New York City, NY. October 22, 2024 – Apono, the leader in privileged access for the cloud, today announced  the appointment of Dan Parelskin as Senior Vice President of Sales and the hire of Stephen Lowing as Vice President of Marketing and Following the company’s successful Series A funding round in September, these appointments are significant steps forward for Apono as it positions itself to capitalize on the increasing demand for cloud privileged access solutions across markets.

Due to a surge in cloud expansion organizations in various industries need secure access to essential cloud resources without compromising productivity. Traditional approaches like PAM and IGA often fail to provide this level of security within the cloud. Apono’s just-in-time, just-enough approach enables customers to seamlessly achieve these security objectives while ensuring compliance with reporting requirements and avoiding disruptions or delays for technical teams that require access to cloud resources.

“I’ve spent nearly five years focusing on Zero Trust and assisting companies in achieving Zero Standing Privilege within their cloud environments. At Apono, we’re providing a solution that can significantly enhance this process and is poised to revolutionize how organizations secure and scale their cloud infrastructure,” said Dan Parelskin, Senior Vice President of Sales. “Apono offers customers a rare win-win for user experience and security, while also modernizing the 25-year-old privileged access management industry with a cloud native, cloud-first approach that reduces risk of excess privilege within a modern, user-driven environment.”

Parelskin has been working in the cybersecurity industry for nearly 16 years. Before joining Apono, he served as Vice President of Worldwide Solutions Architecture at Axis, a Security Services Edge company. Following Axis’s acquisition by HPE, he transitioned to the role of Worldwide Director of SSE Solutions Architecture. Additionally, Parelskin has held leadership positions in sales at other prominent cybersecurity companies, including HackerOne, Tanium, and McAfee. After serving as an advisor to Apono for the past year, Parelskin has been appointed Senior Vice President of Sales. In this role, he leads the sales team, with the goal of driving growth and expanding the company’s reach.

“Every enterprise today faces the growing challenge of efficiently securing access across cloud resources and cloud providers. Apono has demonstrated its ability to provide a simple, innovative, and secure solution that addresses this critical need,” said Stephen Lowing, Vice President of Marketing. “I’m thrilled to join a company that understands the breadth and depth of this challenge and look forward to reaching and delivering for more customers.” 

Lowing brings over 12 years of experience leading marketing for brands across the cybersecurity landscape, including identity, cloud security, endpoint protection, application, and network security. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Marketing at Omada, a leading identity and access management (IAM) solution provider. Prior to that, he held the position of Head of Product and Content Marketing at Imperva, a Thales company. In these roles, Lowing developed, led, and executed go-to-market strategies for the companies’ application security segments. Additionally, Lowing has held senior marketing roles at CyberArk, Threat Stack, and Promisec. In his new role at Apono, Lowing will lead all marketing activities during a period of growth and contribute to increasing the company’s visibility as a critical player in the privileged access cloud market.

“This is a very exciting time for Apono. The market opportunity is clear, and we’re thrilled to add the right talent to capitalize on it,” said Rom Carmel, CEO and Co-founder of Apono. “Steve and Dan will be instrumental in this phase of our growth. We’re excited to benefit from their expertise and look forward to building upon this momentum.”

For more information, visit the Apono website here: www.apono.io.

About Apono:

Founded in 2022 by Rom Carmel (CEO) and Ofir Stein (CTO), Apono leadership leverages over 20 years of combined expertise in Cybersecurity and DevOps Infrastructure. Apono’s Cloud Privileged Access Platform offers companies Just-In-Time and Just-Enough privilege access, empowering organizations to seamlessly operate in the cloud by bridging the operational security gap in access management. Today, Apono’s platform serves dozens of customers across the US, including Fortune 500 companies, and has been recognized in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Privileged Access Management.

Media Contact:

Lumina Communications 

[email protected]

The adoption of cloud computing has become a cornerstone of modern business operations today. However, this shift brings forth significant concerns about data protection and security.

Cloud security assessment plays a crucial role in safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring compliance with industry regulations. Organizations must prioritize this process to identify vulnerabilities, mitigate risks, and establish robust security measures within their cloud environments.

Rising Cloud Adoption Trends

The shift towards cloud computing has been significant, with research indicating that 60% of the world’s corporate data is now stored in the cloud. As organizations embrace cloud solutions for their scalability and cost-effectiveness, they must also address the expanded attack surface and new security challenges that come with this transition.

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Evolving Threat Landscape

The cloud security landscape is constantly evolving, presenting new challenges for organizations to navigate. Misconfiguration remains one of the leading causes of cloud breaches, as highlighted by the Thales 2024 Cloud Security Study. This issue is exacerbated by the fact that 88% of cloud data breaches are caused by human error. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in cloud environments has introduced new vulnerabilities, such as model data poisoning and sophisticated phishing campaigns.

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Regulatory Compliance Requirements

As cloud adoption increases, so does the need for regulatory compliance. Organizations must adhere to various industry-specific regulations, such as HIPAA for healthcare, PCI DSS for credit card information, and GDPR for European Union citizen data. Cloud security assessments help ensure that organizations meet these compliance requirements and implement necessary administrative and technical controls to protect sensitive information.

To address these challenges, organizations are increasingly adopting zero-trust security models, with 87% now focusing on this approach. Cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools and cloud workload protection platforms (CWPP) have become essential for managing the dynamic nature of cloud environments and ensuring compliance objectives are met.

Regular cloud security assessments are vital for identifying vulnerabilities, mitigating risks, and maintaining a strong security posture. These evaluations help organizations detect misconfigurations, assess the effectiveness of existing security controls, and develop strategies to address potential threats. By conducting thorough assessments, businesses can reduce the risk of data breaches, improve their resilience against attacks, and demonstrate their commitment to protecting sensitive information in the cloud.

Key Steps in Cloud Security Assessment

A comprehensive cloud security assessment involves several crucial steps to ensure data protection and identify potential vulnerabilities. Organizations can strengthen their cloud security posture by following these key steps.

1. Asset Inventory and Classification

The first step in a cloud security assessment is to conduct a thorough inventory of all cloud assets. This process involves identifying and categorizing all cloud-based resources, including virtual machines, storage volumes, network devices, APIs, and applications. By maintaining a complete list of assets, organizations gain visibility into their cloud infrastructure and can make informed decisions about maintenance, monetization, and security.

