Multi-cloud environments have become the norm, with more than 90% of organizations worldwide relying on a mix of on-premises/dedicated private clouds, multiple public clouds, and legacy platforms to meet their infrastructure needs. While adopting a multi-cloud strategy can make your business more efficient and agile, it can also have security downsides if not implemented carefully.
3 Security Mistakes in Multi-Cloud Environments
Assuming a cloud environment will make you more secure
The challenge with multi-cloud environments lies in their vast potential for error, where even minor missteps can lead to major vulnerabilities. From a poorly configured account in the cloud management console to flawed asset rules, from improper connections to your data center to misaligned integrations with other cloud providers — each step introduces a new opportunity for mistakes. The complexity is immense, and the margin for error is razor-thin.
A common issue is actually something super basic: not authorizing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for their cloud console. There is an assumption that cloud systems are inherently secure. But there’s a shared responsibility for security between the cloud provider and the customer.
Experience shows that it’s not always the cloud itself that is compromised. More often, it’s the same application stack that the customer used in their data center, now deployed in a cloud environment, that becomes the entry point for attacks.
From a security standpoint, any mistakes you make in your data center can be carried into the cloud. This then can be compounded within the cloud management layer if you don’t follow basic security principles. If you’re running WordPress or Joomla, it doesn’t matter if it is running in Azure, AWS, GCP, or in your data center.
Without proper security, your cloud environment is open to risk.
Trying to achieve visibility using multiple tools
You can’t protect what you can’t see, so it’s important to have visibility across the entire environment. That includes your public and private clouds, SaaS apps, web apps, and endpoints.
Organizations are redefining their endpoint strategies, prioritizing them as critical to strengthening threat detection. This shift is driven by the reality that user endpoints now operate beyond office networks, while servers increasingly reside across diverse cloud platforms. Yet, this focus addresses only part of the challenge. Relying on isolated tools from individual cloud providers limits visibility to their specific environments, creating significant blind spots in multi-cloud or hybrid setups. Achieving a unified, accurate view of the entire ecosystem remains a formidable task.
That’s where having a holistic view across the entire environment is imperative.
Our asset model allows us to standardize our internal taxonomy across different cloud environments and on-prem. We don’t care where it is; if it’s running an operating system, it’s running applications and services, it’s an asset. Standard metadata is collected to give you the visibility you need across these different cloud platforms.
Failing to incorporate an integrated approach
Many customers transition to MDR after experiencing the challenges of the SIEM world. They invest in a tool, expecting it to be a silver bullet for their security needs, only to find it generating an overwhelming amount of data they can’t interpret. The core issue? A lack of skilled personnel and expertise to turn that data into actionable insights. Effective security isn’t just about deploying and configuring the right tools with proper visibility — it’s equally about having the right team to analyze the output, process it intelligently, and take decisive action.
From a SOC perspective, we act as interpreters of that solution. Instead of someone buying a SIEM and trying to read the raw material coming out, it passes through our SOC who look at it, validate, and present it to the customer with easy-to-digest recommendations. The objective is to lower the barrier of entry to security and get our customers there more quickly. To achieve that, you require technology, people to review the output, and a consistent, repeatable process to follow.
It comes down to three key elements: people, process, and tools. You need all three for a secure multi-cloud environment.
How Alert Logic Secures Multi-Cloud Environments
Alert Logic managed security services work with you to create a security strategy for your multi-cloud environment. Our SOC provides 24/7 security monitoring by cyber-risk experts using state-of-the-art technology. And Alert Logic’s research team is continually focused on the development of new and innovative technology to maintain pace with the ever-changing threat landscape.
Additional Resources:
Defining and Implementing a Multi-Cloud Strategy
2-Minute Cloud Security Assessment
Understanding the Shared Responsibility Model for Public Cloud
