Cloud security consultants assist companies in developing strategies to secure cloud computing environments and assets. They assess the state of a company’s current cloud infrastructure and cloud computing assets and design, document, create, and implement a roadmap for improvements. Cloud security professionals also provide support during cloud transformation projects by enhancing security awareness and compliance, from the early planning phases through to successful operationalization. Working with cloud security consultants proves essential to companies deploying innovative or bespoke systems or applications as they ensure the employment of state-of-the-art security solutions capable of resisting attacks while supporting business growth.

Moreover, cloud security specialists offer crucial insights and support in the following areas:

Cloud Security Auditing

Cloud security consultants perform cloud security audits that include penetration testing, access control evaluation, and data encryption methodologies. Through these audits, they help companies identify lapses in security that could give bad actors access to confidential information. Furthermore, cloud security specialists analyze third-party security standards such as API connections, data warehouses, and data processors to ensure a company has enhanced visibility of possible security weak spots, both internally and externally.

Cybersecurity Architecture

Cloud security experts follow risk-based thinking (RBT) and the latest cybersecurity methodologies to design innovative security policies and practices that utilize PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) frameworks. With this approach, they provide companies with the necessary tools to identify and mitigate possible security lapses and threats within cloud software systems. Included in the cloud security architecture are elements like data ownership, data loss prevention policies, data encryption, and multifactor authentication.

New Project Security Oversight

Cloud security professionals play a pivotal role in ensuring new software projects meet cloud security best practice requirements. Working closely with project teams, they champion the integration of security features into core software systems, avoiding the common practice of implementing security features as add-ons. By bringing on a cloud security expert, companies ensure the integration of standard cybersecurity elements like federated single sign-on (SSO), mobile device management (MDM), and secure virtual private network (VPN) access from the start.

Systems Integration Security

Cloud systems operate in highly integrated environments, a situation that necessitates the need for heightened integration security. Cloud security specialists bring extensive skills in securing application programming interfaces (APIs) and ensuring system integrations, either with third-party programs or on-premises programs, meet set security standards. By working with cloud security consultants, companies guarantee that their integration teams have the necessary security guidance for picking the right security strategies and implementing them effectively.