IT-Sicherheit
Cloud Security Best Practices: How to Secure Your Cloud Infrastructure
Nico FreitagIT-Sicherheit
The cloud is not a safe haven. 45% of all data breaches involve cloud-based data – and the most common cause is misconfiguration, not sophisticated hacker attacks. The cloud provider secures the infrastructure – you secure your data and configurations. This article shows the most important best practices.
The Shared Responsibility Model
The biggest mistake: Assuming the provider handles everything.
What the provider secures:
- Physical data centers
- Network infrastructure
- Hypervisor and virtualization
What you secure:
- Data and encryption
- Identity and Access Management
- Network configuration
- Application security
In our IT security consulting, we first clarify the Shared Responsibility Model.
Identity & Access Management (IAM)
IAM is the foundation of cloud security:
Least Privilege – Only necessary permissions. No wildcard policies.
MFA for all accounts – Especially root/admin accounts. Details in the Password Management Guide.
Separate service accounts – Each service gets its own account.
Regular access reviews – Quarterly checks.
No long-lived credentials – Short-lived tokens instead of permanent API keys.
Network Security in the Cloud
Cloud networks must be carefully configured:
Security Groups and NACLs – Deny by default.
Private Subnets – Databases belong in private subnets.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) – Protects against OWASP Top 10. Details in our OWASP Guide.
DDoS Protection – Activate AWS Shield, Azure DDoS Protection.
Data Encryption and Compliance
Encryption at Rest – AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, Google Cloud KMS. BYOK for maximum control.
Encryption in Transit – TLS 1.3 for all connections.
Data Location – For GDPR compliance: choose EU regions. More in our article on GDPR and Cloud Hosting.
Logging and Audit – CloudTrail, Activity Log, Cloud Audit Logs – activate everything.
Cloud Security Monitoring
You can't protect what you can't see:
CSPM – AWS Security Hub or Wiz automatically scan for misconfigurations.
Cloud Workload Protection – Protects containers, VMs, and serverless in real-time.
SIEM Integration – Feed cloud logs into your SIEM.
Alerting and Automation – Automatic alerts. Automatic blocking of public S3 buckets.
At AXIS/PORT., we help implement comprehensive cloud security strategies.
Conclusion
Cloud security is an ongoing process. Start with IAM, ensure encryption, and implement monitoring. At AXIS/PORT., we guide you on this path.
About the Author
Nico Freitag
Founder & Geschäftsführer
Nico Freitag is the founder and CEO of AXIS/PORT. With expertise in AI consulting, software development, and IT security, he helps businesses with their digital transformation.