Hybrid Cloud Security: 5 Best Practices

Hybrid cloud environments are powerful but complex, and their security demands extra attention. With threats increasing and organisations adopting cloud-first strategies, securing hybrid systems is no longer optional. Here’s a quick breakdown of the five most effective practices to safeguard your hybrid cloud setup:

• Unified Security Policies: Standardise policies across on-premises, private, and public clouds to reduce risks and ensure compliance.
• Regular Audits: Conduct frequent security checks to identify vulnerabilities and meet regulatory requirements.
• Automated Security Controls: Use automation to minimise human error, improve response times, and maintain consistent security.
• Zero Trust Principles: Verify every user, device, and transaction to limit potential breaches and restrict lateral movement.
• Continuous Monitoring: Implement real-time monitoring to detect threats early, protect data, and maintain compliance.

These practices help organisations balance flexibility, performance, and control while staying protected against advanced cyber threats. Keep reading for actionable insights on implementing these strategies effectively.

Hybrid & Multi-Cloud Security Best Practices with Deft

1. Consistent Security Policies and Governance

Creating uniform security policies across all environments is the cornerstone of effective hybrid cloud security. Without this consistency, organisations risk exposing workloads to cyber threats and falling short on compliance requirements.

To secure hybrid infrastructures, it's essential to manage security across various platforms - whether it's on-premises, private cloud, or public cloud - under the same set of standards. This uniformity ensures a strong and cohesive approach to risk management.

Risk Mitigation Through Standardisation

Standardised policies play a critical role in reducing risks by ensuring consistent practices for data classification, access controls, and threat detection. A unified framework lowers the chances of misconfigurations and human errors across different environments.

Tools like Policy-as-Code (PaC) simplify this process by automating policy enforcement. These tools ensure security standards are maintained as infrastructure scales, providing a seamless way to manage growing complexities [3].

Staying Compliant with Regulations

Aligning security policies with regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS makes compliance across multiple environments more manageable [1]. Regularly reviewing and updating these policies helps organisations stay ahead of regulatory changes and adapt to new cloud technologies, avoiding compliance gaps that could lead to fines or operational issues.

A centralised Security Operations Centre (SOC) can significantly enhance threat detection, response times, and compliance monitoring. Using centralised tools and standardised processes, organisations can integrate compliance tracking into their broader governance strategies [3].

Simplified Implementation in Hybrid Setups

Setting up standardised security policies from the start ensures a smoother implementation across hybrid environments [3]. Centralised management tools improve visibility and enable faster responses to potential threats [2]. Additionally, using a centralised Identity and Access Management (IAM) system with features like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access control (RBAC) ensures access policies remain consistent across all platforms [1].

Adapting to Growing Cloud Demands

As organisations expand their cloud usage, security policies must be designed to scale alongside these changes [6]. With 92% of organisations adopting or planning to adopt a multi-cloud approach, scalable policies are critical for maintaining consistent security across various providers and data centres [7]. These policies should support both horizontal scaling (adding new resources) and vertical scaling (enhancing existing ones) without compromising security.

A hybrid cloud environment combines the security of private clouds with the scalability and resources of public clouds, offering a flexible and efficient computing solution. – The CTO Club [7]

To achieve this, managed scaling tools can automate the process, ensuring that security remains intact even as infrastructure grows [6]. Modern IT environments demand policies that can flex and adapt, allowing organisations to innovate while maintaining strong protections [5].

2. Regular Security Audits and Compliance Checks

Regular security audits are a cornerstone of securing hybrid cloud environments, helping to identify vulnerabilities before they can lead to breaches. These audits thoroughly examine cloud infrastructure, policies, and procedures to ensure they effectively protect sensitive data and meet regulatory standards [8]. In today’s evolving threat landscape, such proactive measures are more critical than ever. At Hokstad Consulting (https://hokstadconsulting.com), we understand that consistent security audits are essential for maintaining both security and compliance in hybrid cloud setups.

