Cloud Security Overview

Cloud security is the protection of cloud-based systems, data, applications, identities, and workloads from threats and misuse.

Cloud providers operate large private networks, dedicated backbone connectivity, and high-scale infrastructure, but security must still be designed in layers. Organizations must protect not only the provider environment but also their own workloads, identities, applications, and data.

Core Security Areas

Physical infrastructure security
Virtualization and hypervisor security
Network security
Identity and access control
Data protection and encryption
Compliance and governance
Threat detection and response

Security of the Cloud and Security in the Cloud

Cloud security is approached from two complementary perspectives.

Security of the Cloud (Platform Security)

Controls operated mainly by the cloud service provider to protect the underlying platform:

Shared responsibility model
Facilities and physical security
Hardware security
Virtualization security
Cloud core connectivity security
Cloud management plane and API security
Business continuity and disaster recovery

Security in the Cloud (Service Security)

Controls that customers apply to protect what they build and run on the platform:

Cloud security cornerstones
Cloud native application protection platform (CNAPP), including CWPP, CSPM, and SSPM
Secure access service edge (SASE), including SWG, CASB, and ZTNA
Cloud identity and cloud infrastructure entitlement management (CIEM)
Cloud data security