The best way to improve the security within your cloud environment is to understand what assets you are utilizing and responsible for. Without this knowledge, you have no idea what you need to be protecting. So, the best way to properly track, monitor, and organize your resources and assets within your cloud environment is to have a proper tagging system in place.
Proper tagging in your public cloud can enhance the level of security within your entire cloud environment and keep your data protected. So, let’s discuss how your security could be at risk without the proper tagging.
Human Error in the Cloud Is Inevitable
You could be tagging your resources, but you could be doing it manually. If that is true, you face a large problem with human error. Whether it is you or someone else on your FinOps team who is manually tagging, no amount of training and knowledge will 100% stop human error. It is inevitable. This human error can lead to improperly tagged resources, missed resources, or a lack of data collection, all of which can lead to a less secure cloud environment.
Proper tagging when automation processes are in control allows you to remove the human element from the situation, improving security and ensuring that your tags are all accounted for and organized. All of this can help you monitor, manage, and track your business better throughout its lifetime.
You Could Be Missing Incorrect Tags in Bulk
If you physically find an incorrectly labeled or organized tag, you can fix it and get it where it is supposed to be. However, can you be sure that is the only one? Or maybe you find a handful and don’t have the time or resources to get them fixed right away or correctly. If there are a lot of incorrect tags in your cloud environment, you could be facing security issues, such as holes in your current processes or resources not being utilized properly.
When you have proper tag procedures in place, you have access to tag corrections at scale. Not only does this mean that tags can be fixed in bulk, but it also means that errors are fixed immediately rather than in a week or a month. This quick timing can ensure that nothing falls through the cracks or that nothing unfit gets into your environment.
Anyone Can Access Your Data
One aspect of proper tagging that many forget about is the ability to enforce control over who accesses what and the implementation of personal restriction policies. Without these rulings, sensitive data that your tagging procedures track and monitor could be accessed by anyone, even if it is just someone from a different department.
With proper procedures in place, you can allow only authorized users access to certain areas to ensure that nothing is looked at, changed, or deleted by someone else or by accident. This extra level of security can keep not only your tags safe but also your organization as a whole.
Do you feel you lack security in your cloud environment and tagging procedures? It could be time to implement a Tag Manager. If you have further questions or wish to introduce a Tag Manager to your organization, contact the team at FinOps Oversight.