With cyberattacks becoming more advanced - IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2024 reports a staggering 71% increase in credential-based attacks [8], and Cybersecurity Ventures estimates global cyberattack costs to hit £7.6 trillion in 2024 [9] - regular audits are no longer optional; they’re a necessity.

Risk Mitigation Effectiveness

Security audits go beyond basic checks; they validate and strengthen existing protections in hybrid cloud environments. By routinely assessing areas like identity and access management, data protection, encryption practices, and incident response protocols, audits help uncover misconfigurations, access loopholes, and other vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. This process also ensures alignment with critical regulatory frameworks, creating a more resilient security posture.

Cloud identity security builds a solid foundation in ensuring audit readiness by safeguarding access to critical resources, enforcing compliance and providing the visibility needed to detect and respond to potential threats.

• Alyssa Miles, Product Marketing Manager, CyberArk [8]

Compliance with Regulations

Audits don’t just highlight weaknesses - they also ensure organisations meet legal and regulatory requirements. Hybrid cloud environments, with their shared responsibility models, present unique compliance challenges. In the UK, for instance, organisations must follow guidelines like the National Cyber Security Centre's 14 Cloud Security Principles. These principles cover key areas such as data protection during transit, supply chain security, identity authentication, and secure use of cloud services [10]. Regular compliance checks confirm that data handling practices adhere to these standards and help define the security responsibilities shared between cloud providers and organisations. This is particularly vital for managing data residency to ensure sensitive information stays within authorised regions.

Ease of Implementation in Hybrid Environments

Implementing security audits effectively starts with a clear strategy. Strong identity and access management practices - such as role-based access control and multi-factor authentication - are essential for creating transparent audit trails and improving oversight. Encrypting data both in transit and at rest simplifies compliance checks, while employee training and clear security policies ensure that teams understand their responsibilities in maintaining high security standards.

Scalability for Growing Cloud Needs

As hybrid infrastructures grow, manual audits can quickly become impractical. Automation tools, like Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), enable continuous monitoring of cloud configurations against industry standards [11]. Similarly, compliance-as-code approaches allow for real-time tracking and automatic remediation [12]. By leveraging hybrid cloud management solutions, organisations can maintain visibility, enforce consistent policies, and streamline audit processes, ensuring robust security even as new resources are added at scale.

3. Automation of Security Controls

As we've touched on earlier, manual security management often falls short in complex environments, leaving room for vulnerabilities. This is where automation steps in, transforming the approach from reactive to proactive. By automating security controls, organisations can ensure continuous protection across both on-premises and cloud environments. Kevin Mata, Director of Cloud Operations and Automation at Swimlane, puts it succinctly: Cloud security automation is crucial because it enhances the overall security posture without constant manual intervention [13].

Hybrid environments, with their mix of platforms and varied security needs, make automation a necessity. At Hokstad Consulting (https://hokstadconsulting.com), the impact of automation on security operations is clear. It empowers organisations to respond to threats in real time while maintaining compliance across diverse systems. This shift allows for more precise risk management, as outlined below.

Risk Mitigation Effectiveness

One of the standout benefits of automated security controls is their ability to eliminate human error, a frequent cause of breaches and compliance failures [13]. These systems operate continuously, monitoring for threats and enabling rapid responses when incidents occur [14]. For example, they can identify and fix misconfigurations before they become vulnerabilities [4].

Automation also brings predictability and consistency to security processes through algorithms and real-time monitoring [14]. These systems can oversee entire IT environments, scanning for vulnerabilities and anomalies, and setting appropriate access levels for data and applications. This dynamic, all-encompassing approach ensures that security measures evolve in step with emerging threats - without the need for constant manual intervention.

Compliance with Regulations

Automated controls also simplify compliance by applying security policies uniformly, ensuring adherence to regulations like GDPR and HIPAA [15]. Angela Clark, Global Channel Marketing Manager at Veeam Software, highlights this advantage: Effective data protection solutions help customers remain compliant, avoiding potential legal issues and associated penalties [15].

This is particularly significant as nearly half of production workloads in 2024 were hosted in public cloud environments, with the rest distributed across physical servers and virtual machines in data centres [15]. Automation ensures these varied setups remain compliant, regardless of complexity.

