Intelligent CISO Issue 12 | Page 41

E R T N P X E INIO OP Prioritising security in a multi-cloud world Research points to the ongoing growth of the cloud market in the Middle East, in part due to the adoption of multi-cloud. But this approach also means an increase in cloud-related security incidents. Here, Scott Manson, Managing Director – Middle East and Turkey, at McAfee, details the critical considerations for regional organisations looking to embark on a multi-cloud strategy. C loud awareness and adoption continues to grow, as more enterprises take advantage of the benefits that come with multiple cloud platforms. In fact, in a recent Voice of the Enterprise (VotE): Cloud Hosting and Managed Services study, conducted by 451 Research, 90% of respondents indicated they have some type of cloud services in place and several are already using multi- cloud environments. Closer to home in the Middle East, research by MarketsandMarkets predicts that the cloud market in the region will triple to US$2.4 billion by www.intelligentciso.com | Issue 12 Scott Manson, Managing Director – Middle East and Turkey, at McAfee 2020, driven in large part by adoption of multi-cloud. But on the flip side, we’re seeing an increase in cloud related security incidents. According to research from the October 2018 McAfee Cloud Adoption and Risk report, the average organisation generates over 3.2 billion events per month in the cloud, of which 3,217 are anomalous and 31.3 are actual threat events. This is cause for alarm given that 21% of all files in the cloud contain sensitive data (up 17% over the past two years). Against this backdrop, whether you are switching up your multi-cloud strategy or starting from scratch, here are a few things your organisation needs to know first about multi-cloud. Determine what features will either make or break your multi- cloud strategy When picking the best multi-cloud structure for your business, be bold. Build a vision for what you need cloud services to do for your company – worry less about ‘how’ and more about the ‘why’ and ‘what’ you need from your providers. The reality is that top cloud providers in IaaS/PaaS and, separately, SaaS spaces, are offering extremely versatile capabilities and compelling value. It is important to understand what features are critical and which ones change the way your organisation works when it comes to selecting vendors. 41