Digitization has evolved to include cloud computing in the delivery of computing services, reduction of costs, improvement of agility, and cloud security. The emergence of various cloud solutions has led organizations towards migrating assets from on-prem to the cloud with further diversifying by using multicloud and hybrid solutions to satisfy customers’ needs.

Multicloud is on the rise, and organizations are rapidly turning to the idea of multicloud strategies, with some even dedicating a cloud to run single applications. COVID-19 has sped up migration to cloud computing, and organizations choosing to work with multiple cloud service providers for diverse reasons create room for individuals with the proper certifications.

The top reasons businesses implement multicloud solutions are better security, flexibility, and customer experience. According to Flexera’s State of the Cloud report, 92 percent of enterprises have a multicloud strategy, with the seven cloud providers experiencing exponential growth since the pandemic. The rise of multicloud can be linked to the fact that cloud solutions give organizations simplicity and flexibility in scaling their business according to demand.

How Do Multicloud Environments Impact Cybersecurity?

Multicloud environments offer several advantages ranging from flexibility, scalability, and the ability to mix and match cloud services from different cloud providers to meet specific workloads. A multicloud environment can be the combination of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) from a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) and Software as a Service (SaaS) from another vendor, allowing for high performance, scalability, and saving costs.

Irrespective of the advantages of running a multicloud environment, the heterogeneity of these cloud platforms adds to existing security challenges; therefore, having a deep understanding of these cloud environments and their peculiarities is essential.

These are some of the key effects of multicloud environments in cybersecurity:

Lack of Visibility: Multicloud environments create a larger attack surface. Your workload is distributed across different cloud services; hence, cloud resources and instances spun up can be forgotten or unmanaged. Organizations can lack visibility and security would be dependent on the CSP and tools that can be integrated with existing CSP tools and technologies.

Operational Complexity: Successful management of resources hosted in a multicloud environment can raise concerns about operational complexity. The more cloud environments you use, the more complex it becomes to manage them. Each cloud environment has proprietary tools covering security, analytics, APIs, and unique processes for managing its environment. Learning and deeply understanding these tools independently can lead to security gaps if not appropriately handled.

Cloud Security: To achieve operational efficiency and effectiveness, consistency across all cloud environments should be maintained. However, this can be challenging when your data and resources are spread across multiple platforms. In a multicloud environment where each CSP has its own security infrastructure approach, achieving a stable cloud security posture requires a complete approach focused on the overall computing environment and not vendor-specific environments.

Responsibility in the Cloud:  The concept of shared responsibility posits that CSPs are responsible for the security of the cloud while you are responsible for security in the cloud. Cloud providers are responsible for the virtualization hardware and software security, while businesses are responsible for securing the data and resources stored in the cloud. Organizations are responsible for the security, governance, and compliance of their data.

What Does Multicloud Mean For A Cybersecurity Professional

It is essential for organizations looking to push their businesses forward to adopt multiple cloud computing solutions. Therefore, security professionals must take up new roles and gain new skills and knowledge relevant to deploying appropriate control and security measures. Cloud security vendors use different security models and have varying responsibilities and compliance obligations; hence, a solid vendor-neutral knowledge of the cloud environment is required.

Cloud Security Providers have varying certification programs to equip security professionals with platform-specific skills like configuration, audits, identity and access management. However, these certifications are specifically for the vendor’s cloud environment, focusing only on configuring and operating in the specific platforms, limiting the scope and the applicability of the knowledge gained.

How Can CCSP Help

It is in the interest of organizations that, as they use multiple cloud environments, training and certification of security teams should go beyond the technical management of individual cloud environments. The Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) course by (ISC)²  offers training and certification which equips you with technical skills and knowledge to design, manage, and secure data, applications, and infrastructure across various CSPs using best practices, policies, and procedures established by experts.

The CCSP is a vendor-neutral certification that equips you with a robust knowledge of all aspects of cloud security and demonstrates you are a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in aligning security objectives with business goals. It positions you as an authority in cloud security, highly proficient in staying on top of the latest technologies, developments, and threats.

CCSP helps build the solid knowledge required for efficient cloud security for professionals with vendor-specific certifications, expanding your skillsets across multiple cloud environments. The knowledge and skills gained with CCSP training and certification are beneficial to professionals in their early careers and an essential building block for senior roles. 

Download the whitepaper to learn more about accelerating your career in a multicloud world.