Asset classification is equally important. This involves categorizing cloud assets based on their criticality, purpose, and compliance requirements. By classifying assets according to their sensitivity, organizations can determine which assets are most at risk and need enhanced protection.

2. Risk Identification and Analysis

Once the asset inventory is complete, the next step is to identify potential threats and analyze associated risks. This involves evaluating both external threats, such as hackers, and internal threats, like malicious insiders. Organizations should perform thorough testing of their cloud infrastructure to determine how easily external threat actors could access sensitive information.

Risk analysis involves considering the likelihood of a threat occurring and its potential impact on the business. By evaluating risks associated with each identified threat, organizations can prioritize their security efforts and allocate resources effectively.

3. Security Control Evaluation

Assessing existing security controls is a critical component of a cloud security assessment. This step involves reviewing identity and access management policies, network security measures, data protection protocols, and incident response plans. Organizations should evaluate the effectiveness of their current security controls and identify any gaps or weaknesses that need to be addressed.

Key areas to focus on during security control evaluation include:

• Access control and authentication mechanisms
• Data encryption practices for data at rest and in transit
• Network segmentation and firewall configurations
• Monitoring and logging capabilities
• Compliance with industry regulations and standards

4. Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing

The final key step in a cloud security assessment is to conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration testing. Vulnerability scanning tools can help identify potential weaknesses in cloud workloads and configurations. These tools continuously scan critical workloads and identify risks and misconfigurations, enabling organizations to address vulnerabilities proactively.

Penetration testing, often conducted by third-party experts, simulates real-world attacks to identify vulnerabilities that may not be apparent through automated scans. This process helps organizations stay one step ahead of potential attackers by uncovering both known and unknown security issues.

By following these key steps in cloud security assessment, organizations can gain a comprehensive understanding of their cloud security posture, identify potential risks and vulnerabilities, and implement effective security measures to protect their valuable assets in the cloud.

Addressing Common Cloud Security Risks

Cloud security assessments play a crucial role in identifying and mitigating common risks associated with cloud environments. Organizations must be vigilant in addressing these vulnerabilities to ensure robust data protection and compliance.

Data breaches and unauthorized access remain significant concerns for businesses leveraging cloud services. According to a study by IBM, data breaches caused by cloud security vulnerabilities cost companies an average of USD 4.80 million to recover. This substantial expense includes the cost of investigating and repairing the breach, as well as potential fines or penalties imposed by regulators. To minimize this threat, organizations should implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) across their cloud infrastructure and enforce strong password policies.

Misconfiguration and inadequate change control pose another critical risk to cloud security. The National Security Agency (NSA) considers cloud misconfiguration a leading vulnerability in cloud environments. Shockingly, up to 99% of cloud environment failures are expected to be attributed to human errors by 2025. To address this issue, organizations should implement automated cloud monitoring solutions that leverage machine learning to detect misconfigurations in real-time. Additionally, establishing a robust change management process can help prevent unintended security gaps.

Insecure APIs and cloud service vulnerabilities are increasingly becoming targets for cybercriminals. As the use of APIs proliferates in modern software development, it’s crucial to implement proper security measures. Organizations should employ web application firewalls (WAFs) to filter requests by IP address or HTTP header information and detect code injection attacks. Implementing DDoS protection and regularly updating software and security configurations are also essential steps in securing APIs.

To effectively address these common cloud security risks, organizations should consider the following best practices:

1. Conduct regular security assessments and vulnerability scans to identify potential weaknesses in cloud infrastructure.
2. Implement the principle of least privilege for all cloud resources and users, ensuring that access is granted only on a need-to-know basis.
3. Utilize cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools to continuously monitor and assess the security state of cloud environments.
4. Develop and enforce comprehensive security policies that address cloud-specific risks and compliance requirements.
5. Provide ongoing security awareness training to employees, focusing on cloud security best practices and potential threats.

By addressing these common cloud security risks and implementing a robust security strategy, organizations can significantly enhance their cloud security posture and protect sensitive data from potential breaches and unauthorized access.

Implementing a Robust Cloud Security Strategy

Implementing a robust cloud security strategy is crucial for organizations to safeguard their digital assets and ensure data protection in the ever-evolving cloud landscape. A well-crafted approach helps businesses address potential vulnerabilities, mitigate risks, and maintain compliance with industry regulations.

Developing Security Policies and Procedures

To establish a strong foundation for cloud security, organizations must develop comprehensive security policies and procedures. These guidelines should outline rules for using cloud services safely, define data storage practices, and specify responsibilities for different aspects of cloud security. A cloud security policy serves as a critical document that provides clear instructions for users to access workloads securely and sets out ways to handle cloud security threats.

When creating a cloud security policy, it’s essential to identify the purpose and scope of the document. This includes specifying which cloud services, data types, and users are covered by the policy. Additionally, the policy should address key areas such as data classification, access control, encryption requirements, and incident response procedures.

Organizations should also consider implementing a cloud governance framework to ensure proper management of data security, system integration, and cloud computing deployment. This framework helps balance resource allocation and risk management while emphasizing accountability and continuous compliance with evolving regulations.

Employee Training and Awareness

One of the most critical steps in implementing a robust cloud security strategy is investing in employee training and awareness programs. These initiatives help staff understand the risks associated with cloud computing and how to prevent security breaches. By educating employees on security best practices and conducting regular training sessions, businesses can better protect their data and minimize the risk of security incidents.

Effective employee training programs should cover various topics, including:

• Recognizing and responding to potential threats
• Setting strong passwords and managing access credentials
• Identifying social engineering attacks
• Understanding risk management principles
• Emphasizing the risks of shadow IT and unauthorized tool usage

Regular discussions and specialized training for security personnel can further enhance the organization’s overall security posture and promote a culture of security awareness.

Incident Response and Disaster Recovery Planning

A crucial component of a robust cloud security strategy is the development of incident response and disaster recovery plans. These plans outline the steps to be taken in the event of a security breach or system failure, ensuring that organizations can quickly and effectively respond to threats and minimize potential damage.

Key elements of an effective incident response plan include:

• Clearly defined roles and responsibilities for team members
• Procedures for detecting and assessing security incidents
• Steps for containing and mitigating the impact of incidents
• Communication protocols for internal and external stakeholders
• Processes for collecting and preserving evidence for forensic analysis

Organizations should regularly test and update their incident response plans to ensure their effectiveness in addressing evolving threats and changing cloud environments. This may involve conducting simulated exercises or active scenarios to identify potential gaps and make necessary adjustments.

