Since the Hybrid and multi-cloud environments are complex, it is difficult to protect them. However, the vast majority of organizations (95%) say that a unified cloud security platform with a single dashboard would help protect data consistently and comprehensively across your entire cloud footprint.
Instead of having to deal with the inefficiencies of managing multiple disparate security systems, security teams using a single, centralized cloud security platform benefit from benefits such as easier integration, automation and reduced management costs. These are factors that can help improve visibility, provide consistent application of policies and mitigate the skills gap cybersecurity.
The evidence emerges from 2024 Cloud Security Report (DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT HERE)hosted by Cybersecurity Insidersand commissioned by Fortinetwith the goal of gaining visibility into the challenges organizations face in securing their cloud environments and the strategies they prioritize.
An increasingly complex reality
“As organizations develop and deploy more cloud applications, security becomes more of an issue,” he says Frederick Harris di Fortinet -. Many companies are, in fact, adopting a hybrid or multi-cloud approach, resulting in an expansion of the attack surface and an increase in complexity. Security teams often find themselves struggling to manage and secure their various private and public cloud environments and workloads. While multi-cloud adoption has many benefits, managing multiple tools complicates the situation, making it difficult or impossible to enforce consistent security policies across all cloud environments. Worse, the level of security complexity often increases over time as companies continue to add cloud services, leading to even greater management challenges and costs.”
Organizations prefer hybrid and multi-cloud strategies
This year, the majority of organizations (78%) are opting for hybrid and multi-cloud strategies. Of these organizations, 43% use a hybrid cloud and on-premise infrastructure, while 35% adopt a multi-cloud strategy. These numbers are up slightly from two years ago, when 39% of organizations were using hybrid cloud and 33% were using multi-cloud.
More and more attention to safety
Most organizations also recognize the need for include security in your cloud strategies. The cybersecurity challenges associated with the cloud and the need to strengthen security measures in cloud environments have become more critical, due to new AI-based threats. In fact, 96% of organizations say they are moderately or extremely concerned about cloud security. Cybersecurity is clearly a priority, with 61% of respondents expecting an increase in their cloud security budget over the next 12 months.
In an effort to safeguard sensitive data and meet regulatory standards in an increasingly cloud-oriented landscape, organizations said they plan to increase their cloud security budget by 37%.
Technical and resource-related critical issues persist
Despite the continued adoption of the cloud, There are still challenges in implementing consistent multi-cloud security. Security and compliance issues are the top concern for respondents (59%) and represent a barrier to faster adoption of multi-cloud strategies. The organizations they also cite technical challenges (52%) and resource scarcity (49%) as obstacles to cloud adoption.
Achieving policy visibility and control across complex multi-cloud infrastructures can be difficult, and cybersecurity skills shortages only exacerbate the situation. The lack of experienced cloud security staff is a serious problem, so much so that 93% of respondents say they are moderately to extremely concerned about the skills shortage in the sector.
Cloud incidents are growing, a focus on AI is needed
Meanwhile the Cloud Security Report 2024 di Check Point Software Technologies highlight a critical surge in accidents in cloudwhich rose from 24% in 2023 to 61% in 2024, highlighting the growing complexity and frequency of threats in the cloud.
The survey also highlights a discouraging reality: While cloud attacks are on the rise, only 4% of organizations said they were able to mitigate risks easily and quickly. An overwhelming 96% expressed concern about their ability to manage such risks. Additionally, 91% of respondents are alarmed by the rise of more sophisticated cyber threats, including unknown risks and zero-day attacks, which cannot be detected with traditional security tools.
“The data speaks volumes about the urgent need for organizations to shift focus towards implementing AI-based threat prevention measures,” he says Itai Greenberg, Chief Strategy Officer di Check Point Software Technologies. “By adopting a consolidated security architecture and improving collaborative security operations, companies can proactively address emerging threats, ensuring a more secure and resilient cloud environment.” The report therefore advises organizations to adopt a framework of cybersecurity more comprehensive, collaborative and AI-driven.