Could Using a Cloud Access Security Broker Give You Greater Data Security?

One of the greatest problems with outsourcing any services to a third party is continuing a high level of data management and sufficient data protection. Transparency of your data management and security can particularly be difficult to maintain when utilising cloud technology, and this is where a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) comes in.

What is a Cloud Access Security Broker?

A CASB is a service or software tool that acts as a bridge between a company’s on-site infrastructure and cloud infrastructure. It works to give organisations complete control of their data security and compliance with international guidelines as well as internal security policies. It means that companies can maintain full transparency of their data and customer data whilst reducing security risks associated with cloud technology.

How does a CASB work?

A CASB works by acting as a gatekeeper and ensuring that all network traffic between the on-premise device and cloud solution is in full compliance with the relevant security policies, depending on the requirements of the business. This is particularly useful in sectors where there are more restrictive or very specific regulations, but is important for every organisation.

Why is security important within data management?

Many regulations, such as the upcoming GDPR, apply to all organisations within the EU or even worldwide, meaning that there are security standards that businesses are required to comply with in order to adequately protect their internal and customer data. Failure to demonstrate this can lead to severe legal consequences, financial penalties, loss of customer trust and long-term brand damage, all of which have a significant impact on the business. This means that security is imperative when utilising a cloud solution… but how can a CASB help?

Risk management through a CASB

A CASB can help with risk management. They use automated discovery to highlight any areas of high risk such as applications or users, as well as other risk factors – and this information can then be used to work on reducing these risks. For example, different security access controls like device profiling and encryption can be put in place, alongside things including credential mapping to add additional levels of security.

Additional benefits of CASBs

Using a CASB could significantly improve your organisation’s data security, but it can also have many other uses. For example, the data collected can be utilised for budgeting purposes or monitoring ongoing cloud service usage.

To find out more about the insight that a CASB could give to your overall data security, give a member of the Building Zones team a call today on 020 3475 2185.