The top cloud security challenges in 2022

The advent of cloud computing has caused a radical shift in not only how people live their lives, but how companies conduct business. The cloud allows for data storage and analysis on a massive scale, so businesses can innovate faster than ever. Companies across all sectors — from financial services to healthcare, from gaming to manufacturing — are constantly releasing the latest and greatest products, thanks to cloud computing.

Three key findings

To gain a better understanding of how businesses can best harness the ever-evolving cloud, Lacework partnered with global research firm ClearPath. Together, they surveyed over 700 executives and practitioners across the DevOps, security, and developer areas, including representatives from the small and mid-sized business (SMB), mid-market, and enterprise spaces. Here are the top three insights they uncovered.

1. Prioritize security and innovation

As the cloud has grown, so has the rate of cloud native application development. But despite the best efforts of many businesses, complicated technology ecosystems have increased their security needs. More than half of organizations surveyed stated that using more security tools — and more complex tools — has led to inefficiency. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, security should be a driver of innovation. By using the right tools, organizations can keep pace with security and compliance needs while enabling developers to work quickly.

2. Make data protection a board issue

With the rise of cyberattacks and breaches, security has become everyone’s responsibility. Boards of directors need to work alongside CISOs and security engineers to prevent risks to their business. Currently, only a quarter of companies admitted to discussing their data strategy at the board level. To prevent high-profile breaches and vulnerabilities, as well as the accompanying business losses, it’s time for boards to put data-driven security at top of mind.

3. Embrace automation

Security teams are feeling the pressure, and quicker development cycles will only strain them further. But hiring new talent isn’t always an option: many organizations have limited resources and the industry itself is up against a skills shortage. Sometimes developers will take over security responsibilities, but only a third believe their time is effectively spent. 

Instead, companies should consider automating threat and breach detection. By using machine learning and artificial intelligence to conduct certain tasks, organizations can free up employees to innovate and focus on what matters most. 

 Challenges in the cloud

The cloud holds great promise, especially where innovation is concerned, but it has its fair share of challenges. With increasingly sophisticated attackers ready to strike, it’s time to get serious about cloud security. The Covid-19 pandemic, with its surge of remote workers, has only made this problem more apparent.

Fortunately, the Lacework and ClearPath research found that leading organizations are prioritizing cloud security. Nearly a third of respondents, including two-thirds of respondents in the process of a major digital transformation, spend more than half their time on security.

Overcoming cloud security challenges

To continue benefiting from cloud computing’s revolutionary potential, it’s vital to face the most pressing security challenges. By taking three steps, organizations can secure their data and their systems while innovating rapidly at scale. 

First, they must prioritize security as they develop new services and products. Second, they should ensure that boards of directors take measures to understand and address the impact of security on their companies. And third, companies need to embrace data-driven automation so their developers, DevOps practitioners, and security engineers can have the time they need to carry out top-priority tasks.

To learn more about the benefits and challenges of cloud security, please read the 2022 Cloud Security Outlook report.