In today's digital landscape, cloud computing platforms have become widespread. Organizations leverage the capabilities of cloud service providers like AWS, Azure, and GCP to store and process their data efficiently. Cloud service providers like the three mentioned above are responsible for the security “of the cloud” itself – the infrastructure, hardware, etc. However, customers bear responsibility for the security “in the cloud” – for safeguarding their sensitive data. As part of that responsibility, encrypting data in the cloud is fundamental, and implementing the best practices for AWS, Azure, and GCP is paramount.
Acknowledging the critical role of encryption in protecting your company's data in the cloud, it is crucial to understand both how to set up encryption properly and that setting up encryption incorrectly can leave your data exposed to potential threats. Many cloud service providers (CSPs) have made encryption a standard feature, free of charge. Enabling encryption is often as easy as checking a box in your settings. It is surprising how often users overlook this simple yet essential security measure.
In this blog post, we list some failure rates for key services across CSPs, give you a little background on cloud encryption, offer a real-world scenario, and then suggest best practices to help you employ encryption for enhanced cloud security.