In addition to incident response planning, organizations should also develop comprehensive disaster recovery strategies. These plans should address various scenarios, including data loss, system failures, and natural disasters. By implementing robust backup and recovery processes, businesses can ensure the continuity of their operations and minimize downtime in the event of a catastrophic incident.

By focusing on these key areas – developing security policies, providing employee training, and implementing incident response and disaster recovery plans – organizations can create a strong foundation for their cloud security strategy. This approach helps protect sensitive data, maintain compliance with regulations, and ensure the resilience of cloud-based systems in the face of evolving threats.

Conclusion

Cloud security assessment has a significant impact on ensuring data protection in today’s digital landscape. As organizations continue to adopt cloud technologies, the need to address security concerns and comply with regulations becomes increasingly crucial. By following key steps such as asset inventory, risk analysis, and vulnerability testing, businesses can strengthen their cloud security posture and safeguard sensitive information.

To wrap up, implementing a robust cloud security strategy involves developing comprehensive policies, providing employee training, and creating incident response plans. These measures help organizations to minimize risks, maintain compliance, and respond effectively to potential threats. As the cloud environment continues to evolve, regular assessments and updates to security practices are essential to protect valuable assets and maintain trust in cloud-based operations.

How Apono Helps

Apono is a cloud security and access management tool that focuses on providing secure and efficient access to sensitive resources in cloud environments. It plays a significant role in cloud security assessments by automating and enhancing the security posture of cloud infrastructure. Here are some key ways Apono assists with cloud security assessments:

1. Automated Access Controls:

   – Just-in-Time (JIT) Access: Apono enables JIT access to cloud resources, allowing users to request temporary access for a specified time. This reduces the attack surface by ensuring that sensitive resources are not persistently exposed.

   – Granular Permissions: It ensures that users have only the minimum necessary permissions by enforcing the principle of least privilege, which is essential for reducing risks in cloud security.

   – Role-based Access Control (RBAC): Apono helps implement RBAC models, ensuring that permissions are assigned based on roles, which makes it easier to manage and audit access.

2. Real-time Monitoring and Auditing:

   – Continuous Monitoring: Apono provides real-time monitoring of access events, making it easier to track who accessed what resources and when. This is critical for identifying unauthorized or risky activities during security assessments.

   – Audit Logs: It offers comprehensive logging and auditing features, giving security teams visibility into access patterns. These logs are vital for post-incident investigations and compliance with regulatory requirements.

3. Policy Enforcement:

   – Access Policies: Apono enforces custom access policies that align with an organization’s security requirements, ensuring that only authorized users can access sensitive cloud resources.

   – Compliance Automation: It helps automate compliance checks by ensuring access policies are in line with industry standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2), which is crucial during cloud security assessments.

4. Cloud Environment Integration:

   – Multi-Cloud Support: Apono integrates with various cloud providers (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP), making it easier to manage access across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. This provides a unified approach to access management, simplifying cloud security assessments across different platforms.

   – Identity Providers (IdP) Integration: It integrates with existing identity providers like Okta or Active Directory, ensuring that identity and access management (IAM) policies are consistently applied.

5. Threat Detection and Response:

   – Anomalous Access Detection: Apono helps identify anomalous access behavior that could indicate potential security breaches or insider threats. It can alert security teams when unusual patterns are detected during assessments.

   – Automated Remediation: In case of a detected threat or policy violation, Apono can trigger automated remediation processes, such as revoking access or adjusting permissions in real time.

6. Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM):

   – Continuous Compliance: Apono assists in cloud security assessments by ensuring continuous compliance with cloud security best practices. It highlights misconfigurations, excessive privileges, and other vulnerabilities that could compromise cloud infrastructure security.

By automating access control, monitoring user behavior, enforcing policies, and providing audit trails, Apono strengthens an organization’s cloud security strategy and simplifies cloud security assessments. This helps security teams ensure that sensitive cloud resources are protected against unauthorized access and other potential risks.

Apono is proud to announce the successful completion of its Series A funding round, raising $15.5 million to further its mission of delivering AI-driven cloud access governance.

This funding round, led by New Era Capital Partners with participation from Mindset Ventures, Redseed Ventures, Silvertech Ventures, and existing investors, brings Apono’s total investment to $20.5 million. The influx of capital will be used to accelerate product development, drive innovation, and expand Apono’s reach in the U.S. market. But this investment represents more than just financial backing—it’s a strong endorsement of Apono’s vision to reshape how modern enterprises approach cloud identity and access management. 

Why Is This Investment Important?

Apono is built on the premise that traditional privileged access management (PAM) solutions no longer suffice in the dynamic cloud environments that businesses operate in today. The cloud, with its distributed, multi-faceted nature, has outgrown many legacy systems, necessitating a new approach to access management. Apono’s solution focuses on AI-driven least privilege and anomaly detection, providing organizations with the tools they need to ensure secure, just-in-time, and just-enough access to their critical resources.

Apono’s Co-Founder and CEO Rom Carmel highlights the shift taking place in the market:

“Privileged access management and identity governance are converging, driving the need for more holistic identity and access security solutions, particularly within today’s dynamic cloud environments in which modern businesses operate.”

This vision has resonated with investors, as New Era Capital Partners’ Ziv Conen underscores:

“Apono’s innovative solution addresses critical challenges in the cloud access management space. This investment reflects our confidence in Apono’s vision and their ability to lead the market with cutting-edge technology and exceptional customer focus.”

Driving Innovation in Cloud Access Governance

With its fresh funding, Apono is set to expand its U.S. sales, marketing, and engineering teams while investing heavily in research and development. This is crucial as the company builds on its 300% revenue growth over the last three quarters and the swift adoption of its solution by global enterprises.

Apono’s platform is designed to empower security, operations, and engineering teams alike. By leveraging AI to automate the management of privileged access, Apono simplifies processes that are traditionally cumbersome, reducing friction and boosting productivity. According to Arthur Goren, Director of Cloud Engineering at Hewlett Packard Enterprise:

“We were able to self-service Apono in minutes, which significantly enhanced customer trust in our global multi-cloud platform. This seamless integration allows our teams to work without friction, ensuring efficiency and productivity.”