Simple Deployment in Hybrid Environments

Deploying automated controls in hybrid environments requires a thoughtful strategy. Consistent governance policies across cloud and on-premises systems are essential to managing data uniformly [15]. Key measures include implementing robust identity and access management (IAM) policies, enforcing least privilege access, and using multi-factor authentication to add extra layers of security. A solid understanding of regulatory requirements is also critical [15].

Automated tools can be configured to track, audit, and alert on changes to security groups, permissions, and access policies [16]. Security orchestration platforms make integration easier by consolidating alerts, automating responses, and streamlining workflows across multiple tools [16].

Scalability for Growing Cloud Needs

As infrastructure expands, automation proves invaluable by scaling security measures to match cloud usage. Automated systems adapt to new threats without requiring proportional increases in security staff. They also enable workflows capable of managing a growing number of security events and incidents [16].

This scalability extends to policy enforcement and compliance management. Automated systems continuously audit for issues like policy drift, unauthorised changes, or non-compliant settings, ensuring consistent security as environments grow [16].

4. Identity and Access Management with Zero Trust

Zero Trust takes identity and access management to the next level, especially in hybrid environments where traditional perimeter defences fall short. This approach operates on a simple yet powerful principle: never trust, always verify. As Microsoft Learn explains:

Zero Trust is not a product or tool, but an essential security strategy that seeks to continuously verify every transaction, asserts least privilege access, and assumes that every transaction could be a possible attack [21].

In practice, this means treating every user, device, and application as a potential risk until verified. Zero Trust integrates identity and access management, privileged access management, strong authentication, and real-time monitoring to create a multi-layered defence [17].

Risk Mitigation Effectiveness

The numbers highlight the urgency of adopting Zero Trust. 28% of unauthorised cloud access stems from compromised credentials, and phishing accounts for one-third of cloud-related security incidents [17]. Even more concerning, 83% of organisations reported at least one insider attack in the past year [17].

Zero Trust tackles these risks head-on. The principle of least-privilege access ensures users only have the permissions they need, minimising the damage caused by compromised accounts [17]. Micro-segmentation adds another layer of defence, restricting attackers’ ability to move freely within a network by isolating breaches to specific zones [22].

Real-world events illustrate the importance of these measures. In September 2024, Microsoft uncovered the Storm-0501 group exploiting weak credentials and excessive privileges to infiltrate on-premises systems, then moving laterally to cloud environments. Their actions included data theft, credential harvesting, and ransomware deployment [17].

What makes Zero Trust so effective is its assumption that breaches are inevitable. By focusing on rapid detection and containment, it limits the potential damage [17].

Compliance with Regulations

Once identity verification is robust, meeting regulatory requirements becomes much simpler. Zero Trust naturally embeds security measures into access management, aligning with compliance standards like GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, and ISO/IEC 27001, which demand strong access controls, data protection, and audit capabilities [20].

With Zero Trust, unauthorised access and data breaches are less likely. Continuous monitoring provides detailed audit trails and real-time oversight, both of which are critical for regulatory compliance. Additionally, encrypting data - both in transit and at rest - offers another layer of protection for sensitive information [20]. The model also simplifies audits by automatically generating logs of all access activities, making compliance reporting far less burdensome [20].

Ease of Implementation in Hybrid Environments

Introducing Zero Trust into hybrid environments involves careful planning, but its adaptability makes it a natural fit for complex systems. Organisations typically begin by defining their specific Zero Trust goals and mapping out key applications, data locations, and access patterns [19].

In hybrid setups, mapping transaction flows is particularly important because data constantly moves between on-premises and cloud systems. This visibility allows for the creation of policies based on least-privilege principles. Educating users about new protocols and maintaining constant monitoring are also critical for long-term success [19].

Leading companies have demonstrated the feasibility of Zero Trust at scale. For example, Google's BeyondCorp replaces traditional VPNs with secure gateways that verify user identities and device health before granting access. Similarly, Microsoft applies Zero Trust principles across its internal networks and cloud services, combining identity management with advanced threat detection [23].

