cloud, so they are good at real-time threat detection.

Data encryption and IAM prioritization

Encryption at rest and in transit is crucial. Netflix and Coca-Cola use strong identity and access management policies to control access across cloud environments. Thus, only authorized users can interact with data.

Zero-trust architecture

Airbnb’s zero-trust model emphasizes the importance of verifying every cloud interaction. In multi-cloud environments, zero-trust verifies every action, both internal and external.

Compliance with regulations

Companies like Capital One and Johnson & Johnson consider compliance with industry standards like PCI DSS and GDPR as a priority. Coca-Cola maintains visibility across its global operations to comply with regional regulations.

Risk-based security management

Johnson & Johnson’s risk-based approach focuses on the most significant threats so that the company can allocate resources where they matter most.

In order to strengthen the overall cloud security at your company, I also recommend:

• Set up intelligent billing alerts
• Implement data protection protocols
• Deploy web application firewall (WAF)
• Configure proactive auditing
• Lock down public cloud resources
• Choose cloud regions

– Rotem Levi, Cloud Security Architect at CloudZone

Summing Up

As companies go multi-cloud, security becomes more and more critical. A multi-cloud strategy undoubtedly has many benefits but also involves significant challenges. The key ones are multiple platforms visibility, consistency of security policies, data protection, compliance, IAM issues, and monitoring and incident response.

However, companies can avoid these obstacles if they choose to follow the best cloud security solutions and practices or collaborate with cybersecurity professionals. At TechMagic, we offer excellent security services, so don't hesitate to contact us.

Best practices to maintain multi-cloud security include centralized security management, zero-trust, data encryption, robust IAM policies, regular security assessments, advanced threat detection tools, and other ones described in the article. Addressing these challenges will protect your company's digital assets, help stay compliant, and maintain a strong security posture.

FAQs

1. How can organizations achieve consistent security across multiple clouds?

   Organizations can reach consistent security if they adopt unified security policies, use centralized management tools, and implement continuous monitoring across all clouds.

2. What tools are available for multi-cloud security?

   A few effective tools for multi cloud security are Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud, Microsoft Azure Security Center, Google Cloud Security Command Center, AWS IAM Access Analyzer, HashiCorp Vault. Read the Other Popular Multi-Cloud Security Tools section to explore more.

3. How does a zero-trust model work?

   A zero-trust security model ensures that every access request is verified and authenticated. Thus, it reduces the risk of breaches in multi cloud environments.

4. How often should security assessments be conducted in a multi-cloud environment?

   Security assessments should be conducted regularly, typically on a quarterly basis, or whenever significant changes are made to cloud configurations.

5. What are the consequences of inadequate multi-cloud security?

   Inadequate multi cloud security can lead to data breaches, financial and reputational losses, and regulatory penalties.