The Growing Need for Cloud Security Professionals

With the introduction of virtual collaboration tools like Zoom, the embrace of remote work and the ever-growing revolution of Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing skills is in more demand than it has ever been. In fact, expertise in Cloud Security is one of the most sought-after professions today.

A recent survey by Cybersecurity Insiders indicates 78% of organizations are very concerned or extremely concerned about the security of public cloud services. However, the cloud computing market is estimated at $900 billion and expected to grow. This is because of its’ cost savings, flexibility, and environmental benefits.

Altogether, this presents another strategic opportunity for career development. Let’s take a deeper look at the driving forces behind the demand for cloud security professionals. What are the specific challenges organizations face and what solutions do they need prioritized and implemented?

What’s driving the need?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries and revolutionizing the entire technological landscape. The facilitation of the average person to generate significant lines of code without formal training or education remarkable.  AI coding eliminates lots of challenges from code development. Hence, technology giants, software developers, small businesses and individuals have all embraced it.

However, it’s important to note that AI coding platforms such as Github Copilot, Amazon Q Developer, Cursor and Replit are all powered by cloud computing. Although new, this rapidly growing $5 billion industry is driving more people to consume cloud computing products.

Again, Artificial Intelligence is reshaping industries. From human resources and healthcare to legal and financial services, Artificial Intelligence is remodeling the way we do business. Many organizations are implementing artificial intelligence tools to augment existing business processes and workflows to either gain competitive advantage or become more productive. The huge return on investment means companies are willing to invest in private and public AI tools. Ultimately, this leads to more consumption of cloud computing technologies from technology giants and start-ups.

Lastly, a combination of Software as a Service (SaaS) tools, social media platforms, collaboration tools, remote work and entertainment have profoundly expanded the cloud computing market. Anyone reading this article has either heard of or is familiar with Microsoft O365, Google Suite, Slack, Zoom, Netflix, Spotify, Dropbox, Instagram, and Facebook. In fact, you may have several accounts on these platforms which equals more cloud computing consumption.

What challenges do organizations face?

The 2024 cloud security report indicates 43% of organizations surveyed use a hybrid cloud strategy. This means they take advantage of the flexibility of public clouds, and the data control private clouds offer. Notably, another 35% of organizations use a multi-cloud approach. This enables them to get the most out of various cloud vendors like AWS, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and IBM.

However, the use of hybrid or multi-cloud approaches calls for a strong cloud security infrastructure and a broader skill set to manage various vulnerabilities and attacks.  In fact, securing multi-cloud environments is the single most difficult cloud computing challenge organizations face today. Organizations cite issues like data protection and privacy, having the right skills to deploy and understanding service integration solutions as major challenges.

Additionally, a whopping 69% of organizations implement three or more separate cloud security solutions concurrently. It is not clear how this complexity came about. However, one plausible reason is that an attempt to mitigate existing challenges has resulted in another. Implementing too many security solutions can lead to complications and loopholes. This makes it more difficult for security professionals to stay up to date with varied requirements or remain efficient.

The Needed Expertise

As can be seen, cloud security and the need for professionals with the right skill set is a big deal. As a security professional, your ability to secure the cloud isn’t only important but an absolute necessity. Organizations seek professionals who can implement best practices across public clouds, private clouds and hybrid clouds.

Furthermore, knowledge of global compliance and regulatory frameworks is crucial. Knowledge of EU-GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS and SOC2 is a must know for cloud security professionals. Another area of expertise is data encryption and privacy. Organizations need reassurance that their data is secure and free from prying eyes and data leakages.

Lastly, proficiency in Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools like AWS IAM, Azure Active Directory, Okta and Salesforce is vital. The IT resources of many organizations are no longer kept behind brick and mortar. Thus, ensuring that only authorized users gain access to cloud resources remains at the forefront of the cloud security strategy of many organizations.

Be a solution

 To adequately address these challenges, organizations and professionals must adopt a strategic approach that encompass tailored education, certifications and continuous professional development. More than, 65% of organizations today consider the skills of their security teams to be average or below average. Strategies for cloud security proficiency should take a balanced approach and that implies, professionals should be proficient in both vendor specific and vendor neutral technologies.

Above all, the use of multi-cloud computing suggests it’s prudent for security professionals to be knowledgeable in at least two public cloud computing platforms. Additionally, cloud security professionals must have a comprehensive understanding of vendor neutral cloud computing technologies. This leads to a deeper understanding of private and hybrid clouds. Aligning team skills with industry best practices, vendor neutral and vendor specific training, equips professionals to combat diverse and evolving threats to cloud security.