The platform’s focus on least privilege access—a key cybersecurity principle—ensures that users are only granted the minimum necessary permissions required for their tasks, which reduces the risk of internal threats or external attacks. Additionally, AI-based anomaly detection adds another layer of security, alerting organizations to unusual access behaviors before they escalate into potential breaches.

Meeting the Growing Demands of Modern Enterprises

Apono’s solution is built for scale. With enterprises embracing cloud-first strategies, the complexity of securing access across multi-cloud environments has become a significant challenge. Apono is addressing these challenges head-on with its Just-In-Time and Just-Enough access management capabilities, bridging the operational-security gap that many organizations face today.

Furthermore, Apono is expanding its enterprise support teams to ensure that as its customer base grows, it can continue providing world-class service. New product offerings are also in the pipeline, fueled by AI innovation, that will further enhance the platform’s capabilities to meet the evolving needs of the modern cloud environment.

The Future of Identity and Access Security

Apono’s continued success signals a broader trend within the identity security industry. As cloud adoption grows, so does the need for agile, innovative access governance solutions. Katie Norton, Research Manager for DevSecOps and Software Supply Chain Security at IDC, emphasizes the importance of these developments:

“Cloud identity and privilege management are central to aligning security and engineering goals. Apono’s approach to cloud privileged access management aligns with these goals and helps bridge the gap between security and engineering teams.”

Apono’s leadership team, with over 20 years of combined expertise in cybersecurity and DevOps infrastructure, is well-equipped to guide the company through this exciting phase of growth. Co-founders Rom Carmel and Ofir Stein have built Apono from the ground up with a clear understanding of the challenges enterprises face in cloud access management, and this new funding will empower them to continue delivering innovative solutions that provide unparalleled security and operational efficiency.

What’s Next for Apono?

As Apono continues to grow, customers can expect a deeper focus on AI-based product offerings that will enhance security without sacrificing the user experience. The company’s unique value proposition—combining automation, AI-driven least privilege, and frictionless workflows—is setting new standards in the industry.

With strategic developments, including an expanded U.S. presence and enhanced support teams, Apono is poised to cement its leadership position in the identity and access security space, offering a solution that scales alongside the needs of today’s enterprises.

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About Apono

Founded in 2022 by Rom Carmel (CEO) and Ofir Stein (CTO), Apono’s Cloud Privileged Access Platform enables organizations to seamlessly operate in the cloud by offering Just-In-Time and Just-Enough access management. Recognized in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Privileged Access Management, Apono serves Fortune 500 companies and modern enterprises across the U.S., delivering cutting-edge solutions that bridge the gap between security and operations.

In today’s digital landscape, the threat of data breaches and cyber attacks looms large over organizations of all sizes. As a result, privileged access management (PAM) has become a critical component of cybersecurity strategies. It’s easy to see why. It’s estimated that 80% of security breaches involve privileged credentials, highlighting the importance of investing in robust PAM solutions.

Understanding privileged access management pricing is essential for businesses looking to implement robust security measures while managing their IT budgets effectively. The cost of PAM solutions can vary widely, depending on factors such as the size of the organization, the complexity of its IT infrastructure, and the specific features required. 

As we delve into 2024, the PAM market continues to evolve, bringing new pricing models and considerations to the forefront. This article explores current trends in Privileged Access Management pricing, helping organizations evaluate the return on investment of these crucial security tools. We’ll also discuss strategies to budget for PAM solutions effectively, taking into account both immediate costs and long-term value. 

Why you need Privileged Access in the Cloud

A whopping 94 percent of enterprises report they are using cloud services, today, and 75 percent say security is a top concern.

01. Agility

Agile development has created a world where the environment is changing on an hourly basis as organizations push new code to production and create new cloud instances all the time. With that, access to support customers, fix bugs, and do production maintenance is required more often. In addition, it’s not just IT teams that manage access to different systems, but also DevOps and the engineers themselves that need to have a deep understanding and strong capabilities in each new cloud, app and service.

02. Scale

A third of enterprises spend at least $12 million annually on the public cloud, which translates to huge cloud environments. In addition, 92 percent of organizations use at least two clouds, as multi-cloud is becoming the leading approach. This means more access to manage, with new environments, services and apps being spun up all the time. AWS alone has a whopping 200 cloud services, and a real cloud environment can have tens of thousands of instances for each one. It’s harder than ever for the business to keep up, let alone manage access among so many cloud providers, services, instances, humans and machines.

03. Regulatory Compliance

Stricter regulations make it more complex to manage access. Regulatory bodies and industry standards are placing greater emphasis on the need to control and monitor privileged access. Compliance frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS require organizations to implement measures to ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data, and most tech vendors today must also comply with SOC2 and other voluntary standards that enable business.

04. Auditing and Accountability

Privileged access solutions often provide auditing and reporting capabilities. This is crucial for demonstrating compliance, conducting post- incident analysis, and maintaining accountability for privileged access activities.

05. Rising Cybersecurity Threats

Cybersecurity threats, including data breaches, ransomware attacks, and insider threats, have been on the rise. Attackers often target privileged accounts because they provide them with the highest level of access and control within an organization’s IT infrastructure. Proper PAG helps to mitigate the risks associated with unauthorized access to sensitive systems and data.

Where Regular PAM falls short

Not all solutions are created equally. Before we discuss what is needed in a modern, secure solution for cloud-native applications, let’s look at why traditional PAM solutions fall short.

Long and complex implementation

Implementing PAM solutions can be complex and time-consuming. Integration with existing IT systems and applications can be challenging. Managing and configuring PAM solutions can require specialized skills and knowledge, which may not be readily available in all organizations. In many cases, a PAM specialist, internal or external, needs to step in.

Drastic changes to end-user workflows

PAM solutions often require end users to change the way they access systems and applications. Training and change management are crucial to ensure that users understand and adopt new processes.

Changes to Applications

Some applications may need to be modified or reconfigured to work with PAM solutions, including changing authentication mechanisms, modifying application code, or updating APIs, all of which can introduce security risks or impact to mission-

Lack of granularity

Many PAM solutions do not integrate directly with newer systems and applications, limiting their ability to secure access at a granular level. Instead of securing specific resources within an application, they may only be able to secure the entire application, leading to rampant over privileges.

No unified control plane (poor visibility)

PAM solutions require patchwork to implement, complicating the management and monitoring of access policies, suspicious activity, and compliance with security policies and regulations.

