When migrating workloads to the AWS cloud, you’ve likely encountered the Shared Responsibility Model. This framework delineates who is responsible for securing various aspects of the cloud environment. The model reflects clearly that while AWS ensures the security of the cloud, securing your application and infrastructure in the cloud is entirely on you.
The reality is simple: your app, your problem.
AWS offers a massive grab bag of very cool tools and services, but you are expected to know how to build the infrastructure to support them and how to use them correctly. This includes managing configurations, securing data, and implementing access controls.
“AWS offers a massive grab bag of very cool tools and services, but you are expected to know how to build the infrastructure to support them and how to use them correctly.”
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Sobering Statistics on Cloud Misconfiguration
So what happens if you get it wrong? A recent blog from Sentinel One provides some insights:
- 23% of security incidents are a result of cloud misconfiguration
- 82% of cloud misconfigurations are due to human error (not software defects)
- 89% of businesses hit with cloud misconfigurations were startups
Even for companies with teams of expert cloud architects, building a secure, reliable cloud infrastructure is a huge undertaking. However, when you don’t have those experts in-house or the budget to hire them, that monumental effort quickly becomes an insurmountable one.
Prioritizing Resources for Cloud Security
Every hour spent configuring cloud infrastructure is an hour not spent building your application. When limited resources force companies to prioritize their efforts, security, observability, and best practices usually take a backseat to development deadlines. If developers are only focused on making an application work, they can easily overlook security or observability capabilities, which leads to misconfigurations. Unfortunately, this oversight creates vulnerabilities that can lead to a security breach.
“If developers are only focused on making an application work, they can easily overlook security or observability capabilities, which leads to misconfigurations.”
This is where the shared responsibility matrix can be misleading. While cloud environments offer a fundamentally more secure, reliable, and sustainable environment for computing and data storage, they do not reduce the effort necessary to secure an application.
Platforms Rebalance the Cloud Security Equation
Cloud platforms help mitigate these challenges by automating security best practices and embedding them into workflows. Platformr improves cloud security by addressing key capabilities that save developers from reinventing security frameworks, allowing them to focus on what matters–building great applications.
Conclusion
Smart leaders allocate resources wisely. While cloud security for your app is your responsibility, leveraging platforms like Platformr reduces the burden, ensuring security and stability without derailing development so you can focus on innovation, not infrastructure.
– Andrew Plato, CEO/Founder, Zenaciti
About the Author
Andrew Plato is an experienced CEO, founder, and author, as well as a pioneer in cybersecurity who redefined the industry’s landscape. Plato is the author of “The Founder’s User Manual: Practical Strategies for the Startup Leader” and a strategic advisor to Platformr.