Cloud Security

Cloud security covers all measures that protect data, applications and infrastructure in cloud environments against attacks and misconfigurations. This article explains the shared responsibility model, shows the key protection layers and describes how companies can use the cloud securely and in line with regulations.

Companies are moving applications, data and entire business processes to the cloud. This shifts the attack surface: access points sit on the internet, configurations change daily and responsibility is spread across several providers. Anyone running cloud services in production therefore needs a security concept that keeps pace with this dynamic.

The infrastructure of the major cloud providers is rarely the problem. It is operated professionally, audited continuously and certified. Risks arise predominantly on the customer side, for example through faulty configurations, overly broad permissions or unprotected interfaces. This is exactly where cloud security comes in.

What is cloud security?

Cloud security refers to the entirety of technologies, processes and policies that protect data, applications and infrastructure in cloud environments. It covers classic disciplines such as access control, encryption and monitoring, complemented by cloud-specific tasks: managing identities across multiple platforms, continuously checking configurations and securing application programming interfaces.

The basis of every cloud strategy is the shared responsibility model, meaning responsibility divided between provider and customer. The provider secures the cloud itself: data centers, hardware, network and virtualization layer. The customer is responsible for security in the cloud: their data, the assignment of permissions, the configuration of the services they book and the protection of access points.

How these tasks are distributed in detail depends on the service model. With Infrastructure as a Service, the customer bears responsibility from the operating system upward, with Platform as a Service from the application upward, and with Software as a Service essentially for data, identities and settings. The widespread misconception that the provider takes care of everything applies to none of these models.

How it works

Effective protection arises from several control layers that interlock:

Identity and access management: Every action in the cloud runs through an identity, whether human or machine. Role concepts, multi-factor authentication and minimal permissions prevent a compromised account from causing far-reaching damage.
Encryption: Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Clean key management ensures that only authorized systems and people gain access.
Network controls: Virtual networks, segmentation and private connections define which systems are allowed to communicate with each other. Sensitive workloads thus remain separated from the open internet.
Configuration management: Automated checks detect when storage is publicly accessible, ports are open or logging has been disabled. Deviations are reported and, where possible, corrected automatically.
Monitoring and logging: Central logs and anomaly detection show who accesses which resources and when. Without this transparency, attacks often go unnoticed for a long time.
Workload protection: Virtual machines, containers and serverless functions are hardened, kept up to date and regularly checked for vulnerabilities.

Why this matters

Misconfigurations are among the most common causes of cloud incidents: a single incorrectly set access parameter can make internal data holdings publicly accessible.
Identities are the new perimeter: in the cloud, one set of stolen credentials decides access to central systems. Protecting them is the top priority.
Regulation requires evidence: GDPR, NIS2 and industry-specific requirements demand verifiable controls, explicitly including outsourced services and their configuration.
Multicloud increases complexity: each platform brings its own tools, terms and default settings. Without overarching policies, gaps arise unnoticed.
Business continuity depends on the cloud: if central services fail or data is encrypted, processes across the entire company come to a standstill.
Speed needs guardrails: business units and development teams provision new services within minutes. Security requirements have to run along automatically, otherwise they will permanently lag behind this pace.

Typical use cases

Securing cloud migration: before applications are moved, the permission model, network architecture and encryption are planned so that security is built in from the start rather than added on afterwards.
Managing multicloud consistently: overarching policies and central monitoring ensure that the same standards apply across all platforms in use.
Controlling SaaS usage: access to cloud applications runs through a central control point, for example as part of SASE/SSE , including the inspection of users, devices and data flows.
Protecting hybrid architectures: when the data center and cloud work together, coordinated rules and encrypted connections secure the data exchange in both directions.
Connecting sensitive workloads privately: critical systems communicate with the cloud via dedicated private connections and remain invisible to the open internet.

Cloud security vs. on-premises security

In their own data center, a company controls the entire technology stack, from the server room to the application. Security there traditionally follows the perimeter concept: a strong external boundary protects the internal network that is considered trustworthy. In the cloud, this fixed boundary no longer exists in that form. Resources are created within minutes, access happens from anywhere and responsibility is shared between provider and customer. The pace also differs markedly: changes that used to take weeks now happen several times a day in the cloud.

This results in a different mode of work. Instead of hardening hardware, teams manage identities, policies and configurations, ideally automated and versioned. Instead of individual manual firewall approvals, what counts is the end-to-end automation of controls. Experience from on-premises operations remains valuable but must be complemented with cloud expertise. Hybrid environments need both perspectives, brought together in a shared security concept with clear responsibilities.

KAEMI as your partner

KAEMI helps companies connect and operate cloud environments securely. With Cloud Connectivity , you connect sites and cloud platforms via private connections instead of the open internet. Compute & AI provides secure cloud infrastructure for your workloads, including operation and monitoring. We are happy to assess together where your cloud architecture stands today and which measures deliver the greatest effect: get in touch .

Frequently asked questions about Cloud Security

Who is responsible for the security of data in the cloud?

Responsibility is shared. The cloud provider secures data centers, hardware and virtualization. The customer remains responsible for data, identities, permissions and the configuration of the services. This shared responsibility model applies across all service models but shifts depending on the variant: with IaaS the customer bears more tasks than with SaaS. Fully outsourcing responsibility is not possible in any case.

Is the public cloud less secure than your own data center?

There is no blanket answer. Large providers invest considerably in physical security, redundancy and certifications, often more than individual companies can manage. Incidents usually arise from errors on the customer side, such as open storage, weak credentials or missing monitoring. With clean configuration, clear permissions and end-to-end logging, the cloud reaches a very high level of security.

What are the most common mistakes in cloud security?

Typical ones are publicly accessible storage, overly broad permissions, missing multi-factor authentication and disabled logging. Added to these are unused legacy accounts, unencrypted data holdings and shadow IT, meaning services that business units book without coordinating with IT. Regular configuration checks, central identity management and clear policies for new services permanently fix most of these weaknesses.

Do we need our own backup despite having a cloud provider?

Yes. Many services offer redundancy against hardware failures but do not replace a backup against accidental deletion, ransomware or faulty automation. Check which recovery options your contract actually includes, and add your own backups with separate access rights. Regular recovery tests are also important so that the backup demonstrably works in an emergency and recovery times can be planned realistically.

How does KAEMI support cloud security?

KAEMI connects your sites to cloud platforms via private connections, provides secure infrastructure for your workloads and controls access through modern concepts such as SASE/SSE. As a managed service provider, we take on planning, operation and monitoring. You retain sovereignty over your data and receive transparent reports on the security status of your environment.