About Cloud Security Services

Cloud security services also referred to as cloud computing security means the discipline and practice of protecting cloud computing applications, environment, data and information. Cloud security includes securing cloud environments against unauthorized access or use age, DDOS attacks (distributed denial of service), hackers, malware and other more risks that can harm and can cause breach of information. While cloud security applies to the security for cloud environments, the related term for it which is cloud-based security refers to the software as a service delivery model of security services which are hosted inside the cloud rather than deployed using on premise software or hardware. 

The three types of cloud environments include:

1. Public Cloud Services - hosted by a third party cloud security service providers and generally accessible through web browsers so identity authentication, management and access control are essential. 

2. Hybrid Clouds - combine aspects of private and public clouds allowing organizations or users to wield more control over their data records and resources than in a public cloud environment yes still be able to tap into the scalability and other benefits of the public cloud if it's going to be needed. 

3. Private Clouds - usually accessible and dedicated to one organization. However, they are still vulnerable to access different breaches, social engineering and other exploits or risks. 

Main cloud service models generally fall into these three categories: 

1. Platform as a service - Provides different tools and other computing devices and infrastructure allowing organizations to focus on building and running web applications and services.  This type of cloud environment primarily supports developers, operations and DevOps teams. Management and configuration of self service entitlements and privileges is one of the keys on controlling risk. 

2. Software as a service - consists of different applications hosted by a third party and usually delivered as software services over a web browser that is accessed on the client’s side. While it eliminates the need to deploy and manage applications on an end user device, potentially any employee can access the web services and download every information that he or she needs. Thus, proper visibility and access controls are required to monitor types of software as a service applications accessed, usage and cost. 

3. Infrastructure as a service - Enables an on demand model for pre-configured virtual data center computing resources like storage, network and operating systems. This can involve automating the creation of virtual machines at scale so it is critical to consider how virtual machines are managed, provisioned and spun down. 

Principal Cloud Computing Security Considerations

Lack of control - leasing a public cloud service means that an organization does not have the ownership of the hardware, software or any applications on which the cloud services run. Ensure that you understand the cloud vendors approach to this kind of assets.

Transmitting and Receiving Data - cloud applications often interface and integrate with other databases, services and applications. This is usually achieved through an application programming interface. It’s important to understand the application and the people who have access to API data and to encrypt any sensitive information.