Privileged Access Management Pricing Trends in 2024

Once you’ve finished evaluating the different features among PAM tools, it’s time to take a look at the pricing market. The Privileged Access Management (PAM) market is experiencing significant growth, with projections indicating a strong compound annual growth rate (CAGR) percent from 2024 to 2031. This expansion is driven by rising cyber threats, compliance requirements, and increased awareness of insider threats. As organizations adapt to these challenges, several key pricing trends have emerged in the PAM landscape. 

Shift to Subscription Models

Many PAM vendors are moving towards subscription-based pricing models. For instance, several popular tools, such as Apono, offer a per-user pricing structure, which includes support for all resource types. This shift allows for more predictable budgeting and scalability for organizations. 

Cloud vs On-Premise Pricing

The choice between cloud and on-premise solutions significantly impacts pricing. While cloud-based PAM offers flexibility and ease of deployment, on-premise solutions provide greater control over data and infrastructure. Some vendors offer hybrid models, combining aspects of both deployment options to cater to specific security and operational requirements.

Industry-Specific Pricing

PAM vendors are increasingly tailoring their pricing strategies to specific industries. This trend recognizes that different sectors have unique security needs and compliance requirements. For example, healthcare, finance, and government organizations may require more specialized PAM solutions, which can impact pricing structures.

Evaluating PAM ROI

Security Risk Reduction

Implementing PAM solutions significantly reduces the risk of data breaches and cyber attacks. By controlling and monitoring privileged access, organizations can shrink their attack surface. This proactive approach helps prevent unauthorized access to critical systems and sensitive information. The IBM Security report reveals that the average cost of a data breach is $5.17 million. 

Compliance Cost Savings

PAM plays a crucial role in meeting regulatory requirements such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, and GDPR. By providing robust access controls and detailed audit trails, PAM solutions help organizations avoid non-compliance fines and associated costs. This not only ensures adherence to industry standards but also instills trust among customers and stakeholders.

Operational Efficiency Gains

PAM solutions streamline access management processes, reducing administrative burden and improving workflow efficiency. Automation of privileged access management tasks, such as password rotation and access provisioning, can save significant time for IT staff. For instance, redirecting 5 weeks of an IT administrator’s time to value-creating activities can yield a positive ROI.

Calculating Total ROI

To calculate the total ROI of PAM implementation, organizations should consider:

1. Reduced risk of security breaches and associated costs
2. Savings from avoided non-compliance fines
3. Improved operational efficiency and reduced labor costs
4. Enhanced productivity through streamlined access management

By factoring in these elements, businesses can determine the long-term value and cost-effectiveness of their PAM investment. 

Budgeting for PAM Solutions

Assessing Current Security Spend

Organizations must evaluate their existing security expenditure before allocating funds for PAM. This assessment helps identify areas where PAM can enhance overall security posture and potentially reduce costs. Companies should consider the financial impact of potential data breaches, which average $4.88 million globally. By implementing PAM, organizations can lower their risk of advanced threats by 50%.

Determining PAM Budget

When calculating PAM costs, consider product licensing, maintenance, deployment, and training expenses. Factor in the choice between comprehensive and piecemeal implementations, as the latter may incur additional integration costs. Cloud-based solutions can offer predictable budgeting and scalability.

Justifying PAM Investment

To justify PAM investment, focus on potential cost savings and risk reduction. PAM can lead to significant productivity improvements for DevOps and Engineering teams. Additionally, security teams can save $623,000 annually through reduced incident response and audit costs.

Long-Term Budget Planning

For long-term budget planning, consider the total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI). Factor in ongoing maintenance costs, which can be lower for appliance-based solutions. Plan for potential infrastructure cost avoidance and productivity improvements. The combined ROI for DevOps/Engineering and Security teams can reach $816,000 annually, making PAM a valuable long-term investment.

Conclusion

Privileged Access Management has become a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity strategies, with its pricing models evolving to meet the changing needs of organizations. The shift towards subscription-based models, the impact of cloud vs. on-premise solutions, and the emergence of industry-specific pricing are shaping the PAM landscape in 2024. These trends have a significant influence on how businesses approach their security investments and budget planning.

To make the most of PAM solutions, organizations need to carefully evaluate the return on investment by considering factors such as security risk reduction, compliance cost savings, and operational efficiency gains. By taking a holistic approach to budgeting for PAM, businesses can ensure they’re not just investing in a security tool, but in a comprehensive strategy to protect their most valuable assets. This approach allows companies to stay ahead of cyber threats while managing costs effectively in an ever-changing digital landscape.

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Cloud computing has become an indispensable asset for organizations seeking agility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. However, as businesses embrace the cloud, they must also navigate the intricate challenges of managing and securing their cloud environments. This is where the concept of cloud governance comes into play, serving as a crucial framework for establishing control, ensuring compliance, and optimizing resource utilization.

The Essence of Cloud Governance

At its core, cloud governance is a strategic approach that encompasses a set of policies, processes, and best practices designed to streamline and oversee an organization’s cloud operations. It acts as a guiding compass, aligning cloud initiatives with business objectives while mitigating potential risks and fostering collaboration among stakeholders. 

Why Cloud Governance Matters

Implementing a robust cloud governance strategy is no longer an option; it’s a necessity. By embracing cloud governance, organizations can unlock a myriad of benefits that extend far beyond mere operational efficiency. Here are some compelling reasons why cloud governance should be a top priority: 

1. Enhancing Cloud Security

In the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, cloud environments present unique vulnerabilities that must be addressed proactively. Cloud governance empowers organizations to establish comprehensive security protocols, ensuring that sensitive data is protected from unauthorized access and potential breaches. By implementing robust identity and access management (IAM) controls, data encryption, and continuous monitoring, businesses can fortify their cloud defenses and maintain a strong security posture.

2. Fostering Compliance and Risk Management

Regulatory compliance is a critical concern for organizations operating in various industries, such as healthcare, finance, and government. Cloud governance frameworks provide a structured approach to aligning cloud operations with applicable regulations and industry standards, reducing the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties. By integrating risk assessment and mitigation strategies, organizations can proactively identify and address potential vulnerabilities, ensuring the integrity and resilience of their cloud environments.

