The cloud is celebrated for its scalability and flexibility, but not every workload belongs there. While the cloud excels in hosting disposable or dynamic workloads, it may not be the best choice for mission-critical assets—the “crown jewels” of your business. Without careful planning, companies risk higher costs, security vulnerabilities, and compliance issues that can jeopardize the very core of their operations. Protecting what powers your business requires more than a leap to the cloud; it demands a strategy.
THE RISKS OF PUTTING MISSION-CRITICAL ASSETS IN THE CLOUD
Over-reliance on Consultants
Many organizations lack the internal expertise to build and manage their cloud environments, relying instead on external consultants. While these consultants bring valuable skills, they often leave without thoroughly documenting the setup. Without robust documentation, businesses are left vulnerable if something goes wrong or if the consultant is no longer available.
This challenge is compounded by the absence of Infrastructure as Code (IaC)—a best practice for managing cloud resources through automated, documented scripts. Companies that lack IaC have little visibility into what’s running in their cloud environments, making troubleshooting and auditing nearly impossible.
Default Configurations and Limited Control
Cloud providers often offer “landing zones”—pre-configured environments designed to get customers up and running quickly. While convenient, these standard setups are often cookie-cutter solutions that fail to address the unique security needs of your business. By defaulting to these configurations, companies may inadvertently inherit risks associated with shared environments, such as vulnerabilities or inadequate isolation from other tenants.
Auditing Challenges and Compliance Risks
Thorough auditing of cloud environments is essential but often overlooked. Unfortunately, as cloud footprints expand and become more complex, the opportunities for oversights and blunders grow. Breaches involving errors were up substantially in the most recent Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, and now account for 28% of incidents. That includes cloud misconfigurations as well as other mistakes. Without proper tools or expertise, businesses struggle to identify configuration errors, unmanaged resources, or potential security gaps. This lack of visibility can have serious implications, particularly in regulated industries.
For example:
- Healthcare: HIPAA compliance requires that Protected Health Information (PHI) be secured at all times. A misconfigured cloud environment could expose sensitive patient data, leading to significant fines and reputational damage.
- Finance: PCI DSS compliance mandates strict controls around payment data. Shared or improperly secured cloud setups can result in breaches that violate these standards.
Government: Regulations like GDPR and FedRAMP impose strict data sovereignty rules and may also mandate how data is processed and transmitted. Using cloud providers that don’t align with these requirements can lead to noncompliance, hefty penalties, the loss of valuable business contracts, or forced operational changes.
WHEN THE CLOUD MAKES SENSE
The cloud has its place in a balanced IT strategy, especially for workloads that benefit from elasticity or temporary resources. Examples include:
- Development and Testing: Quickly spin up environments without long-term commitments.
- Disaster Recovery: Use the cloud for backup storage or failover systems, ensuring resilience.
- Burst Workloads: Handle seasonal or temporary traffic spikes without overinvesting in on-prem infrastructure.
However, for constant, mission-critical workloads requiring high levels of security and control, on-premises or hybrid setups often offer a better balance of cost, performance, and risk mitigation.
BALANCING COST AND TALENT
One key challenge businesses face is deciding between hiring consultants or developing internal expertise. While consultants provide immediate value, their work must be supplemented by strong internal processes, such as documentation and training, to ensure long-term sustainability. Developing in-house talent can reduce reliance on external parties and empower teams to take full control of their infrastructure, but building out a comprehensive skill set internally can be expensive and time consuming.
For many, the solution lies in hybrid strategies that combine the cloud’s flexibility with the stability of on-premises systems. This cloud-smart approach enables businesses to:
- Customize security: Tailor infrastructure to meet unique compliance and security needs.
- Optimize costs: Use cloud resources only when necessary, avoiding runaway expenses.
- Manage staffing: Establish core competencies within your team and leverage external talent as needed.
- Ensure control: Maintain visibility and oversight, critical for audits and long-term planning.
PROTECT WHAT POWERS YOUR BUSINESS
Your mission-critical assets are the foundation of your business. Placing them in the cloud without a clear strategy could expose your organization to unnecessary risks, from compliance violations to costly outages, and drain your budget due to uncontrolled spend. By taking a balanced approach—one that evaluates use cases, costs, and compliance needs—you can harness the cloud’s strengths while safeguarding your most valuable resources.
At CyberNorth, we specialize in helping businesses navigate these complexities. Whether you’re building a hybrid environment, optimizing your cloud strategy, or enhancing compliance, our experts are here to help. Protect what powers your business by contacting us today.