This structured approach ensures that Zero Trust can be seamlessly integrated into hybrid environments.

Scalability for Growing Cloud Needs

Zero Trust is designed to grow alongside organisations as they expand their cloud presence. By focusing on identity rather than network perimeters, the model adapts without requiring major architectural changes [22]. Whether resources are on-premises or across multiple cloud platforms, identity verification and access controls remain consistent [22].

Netflix provides a great example of this scalability. By using micro-segmentation in the cloud, they isolate workloads and enforce strict access controls, preventing lateral movement by attackers. This approach ensures robust security even as their operations scale [23].

The need for scalable solutions is clear. Data breaches increased by 20% between 2022 and 2023, with the number of individuals affected doubling in 2023 compared to the previous year [18]. Zero Trust’s flexible architecture helps organisations stay ahead of these growing threats while maintaining efficiency in expanding hybrid environments.

5. Continuous Monitoring and Data Protection

Continuous monitoring serves as the foundation for effective hybrid cloud security by offering real-time visibility and proactive threat detection. It ensures constant oversight across both on-premises and cloud environments, helping to spot and address vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. This proactive approach significantly reduces the chances of minor issues escalating into major security threats.

The need for such monitoring becomes evident when considering today's landscape. In 2024, nearly half of organisations' production workloads were hosted in public clouds, while the rest were split between physical servers and virtual machines within data centres [15]. This mix creates complex environments where traditional monitoring methods often fall short in keeping up with the dynamic nature of hybrid infrastructures.

Risk Management in Action

With continuous monitoring, risk management shifts from being reactive to proactive. Real-time tools track system health, performance, and resource usage, while automated alerts quickly highlight anomalies, enabling teams to address potential bottlenecks without delay [24].

Hybrid clouds, which combine on-premises infrastructure with cloud services, often introduce vulnerabilities. Continuous monitoring safeguards sensitive data from unauthorised access, breaches, and cyberattacks [15]. The inclusion of AI-powered compliance monitoring further strengthens defences by reducing false positives, speeding up issue identification, automating evidence collection, and improving risk assessments [25].

To ensure operational efficiency, organisations can set performance benchmarks aligned with their business goals. Regularly reviewing performance data helps optimise workloads while maintaining robust security measures [24].

Staying Compliant with Regulations

Continuous monitoring simplifies the challenge of regulatory compliance. By offering real-time adherence to standards and policies, it helps organisations avoid costly data breaches, legal penalties, and reputational damage [26]. For instance, failing to comply with GDPR requirements can result in fines as high as €20 million or 4% of global annual revenue, whichever is higher [26].

High-profile breaches in the past have highlighted the steep costs of poor compliance practices.

Continuous compliance monitoring helps organisations maintain real-time adherence to regulatory requirements and minimise audit risk across complex network environments. – FireMon [26]

Key elements of this approach include real-time monitoring tools, automated alerts, risk tracking, policy updates, and audit readiness features [28]. This creates transparency across IT, security, and legal teams, enabling faster communication and shared accountability [26].

Implementing Continuous Monitoring in Hybrid Setups

To implement continuous monitoring effectively, organisations should start by inventorying their assets, aligning with compliance frameworks, and automating repetitive tasks [27]. Keeping a detailed inventory of assets and third-party connections allows teams to track changes and evaluate systems against compliance standards [27].

A strong implementation plan should include data protection practices such as data classification, encryption, and risk management [27]. Developing an incident response plan ensures proactive handling of potential security threats. Additionally, leveraging compliance automation software streamlines routine tasks, allowing teams to focus on strategic goals [27].

Automation also plays a critical role in resource allocation, dynamically adjusting resources based on real-time demands. This improves efficiency and ensures consistent deployment across environments [29]. By embedding security measures into every layer of the hybrid cloud, organisations can detect anomalies early and mitigate potential breaches [29]. Regular policy reviews, employee training, and proper documentation further enhance compliance and audit readiness [26][27].