3. Optimizing Resource Utilization and Cost Management

One of the most significant advantages of cloud computing is its ability to scale resources on-demand, enabling organizations to optimize their infrastructure and reduce operational costs. However, without proper governance, these benefits can quickly diminish due to resource sprawl, inefficient utilization, and uncontrolled spending. Cloud governance equips organizations with the tools and processes necessary to monitor resource consumption, identify underutilized or redundant resources, and implement cost-optimization strategies, ultimately maximizing the return on investment (ROI) from their cloud investments. 

4. Enabling Agility and Innovation

In today’s fast-paced business landscape, agility and innovation are key drivers of success. Cloud governance fosters a structured yet flexible environment that empowers teams to innovate and experiment with new technologies while adhering to established guidelines and best practices. By streamlining processes and automating workflows, organizations can accelerate their time-to-market, respond swiftly to changing market demands, and stay ahead of the competition.

5. Facilitating Collaboration and Consistency 

Cloud environments often involve multiple teams, departments, and even external partners, each with their own unique requirements and perspectives. Cloud governance acts as a unifying force, promoting collaboration and ensuring consistency across the organization. By establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and communication channels, organizations can minimize silos, reduce redundancies, and foster a culture of transparency and accountability.

Crafting a Robust Cloud Governance Framework

Implementing an effective cloud governance strategy requires a well-designed framework that addresses various aspects of cloud operations. While the specific components may vary based on an organization’s unique needs and industry requirements, a comprehensive cloud governance framework typically encompasses the following key elements:

1. Cloud Strategy and Alignment

The foundation of any successful cloud governance initiative lies in a clearly defined cloud strategy that aligns with the organization’s overall business objectives. This strategy should outline the desired outcomes, prioritize key initiatives, and establish a roadmap for cloud adoption and integration. By aligning cloud initiatives with business goals, organizations can ensure that their cloud investments are delivering tangible value and supporting long-term growth.

2. Cloud Governance Policies and Standards

At the heart of cloud governance lies a robust set of policies and standards that govern various aspects of cloud operations. These policies should cover areas such as data management, security, access control, resource provisioning, and change management. By establishing clear guidelines and enforcing them consistently across the organization, businesses can maintain control over their cloud environments and mitigate potential risks.

3. Cloud Governance Roles and Responsibilities

Effective cloud governance requires a well-defined organizational structure with clearly delineated roles and responsibilities. This includes identifying key stakeholders, such as cloud architects, security professionals, and business leaders, and outlining their respective duties and decision-making authorities. By establishing a clear chain of command and accountability, organizations can streamline communication, foster collaboration, and ensure that cloud initiatives are executed seamlessly.

4. Cloud Governance Processes and Workflows

To ensure consistency and efficiency, cloud governance should encompass standardized processes and workflows for various cloud operations. These processes may include resource provisioning, change management, incident response, and compliance reporting. By automating and streamlining these workflows, organizations can reduce the risk of human error, improve transparency, and enable faster decision-making.

5. Cloud Governance Tools and Technologies

Implementing cloud governance effectively requires the adoption of specialized tools and technologies. These may include cloud management platforms, security and compliance monitoring solutions, cost optimization tools, and automation frameworks. By leveraging these technologies, organizations can gain visibility into their cloud environments, enforce policies consistently, and automate repetitive tasks, ultimately enhancing operational efficiency and reducing the risk of manual errors.

6. Continuous Monitoring and Improvement

Cloud governance is an ongoing journey, not a one-time endeavor. As cloud technologies and business requirements evolve, organizations must continuously monitor their cloud environments, assess the effectiveness of their governance strategies, and make necessary adjustments. This iterative approach ensures that cloud governance remains relevant, adaptive, and aligned with the organization’s evolving needs.

Cloud Governance Best Practices

While the specific implementation of cloud governance may vary across organizations, adhering to industry best practices can significantly enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of your cloud governance strategy. Here are some essential best practices to consider:

1. Foster a Culture of Cloud Governance

Successful cloud governance requires buy-in and active participation from all stakeholders within the organization. To foster a culture of cloud governance, it is crucial to educate and train employees on the importance of adhering to established policies and processes. Regular communication, awareness campaigns, and incentives can help reinforce the significance of cloud governance and encourage adoption across the organization.

2. Embrace Automation and Orchestration

Cloud environments are inherently dynamic and complex, making manual governance processes inefficient and error-prone. Embracing automation and orchestration can streamline various aspects of cloud governance, such as resource provisioning, policy enforcement, and compliance monitoring. By leveraging automation tools and scripting languages, organizations can ensure consistent and repeatable processes, reduce human error, and free up valuable resources for more strategic initiatives.

3. Implement Robust Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Identity and access management (IAM) is a critical component of cloud governance, as it controls who has access to cloud resources and what actions they can perform. Implementing robust IAM policies, leveraging multi-factor authentication, and regularly reviewing and auditing access privileges can help mitigate the risk of unauthorized access and potential data breaches.

4. Prioritize Security and Compliance

Security and compliance should be at the forefront of any cloud governance strategy. Organizations should adopt a proactive approach to security by implementing robust encryption, vulnerability management, and incident response procedures. Additionally, regularly assessing compliance with industry regulations and standards, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS, can help organizations avoid costly penalties and maintain a strong reputation.

5. Leverage Cloud Service Provider (CSP) Native Tools and Services

Cloud service providers (CSPs) often offer a range of native tools and services designed to simplify cloud governance and management. Leveraging these tools can provide organizations with a consistent and integrated experience, streamlining operations and reducing the need for third-party solutions. However, it is essential to carefully evaluate the capabilities and limitations of these tools to ensure they align with the organization’s specific requirements.

6. Embrace Multi-Cloud Governance

As organizations increasingly adopt multi-cloud strategies, it becomes crucial to implement governance frameworks that can span multiple cloud platforms. This approach ensures consistent policies, processes, and visibility across all cloud environments, reducing complexity and enabling seamless workload portability.

7. Continuously Monitor and Optimize

Cloud governance is an iterative process that requires continuous monitoring and optimization. Organizations should regularly review their cloud governance strategies, assess their effectiveness, and make necessary adjustments to align with evolving business needs, technological advancements, and industry best practices. This proactive approach ensures that cloud governance remains relevant and effective, enabling organizations to maximize the value of their cloud investments.

