Hybrid cloud security architecture requires rethinking

Cloud security isn't for the squeamish. Protecting cloud-based workloads and designing a hybrid cloud security architecture has become a more difficult challenge than first envisioned, said Jon Oltsik, an analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group in Milford, Mass.

"The goal was simple," he said. Enterprises wanted the same security they had for their internal workloads to be extended to the cloud.

But using existing security apps didn't work out so well. In response, enterprises tried to concoct their own, but that meant the majority of companies had separate security foundations for their on-premises and cloud workloads, Oltsik said.

The answer in creating a robust hybrid cloud security architecture is central policy management, where all workloads are tracked, policies and rules applied and networking components displayed in a centralized console. Firewall and security vendors are beginning to roll out products supporting this strategy, Oltsik said, but it's still incumbent upon CISOs to proceed carefully.

"The move to central network security policy management is a virtual certainty, but which vendors win or lose in this transition remains to be seen."

Read the rest of what Oltsik had to say about centralized cloud security.