Federal agencies are increasingly adopting cloud infrastructures as part of a broader movement towards IT modernization. Agencies are leveraging cloud technologies for their scalability, possible cost-savings, and ability to enhance service delivery. But with this adoption comes the need to protect critical assets and data across on premises, hybrid and multiple cloud infrastructures.
Moreover, agencies must understand the shared responsibility model in cloud security, where both the cloud provider and the client have roles in protecting data. As a result, agencies must embrace a multilayered approach that includes zero trust architecture and principles, data protection, data threat analytics, automated discovery, data backup and recovery, and policy-driven workflows to bolster cyber resilience and data security in the cloud.
The evolution of the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) has played a significant role in enhancing the security of government cloud infrastructures. FedRAMP establishes a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. These advancements contribute to making government cloud infrastructures more secure by providing clear guidelines and support for both federal agencies and cloud service providers.
As we know, cyber threat actors adapt and advance faster than compliance requirements and thus organizations must constantly be innovating and improving their security postures in the cloud.
Steps agencies can take to gain visibility
Addressing security concerns has become increasingly complex. The surge in cyber threats from malicious entities has rendered traditional, manual monitoring methods inadequate, leaving sensitive information and network systems vulnerable. Gaining better visibility across on premise servers and all types of cloud infrastructures, as well as into cloud providers’ operations, is crucial for federal agencies to ensure security and compliance. Some strategies that can help improve visibility, include:
Gain visibility into what data, including sensitive data, you have across the cloud and on premise
Establish continuous monitoring strategies to keep track of security and privacy posture changes in systems.
Ensure that cloud service providers are contractually required to perform continuous monitoring and report back on the security state of their systems.
Leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and automation tools to help in the real-time collection and analysis of data, which is essential for visibility and quick response to potential threats.
Focus on gaining end-to-end visibility across all layers of cloud infrastructure and across multi-cloud and hybrid environments, including network, applications, user activity and data flows.
Use software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) solutions to centralize network management and make it easier to segment network segments at the edge.
How can Rubrik help?
For data protection, Rubrik creates secure backups and defends against threats such as ransomware. Threat analytics detects anomalies and identifies potential compromises in backups. Rubrik enhances data security posture by using a unified command center to control user access and reduce sensitive data exposure.
The Rubrik Security Cloud architecture places a strong focus on four main areas: data protection, threat analytics, security posture and cyber recovery. At the same time, Rubrik Security Cloud - Government, is built on zero trust architectural principles, securing enterprise, cloud and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) data to ensure mission continuity.
Rubrik’s automated discovery and policy-driven workflows enforce data security strategies in cloud infrastructures by:
Automated Discovery identifies data across the enterprise, including cloud and SaaS applications. It helps ensure that all critical data is accounted for and protected according to the set policies.
Policy-Driven Workflows uses global policies to automate data protection and backup solutions. These policies are designed to maintain data availability, ensure policy compliance and orchestrate recovery workflows. By setting up these policies, agencies can efficiently manage data security strategies and respond to changes or threats quickly.
Air-gapped, immutable and access-controlled backups strengthen cyber defenses, keeping critical data secure from unauthorized access and ransomware.
Rapid Data Recovery allows for near-zero recovery time objectives (RTOs), which means data can be accessed from backup storage rapidly, minimizing downtime and data loss.
Mass Recovery provides the capability to recover hundreds of virtual machines or restore tens of thousands of files to a clean state within minutes in the event of a disaster or ransomware attack. This guarantees minimal downtime and reliable recovery without reinfection.
Intelligent Recovery uses machine learning algorithms to suggest the latest clean snapshot for recovery, streamlining the recovery process and reducing the time spent searching for a recovery point.
Protecting the nation’s digital infrastructure
Agencies need to secure data wherever it lives, monitor data risk, and enable quick recovery of data and applications to enhance cyber resilience. This includes on premises servers, cloud services and mobile devices. Agencies should employ advanced analytics and threat detection solutions to identify and assess risks in real-time to keep abreast of the latest cyber threats. A multifaceted approach, coupled with a strong culture of security and collaboration across agencies and the private sector, is key to safeguarding the nation’s critical digital infrastructure.