Role of a Cloud Security Professional in a Hybrid Cloud Environment

1. What is the role of a cloud security professional in a hybrid cloud environment?

Role: Composition of two or more distinct cloud infrastructures (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities, but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability

2. What about the security concerns and implications of continued placement of cloud workloads across one or more cloud models?

According to Eurostat’s Cloud Computing—Statistics on the Use by Enterprises report:

• Nineteen percent of EU enterprises used cloud computing in 2014, mostly to host their email systems and store les.

• Forty-six percent of those firms used advanced cloud services related to financial and accounting software applications and customer relation- ship management applications.

• Four out of 10 enterprises (39 percent) using the cloud reported the risk of a security breach as the main limiting factor in the use of cloud computing services.

• A similar proportion (42 percent) of those not using the cloud reported insufficient knowledge of cloud computing as the main factor preventing their use.

 3. What would the responsibilities of a security professional be in a hybrid cloud environment?

The first is regulatory compliance. We need security due diligence across the enterprise to ensure continued regulatory compliance. Various government regulations limit or restrict where sensitive data can be stored.  Second area is inter-cloud data transfer. Secure data transfer between CSPs can be a complex undertaking.  A third area of focus is federated identity access management and single sign-on.