Cloud Security Tips That Work in 2025

Cloud security tips for businesses help strengthen your network and prevent data breaches. Your company relies on essential SaaS tools on a private server, and valuable data is being transmitted.

Hackers want this data to sell it to third parties or extort payment to prevent its release

If you’re not taking a proactive approach to your security, now is the time to start.

Why Cloud Security Isn’t Optional Anymore

In the early days of cloud computing, cloud security tips were an afterthought. You could take a more lax approach and avoid any serious consequences. Today, the cloud is the backbone of businesses with options including:

  • AWS
  • Azure
  • Google Cloud
  • Microsoft 365
  • And many others

Customer information, financials, intellectual property and other crucial data reside on the cloud. One compromised system can bring your operations to a halt.

Microsoft estimates that there are 600 million cyberattacks per day, and a staggering 59% of businesses fell victim to ransomware in the past 12 months.

While not all of these attacks are successful, those that are will damage a business’s reputation, image and trust. One incident can cost $4.5 million or more.

Understanding the potential threats you face will help prevent an attack.

Biggest Threats Facing Cloud Environments Today

Cloud computing has revolutionized the way modern businesses work. Data storage and running applications are evolving, but this change also poses significant risks of:

  • Compliance violations
  • Service disruptions
  • Attacks

Some of the biggest threats you face include:

Misconfigurations

What’s the leading cause of cloud breaches? Misconfigurations. Someone disables encryption, sets up network permissions incorrectly or makes a storage bucket public. Rapid development or deployment can lead to these issues.

Unauthorized access

Stolen credentials and weak authentication practices allow hackers to enter cloud systems. Simple changes to password strength and multi-factor authentication can help mitigate these risks.

Data loss and leakage

Sensitive information flows in and out of your organization through multiple pathways. Leakage can occur due to misconfigurations, insider threats and compromised accounts.

Insecure APIs

Communication between cloud services using APIs is common, but it also creates multiple attack vectors. Weak authentication, improper validation and missing rate limits are valid concerns that lead to data leaks.

Shared responsibility confusion

Working with multiple vendors opens up the risk of responsibilities being misunderstood.

Now that you understand the most common problems with cloud security, how do you protect against them? We’re going to share a few cloud security tips that will help you reduce the risk of being a victim of a cyberattack.

Cloud Security Tips You Should Actually Follow

Actions you take today can prevent tomorrow’s attacks. Follow these best practices for cloud security:

Implement Multi-Factor Authentication

Add MFA for all logins where possible.

Use Strong Encryption Standards

Data protection starts with you. Want to know how to improve cloud security? Add encryption. Hackers may access your data, but they won’t be able to read it.

Set Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC)

At the top of your cloud security best practices checklist, add strict access control. RBAC allows access to information on a must-use basis.

Regularly Audit Configurations

When was the last time you reviewed your configurations? Our best practices for cloud security include regular configuration audits to make sure everything is in order.

Backup Cloud Data Securely

Breaches happen. When they do, you need a way to restore systems quickly. Backing up data on the cloud is a good start.

Monitor for Unusual Activity

To improve cloud security, monitor your entire network for anomalies and unusual activity so that you can respond to threats quickly.

Security Tips by Cloud Type

Your network needs will vary over time. Include these in your cloud security best practices checklist:

Public Cloud Environments

  • Enable multi-factor authentication
  • Encrypt your data
  • Implement network segmentation
  • Enable logging
  • Monitor for suspicious activity
  • Run vulnerability scans
  • Integrate and review access controls

Private Cloud

  • Add physical security on-premises
  • Restrict access to data centers
  • Monitor your network traffic
  • Create patch management processes
  • Deploy intrusion detection systems
  • Conduct regular audits
  • Train your team

Hybrid & Multi-Cloud

  • Follow the advice for public and private clouds
  • Standardize encryption
  • Create unified identity and access management
  • Develop a disaster recovery plan
  • Partner with a security specialist

Implement these cloud security compliance best practices to keep your business safe.

Common Mistakes That Leave You Exposed

Even when you follow the cloud security best practices for small businesses, mistakes can be made that leave you exposed, such as:

  • Lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA)
  • Weak access management
  • Not encrypting sensitive data
  • No disaster recovery strategy

A managed security services company can help you avoid these costly pitfalls.

Cloud Compliance and Security Regulations You Can’t Ignore

To follow the cloud security best practices for businesses, you can’t overlook these compliance and security regulations:

  • ISO/IEC 27001 & 27017
  • Service Organization Control 2 (SOC 2)
  • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
  • HIPAA
  • PCI DSS

Experienced vulnerability management services can help ensure compliance with these regulations.

Cloud Security for Small vs Enterprise Businesses

Small and mid-sized businesses often underestimate their cybersecurity risks. You’re still scaling at this point, and cloud security advanced practices often focus on one environment. Enterprises must mix multi-cloud environments into one, requiring threat detection, event management systems and custom policies.

Budget is often a concern for smaller businesses, while enterprises must harden multiple points of entry on complex infrastructure.

Bonus: Security Tools Worth

As a managed cybersecurity service, we know that the best practices for securing data in the cloud often start with the tools that you deploy. Some of the best ones to invest in are:

Each of the above tools offers extensive cloud security features that scan for vulnerabilities and strengthen your network. Additional software can also scan for malware, viruses and other malicious applications.

But even with all of the proper tools in place, a specialist who knows what to monitor and analyze is needed.

Need Help Securing Your Cloud Stack? Let’s Talk

Your network is constantly at risk. Following cloud security best practices in 2025 is a good first start, but working with a company that will monitor your network 24/7 and address issues rapidly is the key to success.

Contact our team to discuss your cloud security needs.

FAQs

How often do businesses fall victim to cyberattacks?

As a managed security services provider, we know that attacks happen every day. Some are reported and others are not. On average, 61% of hackers target small businesses and it’s estimated that 41% to 75% of SMBs fall victim every year.

How much does the average cyberattack cost?

IBM’s 2025 report on the cost of data breaches shows that the average damage is $4.4 million per incident. While this number is high, it’s actually down 9% from the previous year.

What should I do if my business falls victim to a cyberattack?

Following cloud security tips will harden your network against attacks, but there are resilient hackers who will go to great lengths to access your network. You should immediately contact a professional who can isolate the server or device in question to:

  • Analyze how the attack occurred.
  • Patch or update your system to prevent further incidents.
  • Restore systems to a secure state prior to the attack.

Depending on your business and industry, you may have reporting requirements. Users, clients or customers need to be notified, which will require help from a PR team. Data breaches damage your company’s reputation and earnings, so they should be addressed immediately.

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