Overcoming Cloud Governance Challenges

While implementing cloud governance can yield significant benefits, organizations may encounter various challenges along the way. Here are some common challenges and strategies to overcome them:

1. Resistance to Change

Introducing new processes and policies can often be met with resistance from employees accustomed to traditional ways of working. To overcome this challenge, it is essential to clearly communicate the benefits of cloud governance, provide comprehensive training and support, and involve stakeholders throughout the implementation process. By fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, organizations can gradually cultivate an environment that embraces change and recognizes the value of cloud governance.

2. Complexity and Scalability

As organizations expand their cloud footprint and adopt multi-cloud strategies, the complexity of governance can increase exponentially. To address this challenge, organizations should prioritize scalability and flexibility when designing their cloud governance frameworks. Leveraging automation, modular architectures, and cloud-agnostic tools can help organizations manage complexity and ensure seamless governance across diverse cloud environments.

3. Skill Gaps and Resource Constraints

Implementing and maintaining effective cloud governance requires a skilled workforce with expertise in cloud technologies, security, and governance best practices. Organizations may face challenges in attracting and retaining talent with the necessary skillsets. To mitigate this challenge, organizations should invest in comprehensive training programs, leverage managed services from cloud providers or third-party experts, and foster a culture of continuous learning and professional development.

4. Integration with Existing Systems and Processes

Integrating cloud governance frameworks with existing on-premises systems and processes can be a daunting task. Organizations should adopt a phased approach, gradually transitioning from legacy systems to cloud-native solutions while ensuring seamless integration and data consistency. Leveraging hybrid cloud architectures and embracing DevOps principles can facilitate this transition and enable organizations to bridge the gap between traditional and cloud-based environments.

By proactively addressing these challenges and adopting a strategic approach, organizations can overcome obstacles and successfully implement cloud governance frameworks that drive operational excellence, mitigate risks, and unlock the full potential of cloud computing.

Leveraging Cloud Governance Solutions

While organizations can develop custom cloud governance frameworks tailored to their specific needs, leveraging third-party cloud governance solutions can provide a more streamlined and efficient approach. These solutions often offer comprehensive features and capabilities, such as:

1. Centralized Management and Visibility

Cloud governance solutions typically provide a centralized management console or dashboard, offering a unified view of an organization’s cloud resources, configurations, and activities across multiple cloud platforms. This centralized visibility enables organizations to monitor and manage their cloud environments more effectively, ensuring compliance and optimizing resource utilization.

2. Policy Management and Enforcement

One of the core features of cloud governance solutions is policy management and enforcement. These solutions allow organizations to define and implement policies related to security, access control, cost management, and compliance. Automated policy enforcement ensures consistent adherence to these policies across all cloud environments, reducing the risk of misconfigurations and potential security breaches.

3. Cost Optimization and Financial Management

Cloud governance solutions often incorporate cost optimization and financial management capabilities, enabling organizations to monitor and optimize their cloud spending. These solutions can provide detailed cost analysis, identify underutilized resources, and recommend cost-saving strategies, such as rightsizing instances or leveraging reserved instances.

4. Compliance and Audit Reporting

Ensuring compliance with industry regulations and standards is a critical aspect of cloud governance. Cloud governance solutions typically offer built-in compliance checks and audit reporting capabilities, enabling organizations to assess their compliance posture, identify potential gaps, and generate detailed reports for auditing purposes.

5. Automation and Orchestration

Many cloud governance solutions offer automation and orchestration capabilities, allowing organizations to streamline various cloud operations and processes. This can include automating resource provisioning, configuration management, and incident response, reducing manual effort and minimizing the risk of human error.

6. Integration and Extensibility

Cloud governance solutions often provide integration capabilities, enabling organizations to seamlessly integrate with existing systems, tools, and processes. Additionally, many solutions offer extensibility through APIs or custom scripting, allowing organizations to tailor the solution to their specific needs and requirements.

While cloud governance solutions can provide significant benefits, it is essential to carefully evaluate and select a solution that aligns with an organization’s specific requirements, cloud environment, and long-term goals. Organizations should also consider factors such as scalability, vendor support, and the solution’s ability to adapt to evolving technologies and industry trends.

Embracing Cloud Governance for Sustainable Growth

In the ever-evolving landscape of cloud computing, embracing cloud governance is no longer an option; it is a strategic imperative for organizations seeking sustainable growth, operational excellence, and a competitive edge. By implementing a comprehensive cloud governance framework, organizations can unlock a myriad of benefits, including enhanced security, improved compliance, optimized resource utilization, and increased agility.

However, cloud governance is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It requires a tailored approach that aligns with an organization’s unique business objectives, industry requirements, and cloud maturity. By adhering to industry best practices, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, and leveraging the right tools and technologies, organizations can navigate the complexities of cloud governance and unlock the full potential of their cloud investments.

As cloud technologies continue to evolve and businesses embrace digital transformation, the importance of cloud governance will only increase. Organizations that prioritize cloud governance and embed it into their core strategies will be better positioned to mitigate risks, drive innovation, and thrive in an increasingly competitive and dynamic business landscape.

How Apono Helps

Apono significantly enhances cloud governance by providing tools and features that automate policy enforcement, monitor activities, maintain audit trails, implement role-based access control, and integrate with other governance solutions. These capabilities help organizations maintain control over their cloud environments, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, manage risks effectively, and optimize the use of cloud resources. By leveraging Apono’s comprehensive governance platform, organizations can achieve a higher level of security, compliance, and operational efficiency in their cloud operations.

Organizations are grappling with the intricate challenge of striking a delicate balance between ensuring robust cybersecurity measures and facilitating seamless operational efficiency. As cloud adoption continues to surge, the traditional approach of granting standing privileges to users has become an increasingly significant security vulnerability. This practice inadvertently expands the permission surface, compromising an organization’s overall security posture and heightening the risk of cyberattacks.

Recognizing this critical concern, the concept of just-in-time (JIT) access has emerged as a pivotal security practice, offering a dynamic and agile solution to the overprivileged access dilemma. By embracing Azure just-in-time access, organizations can effectively mitigate the risks associated with standing privileges while simultaneously streamlining access management processes, ultimately enhancing both security and productivity.

The Perils of Standing Privileges

Traditional identity and access management (IAM) solutions, while well-intentioned, often fall short in addressing the complexities of modern cloud environments. The lack of visibility and control over identity permissions, coupled with the intricacies of IAM, frequently leads to the excessive granting of privileges. This overprivileged access scenario creates a fertile ground for potential security breaches, as compromised identities can serve as gateways for malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to critical resources. 

