The benefits of a cloud-based solution for contact centres are numerous, but so are the challenges of migrating to the cloud. While the topic of maintaining a smooth migration has been discussed at length, what is not given as much attention is the protection of business intellectual property (IP). The solution many companies adopt is to simply avoid a cloud-based solution, however, we feel that missing out on a cloud-based solution is not ideal. In this blog post, we are going to take a look at how businesses can retain ownership of IP when transferring to the cloud.
Retaining ownership of business IP on the cloud
Business IP (proprietary information), if not secured, falls under threat when uploaded to the cloud. When stored offline, business IP can be secured easily, however, when on the cloud the information is meant to be more accessible making it more vulnerable to theft. Moreover, if cloud providers work with subcontractors in different countries, the data could be flowing into nations where intellectual property laws are weak. However, there are ways to shore up these leaks and retain ownership of your business IP.
The best way to shore up these leaks is to adopt a DevOps security (DevSecOps), model. DevOps security incorporates security measures and considerations at every stage of the cloud migration process, making it easier to lay a secure foundation that will protect business IP on the cloud. DevSecOps entails several methods like identity and access management (IAM), configuration management, vulnerability management, firewalling and unified threat management.
Another significant advantage of DevSecOps is the automation of security. There are a plethora of tools to automate different security operations – secrets management, configuration management and code analysis make security tighter and more time-efficient to execute, making DevSecOps the best option to protect business IP.
Keeping ownership of your business IP is not just about adopting the right security practices, but also working with the right cloud provider and setting the right terms on the SLA. Your ideal cloud provider is an experienced provider capable of sophisticated solutions and has a comprehensive plan around disaster recovery. If you are not familiar with the ins and outs of cloud-based solutions, it is also best to avoid migrating your core functions and your most important intellectual property onto the cloud.
Keeping ownership of business IP during cloud migration
The key to retaining ownership of business IP during cloud migration is to ensure a secure a cloud infrastructure before migrating to the cloud. The first step is to set a baseline for security, this means setting the right policies and infrastructure as well as performing a gap analysis to see how the cloud will change the security paradigm. Security tools should be selected based on their ability to operate natively on a cloud platform, but also to operate seamlessly on other cloud platforms.
There is a wide range of security tools and the right tools have to be chosen for the right situations. The most common security tool is a next-generation firewall (NGW) solution, but there are other solutions including detection service, intrusion protection, cloud access security broker (CASB) and web application firewall (WAF). Work with your cloud provider to choose the right security tools.
A lifecycle management framework must also be established, this consists of setting up dynamic provisioning, scaling and setting up a single point of management for your chosen security tools. Setting up a single point of management consists of several steps, including central ITSM solution along with a central log for data collection and correlation. It is also important to account for bandwidth requirements. Check the requirements because you need to make sure you have sufficient bandwidth for your data flow model.
Compliance regulations are also an important factor to consider when securing ownership of the business IP. There are different sets of regulations for processes. For example, for data stored on the cloud and if data moves between cloud and physical networks. You need to work with an experienced, reliable third-party to ensure you meet all cloud compliance requirements.
If you follow the right procedures and establish the right security protocols, keeping ownership of your business IP, as you move to the cloud, should be relatively simple. Doing so requires working with experienced cloud providers and reliable third-parties who know the cloud platform inside and out.
Sources:
https://devops.com/6-considerations-for-secure-cloud-migration/
https://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2015/03/article_0004.html