72% Indian enterprises overrate cloud security: Palo Alto Networks

The idea that the public clouds are secure by default has made decision-makers at large companies overlook cybersecurity threats posed by these networks. About 72 % of Indian enterprises have misplaced confidence on cloud providers’ security, says a Palo Alto Networks study.

Large enterprises are not prepared for cloud-related cybersecurity threats, and more importantly, make the assumption that public clouds are by default secure.

US-based cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks collaborated with research and consulting firm Ovum Research for the Asia-Pacific cloud security study. The research was based on data from 500 respondents from various vertical industries of large businesses with over 200 employees across five countries in Asia-Pacific. There were 100 respondents per country in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India and Singapore.

“Organisations need to recognise that cloud security is a shared responsibility, While cloud providers are responsible for the security of their infrastructure, the onus is on companies themselves to secure their data and applications stored in that infrastructure,” said Anil Bhasin, regional vice president, India and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) at Palo Alto Networks.

Among the top companies surveyed in India, 47 %  operate with more than ten security tools to secure their cloud infrastructure. However,  using several security tools creates further complexity to managing security in the cloud, especially if the companies are operating in a multi-cloud environment.

“The multi-cloud approach creates a dangerous lack of visibility that is prevalent in 50 % of large organisations surveyed, according to Andrew Milroy, head of advisory services, Asia-Pacific, Ovum.

A central console that uses artificial intelligence and similar technologies can help prevent known and unknown malware threats, Milroy added.

The study further said that large enterprises do not have enough time and resources to dedicate to cloud security audits and training. About 63 percent of organisations in India have never conducted a security audit or do not do it on a yearly basis. Not only audits, but the organisations also fail to provide proper security training for the staff.

Palo Alto Networks has recently shifted its focus to 5G networks and the Internet of Things or IoT devices security.

Scott Stevens, senior vice president, global systems engineering at Palo Alto Networks, had recently spoken to TechCircle on what enterprises need to do for a secure and smooth transition to 5G.