Scaling for Growing Cloud Demands

As hybrid environments expand, intelligent automation and cloud-native tools ensure monitoring keeps pace. These tools optimise data storage and processing, making it easier to manage larger infrastructures [31]. Automated security practices and scalable monitoring help maintain compliance and mitigate risks as the environment grows.

Scalability is enhanced by adopting robust cloud governance frameworks that define clear security, compliance, and provisioning guidelines [30]. Infrastructure management can be automated through Infrastructure as Code (IaC), auto-scaling policies, and container orchestration [30]. Cloud-native monitoring tools track application health and resource performance across the hybrid setup [30].

Security measures also scale effectively with features like identity verification and multi-factor authentication to control access. Encrypting data both in transit and at rest ensures protection as the environment grows [30]. Regular audits of infrastructure configurations, cloud security posture, and spending help maintain a strong security framework even as complexity increases [30].

Maintaining consistent identity and access management (IAM) strategies ensures seamless authentication and secure access across private and public cloud environments [30]. Together with automated security controls, continuous monitoring provides a scalable and integrated defence system for hybrid cloud infrastructures.

Comparison Table

Standardised policies, regular audits, and automated controls offer a solid foundation for security management. The table below highlights the key differences between automated and manual approaches, particularly in daily operations, risk mitigation, and long-term costs.

With Gartner forecasting that over 85% of companies will adopt a cloud-first strategy by 2025, and the cloud computing market expected to hit $1,251.09 billion by 2028 [33], the need to weigh these two methods has never been more critical.

Managing security settings across multiple cloud environments manually can lead to mistakes, inconsistencies, and slow response times. Automation ensures consistent application of security policies and quick threat response. - SentinelOne [32]

One clear distinction is in error rates. Manual processes often lead to mistakes and slow reaction times, while automation significantly reduces errors and enables real-time threat detection [32].

Cost is another area where automation shines. Automated systems can lower total ownership costs by up to 60% over five years [35]. Additionally, organisations using automated compliance tools have reported cutting audit preparation time by as much as 60%, according to the ISACA State of Cybersecurity Report, 2023 [36].

The scalability of automation is a standout advantage, especially as hybrid environments grow. Automated systems adapt seamlessly without additional staffing, whereas manual methods demand more resources for each new system or application introduced [34].

Coverage is another critical area where automation leads. Continuous monitoring ensures all assets are tracked, offering greater assurance that controls are consistently effective. In contrast, manual methods often depend on sampling, leaving potential gaps in security oversight [34].

While automation excels at handling routine tasks, it’s important to remember that complex threat analysis still benefits from expert human oversight [32].

Conclusion

Securing hybrid cloud environments requires a seamless coordination of practices across both public and private infrastructures. By focusing on five key strategies - consistent policies, regular audits, automation, Zero Trust identity management, and continuous monitoring - you can build a strong and reliable defence.

The importance of these practices is underscored by recent statistics: 67% of organisations report significant network blind spots, and 82% of breaches are linked to human error [37][39]. These numbers highlight the pressing need for proactive security measures.

Security is always going to cost you more if you delay things and try to do it later. The cost is not only from the money perspective but also from time and resource perspective. – Ayman Elsawah, vCISO at Sprinto [38]

Together, these strategies enhance security by improving visibility, safeguarding data, ensuring compliance, managing access, and mitigating threats across diverse environments [37]. When implemented as a cohesive framework, they not only strengthen resilience but also boost operational efficiency [32].

Beyond risk reduction, robust security measures play a vital role in maintaining business continuity. A secure hybrid cloud setup minimises downtime, protects operations, and builds trust, all while shielding organisations from hefty fines, legal complications, and reputational damage caused by non-compliance [16][32][40].

Specialist expertise can make a significant difference when implementing these practices. Hokstad Consulting, for instance, brings extensive experience in hybrid cloud environments and DevOps transformation. They help businesses adopt these security measures effectively, often achieving cost reductions of 30-50% in cloud operations.

Treat hybrid cloud security as a strategic priority. Organisations that prioritise visibility, adaptability, and automation across platforms will be better equipped to scale operations, protect critical assets, and respond swiftly to threats in today’s increasingly complex digital world.

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