Multi-Cloud Data Protection Solution: Four Features

A multi-cloud data organization is one that uses more than one cloud service provider. This can include using a combination of public, private, and edge clouds. A business can take advantage of specialized solutions and competitive pricing by subscribing to multiple vendors.

One potential downside to using multiple cloud platforms is that it can create a fragmented infrastructure that does not scale well across different environments. This can lead to teams working in isolation, resulting in increased complexity, higher costs, and potential security gaps. In some cases, organizations may use dozens of different security tools to protect their hybrid and multi-cloud environments, but still, be unsure if they are truly secure. This blog post will discuss four important qualities that a multi-cloud data-protection solution should have and how Microsoft Purview can help unify security, compliance, and data protection across your enterprise.

Multi-Cloud Data require unified data protection

It is important to be able to integrate and automate across multiple clouds at a large scale in order to support a strong ecosystem of partners. Since most enterprise customers have adopted a multi-cloud approach, it is crucial to maintain security across all of your data. Using patchwork solutions can create security vulnerabilities, while a comprehensive solution can provide seamless data protection and governance across your entire digital estate.

For multi-cloud data security and data protection, look for:

1. Unifies auto-discovery and protection of sensitive data. A good multi-cloud data-protection solution should offer comprehensive security and compliance tools that work with both first-party and third-party apps and services. These tools should be able to protect sensitive data, such as Personally Identifiable Information (PII), like home addresses, birthdates, and Social Security Numbers. The solution should also include features like built-in sensitivity labeling within applications and services, as well as user notifications to help guide users on security best practices. These features help ensure that all sensitive data is properly labeled and classified so that files can’t be exfiltrated without the proper permissions.
   A data-protection solution that offers rights management and automatic encryption of emails and attachments, as well as the ability to co-author encrypted documents, can help ensure secure collaboration. Your multi-cloud security tool should be flexible enough to allow for manual labeling of certain sensitive files for leadership-only access, such as for mergers and acquisitions projects. At the same time, it should also allow admins to automatically label and protect business files stored in Microsoft SharePoint or Microsoft Teams, such as by using Confidential labels for finance or HR records. The tool should also be able to scan and classify on-premises file shares, as well as cloud applications and services.
2. Limits the transfer of private data to applications and services provided by third parties. More than 40% of corporate data is “dark,” meaning that it is not classified, protected, or governed. This invites risk in the form of sensitive data leakage, which can harm a company’s reputation and, in the case of leaked Personally Identifiable Information (PII), lead to costly litigation. A good multi-cloud security solution should be able to classify files and documents, apply sensitivity labels, provide sharing controls and file governance, and use near real-time data loss prevention policies to prevent data leakage across third-party apps. This can help to ensure that your sensitive data is properly protected.
3. Uses automated data discovery across structured and unstructured data. Every organization needs to be able to securely share data both within the company and with partners and customers. That’s why a data protection solution should provide scanning and classification for all types of assets across multi-cloud and on-premises environments. Metadata and descriptions of data assets should be integrated into a comprehensive map of your data estate. This map can be used by purpose-built apps to create environments for data discovery, access management, and insights about your data landscape. This can help ensure that your data is properly organized and secured.
4. Applies Zero Trust principles to your entire digital estate. Your data-protection solution should provide strong multifactor authentication to verify user identities, as well as ensure that all endpoints are in compliance with relevant policies. It should also include built-in governance and compliance features, and offer continuous risk assessment and forensics capabilities. Other important functions should include the ability to classify, label, and encrypt emails and documents, as well as provide adaptive access to software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications and on-premises applications. These features can help to ensure that your data is properly protected and that your organization remains compliant.

Integrate for comprehensive protection

It can be difficult to overcome the fragmented approach that often arises in a multi-cloud environment. However, the risks of using ad-hoc, patchwork security solutions are too great to ignore. In addition to Personally Identifiable Information (PII), your business’s intellectual property (IP), financial statements, organizational structures, employee contacts, and other sensitive information could be targeted by ransomware, phishing, and password attacks. To protect your organization from these threats, it is important to have a comprehensive data-protection solution in place.

Microsoft Purview offers information protection and governance capabilities that can help your organization address potential data vulnerabilities in a multi-cloud environment. It integrates information protection, data lifecycle management, data loss prevention, insider risk management, and eDiscovery. Purview’s data governance portal can help manage your entire data landscape, including on-premises, multi-cloud, and SaaS environments, to create a comprehensive, up-to-date map of your data. This unified governance approach allows data curators and security admins to keep your data secure while empowering users to find the trustworthy data they need.

Microsoft Priva adds another layer of protection by offering privacy risk management, which helps identify data-privacy risks and automate mitigation across your data landscape. It also includes the Microsoft Graph subject rights requests API, which allows individuals to review or manage their personal data. This API can help your organization automate searches across Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams, making it easier to manage data-privacy requests. Together, these features can help you protect your data and ensure compliance with privacy regulations.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps can help protect the business-critical apps you rely on by using real-time controls to monitor data accessed across your multi-cloud environment. As a cloud access security broker (CASB), Defender for Cloud Apps blocks attacks against your apps using automated identity governance and integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Entra Permissions Management to identify and remediate permission risks. This can help you classify sensitive information and keep your apps secure.

Look for a built-in data protection solution

A good data-protection solution should address four key areas: unified discovery and protection, protection against data exfiltration, control of unstructured data, and a foundation of Zero Trust. Both Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Azure are designed with Zero Trust as a core principle. And with comprehensive, integrated solutions for information protection, data governance, risk management, and compliance, Microsoft Purview can help you build on all four pillars to protect your data in hybrid and multicloud environments. This can help you feel confident that your data is secure.

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