Cloud Platform Security

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

• Granular Access Control: Role-based access control (RBAC) allows for fine-grained permissions to restrict who can access and manage specific resources.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Provides an additional layer of security by requiring multiple forms of authentication to verify user identities.

Network Security

• Firewalls and Security Groups: Virtual firewalls or security groups that control incoming and outgoing traffic to resources based on defined rules.
• DDoS Protection: Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection shields services from high-volume malicious traffic aimed at overwhelming and disrupting services.
• Private Network Connectivity: Options for private networking like virtual private clouds (VPCs), peering, or dedicated interconnects to ensure secure, isolated communication.

Vulnerability Management

• Automated Vulnerability Scanning: Regular scans of your hosted resources to identify vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, with alerts for critical security issues.
• Patch Management: Automatic or scheduled patching for servers, databases, and other services, ensuring that known vulnerabilities are quickly mitigated.

Compliance and Regulatory Support

• Built-In Compliance Certifications: Cloud providers maintain compliance with key regulatory standards like GDPR, ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, and HIPAA, simplifying compliance for hosted services.
• Compliance Monitoring and Reporting: Tools for generating compliance reports and tracking adherence to industry or government regulations.

Secure APIs and SDKs

• Secure API Gateways: Managed API gateways provide authentication, authorization, and encryption for all API communications to prevent unauthorized access.
• Security-First SDKs: Development kits provided by cloud platforms come with built-in security features, making it easier for developers to build secure applications.

Advanced Security Tools and Services

• Key Management Services (KMS): Managed key management systems for encrypting data, managing encryption keys, and handling key rotation securely.
• Managed Security Services: Providers offer managed security services for continuous threat detection, monitoring, and compliance support.
• Security Posture Management: Tools that continuously assess your cloud environment’s security posture, providing insights and recommendations to improve security configurations.

Logging and Auditing

• Comprehensive Audit Logs: Cloud platforms provide audit logging for all user activities, allowing administrators to track access, changes, and system events for security audits.
• Immutable Logs: Logs can be stored in an immutable format to ensure tamper-proof records for forensic analysis and regulatory compliance.

Physical Security

• Data Center Security: Cloud providers implement strong physical security controls at data centers, including biometric access, 24/7 monitoring, and multi-layered security controls to prevent unauthorized physical access to hardware.
• Geographic Redundancy: Data is stored in multiple locations for redundancy, ensuring availability and security even in the case of physical damage to one data centre. 

Encryption (In-Transit and At-Rest)

• Data Encryption at Rest: All data stored in cloud environments is encrypted by default using strong encryption standards like AES-256.
• Data Encryption in Transit: Ensures all data being transferred between servers, services, or between clients and the cloud is encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS).

Threat Detection and Monitoring

• Real-Time Monitoring: Integrated tools that monitor network traffic and server activity for abnormal behavior or threats, often using machine learning for anomaly detection.
• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): Centralized logging and monitoring tools that collect, analyze, and respond to security events in real-time.
• Threat Intelligence Feeds: Cloud providers offer integration with global threat intelligence to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.

Secure Remote Access

• VPN Access: Secure virtual private network (VPN) solutions to allow users or administrators to connect to cloud resources securely.
• Bastion Hosts (Jump Boxes): Use of hardened and restricted machines to control access to sensitive resources, limiting direct access to critical systems.

Data Backup and Recovery

• Automated Backups: Cloud platforms provide automated backups for virtual machines (VMs), databases, and storage, ensuring data can be recovered in the event of a failure or breach.
• Disaster Recovery Options: Geographically distributed data centers allow for disaster recovery solutions, enabling quick failover and data restoration across regions.

Identity Federation and Single Sign-On (SSO)

• Federated Identity Management: Supports identity federation with external identity providers, enabling users to access cloud services with existing credentials securely.
• Single Sign-On (SSO): Integrates with popular identity solutions to offer seamless, secure access to multiple cloud services with a single set of credentials.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

• Sensitive Data Monitoring: Detects and monitors the movement and usage of sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII), across cloud resources.
• Automated Policy Enforcement: DLP policies automatically protect sensitive data, alerting administrators or blocking data transfers that violate policies.

Zero Trust Security Model

• Zero Trust Architecture: All interactions, whether internal or external, are verified for legitimacy before allowing access to resources, limiting the impact of compromised credentials or insider threats.
• Continuous Verification: User and device trust is continuously re-evaluated during the session to detect any potential compromise.

Secure Development and DevOps Practices

• DevSecOps Integration: Security tools are integrated into the CI/CD pipeline, ensuring that security is built into every phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
• Secure Code Scanning: Automated code analysis tools help detect vulnerabilities in code before deployment, ensuring applications are secure from the start.