Research underscores the gravity of this issue, revealing that an alarming 99% of organizations that have suffered a cybersecurity incident acknowledge the role of compromised credentials in exposing their cloud environment. This staggering statistic emphasizes the imperative need to devise comprehensive strategies to minimize cloud IAM risks.

The Principle of Least Privilege: A Step in the Right Direction

Conventional approaches, such as least privilege access controls, have attempted to mitigate the risks associated with overprivileged access. However, these solutions often fall short in addressing the dynamic nature of modern cloud environments. By granting permissions that are only occasionally required by users and machine identities, least privilege access controls inadvertently create opportunities for security breaches if these identities become compromised. 

Consider the scenario of a user who requires elevated permissions to deploy a new application. With traditional IAM solutions, this user would continuously possess these elevated permissions, inadvertently creating potential vulnerabilities. If their account were to be compromised, an attacker would gain access to these elevated privileges, posing a significant threat to the organization’s security posture.

Just-in-Time Access: Revolutionizing Cloud Security

To effectively tackle the challenges posed by overprivileged access in cloud security, a more agile and dynamic solution is required. Just-in-time (JIT) access emerges as a game-changing approach, embodying the true essence of a Zero Trust security model. By removing risky standing permissions and authorizing access to cloud resources on an as-needed, time-limited basis, JIT access empowers organizations to significantly reduce their attack surface and enhance their overall security posture.

Azure just-in-time access, in particular, offers a comprehensive and user-friendly solution that seamlessly integrates with existing workflows, enabling users to request and manage permissions without the need for complex administrative interventions. Through intuitive integrations with collaboration platforms like Slack, Azure JIT access streamlines the process of requesting and managing permissions, fostering a seamless user experience while maintaining rigorous security standards.

Enhancing Compliance and Auditing

Implementing Azure just-in-time access not only fortifies an organization’s security posture but also facilitates better compliance with relevant security regulations. By minimizing the risk of violations stemming from overprivileged access, security teams can more effectively monitor active sessions and swiftly terminate unauthorized access attempts, ensuring adherence to strict compliance requirements.

Moreover, the ability to generate comprehensive audit trails and granular visibility into user activities empowers organizations to demonstrate compliance with ease, fostering a culture of accountability and transparency within their cloud environments.

Streamlining Deployment and Maintenance Processes

Azure just-in-time access offers a myriad of compelling use cases that extend beyond traditional security considerations. One such scenario involves the streamlining of permission management for deployment and maintenance processes. Imagine a user who requires elevated permissions to deploy a new application on a weekly basis. With Azure JIT access, these permissions can be granted solely for the duration of the deployment process. Once the session concludes, the user’s elevated permissions are automatically revoked, simplifying IAM access maintenance and reducing the risk of potential security breaches.

Incident Response and Auditing Efficiency

Timely response to security incidents is paramount in minimizing the potential damage and ensuring the integrity of an organization’s cloud environment. Azure just-in-time access facilitates rapid and secure access to necessary resources during critical investigations. For instance, a security analyst may require temporary elevated permissions to probe a suspicious event within the cloud infrastructure. With Azure JIT access, these permissions can be granted for the duration of the investigation, ensuring that the analyst has the necessary access while maintaining strict control over the access duration. 

Similarly, auditors often require access to sensitive cloud resources to ensure compliance with relevant security regulations. Azure just-in-time access simplifies this process by providing auditors with temporary access as required. For example, an auditor may need access to all cloud resources to perform a comprehensive compliance audit. Leveraging Azure JIT access, the auditor can receive the necessary access for the duration of the audit, after which the access is automatically revoked, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access.  

Conclusion

In the ever-evolving landscape of cloud computing, embracing Azure just-in-time access emerges as a strategic imperative for organizations seeking to optimize their cloud security posture while maintaining operational efficiency. By minimizing the risks associated with standing privileges and granting access to cloud resources on an as-needed, time-limited basis, Azure JIT access offers a dynamic and agile solution to the overprivileged access dilemma.

Through seamless integrations with existing workflows, user-friendly interfaces, and comprehensive auditing capabilities, Azure just-in-time access streamlines access management processes, enhances compliance, and fosters a culture of accountability within cloud environments.

As organizations continue to navigate the complexities of cloud adoption, embracing Azure just-in-time access represents a critical step towards achieving a truly secure and productive cloud infrastructure, empowering organizations to unlock the full potential of cloud computing while mitigating the risks associated with overprivileged access.

How Apono Helps

Apono’s platform significantly improves the efficiency of access management in Azure environments. Organizations can resolve access requests up to 25 times faster and save up to 30% of DevOps work. This increased efficiency translates to substantial time and resource savings for IT teams.

One of the key benefits of using Apono is the reduction in over-provisioning risk. The platform can decrease this risk by up to 91%, ensuring that users only have the necessary permissions for their roles. This granular control over access rights helps organizations maintain a strong security stance while still enabling productivity.

Session Overview

This webinar covers the story of how LabelBox utilized PagerDuty and Apono to create a new solution for resolving critical incidents faster and more securely.

Introduction of Participants

Importance of a Break-Glass Solution

The Challenge

Managing break-glass situations posed a significant challenge for the Labelbox team. It had to balance security concerns with the need to maintain productivity. The team found that its use of shared service accounts for database access was not secure, so there was a need for a more robust solution.

Aaron’s Insights

“We knew we needed a break-glass system because we faced a critical incident once where a key responder couldn’t gain access. This incident underscored the importance of having a flexible and reliable break-glass solution.”

Mandy’s Insights

“From PagerDuty’s perspective, customers often face challenges with microservices architectures, figuring out access requirements, and ensuring compliance reporting. Having an auditable trail of access during incidents is essential, and flexibility in access management is crucial for resolving production issues.”

Sharon’s Insights

“Managing access to sensitive resources is about balancing risk and response speed. Customer data is highly sensitive, and even minimal access can be risky. During incident response, you need to ensure quick access while preventing overexposure. Apono’s policies allow for this balance, enabling quick access during incidents and allowing responders to bring in additional help as needed without compromising security.”

Moving Towards a Solution

When it comes to incident response, having a robust and flexible access management system is critical. Using Apono and PagerDuty effectively addresses this need by leveraging a combination of tools and processes to ensure that engineers have the necessary access when required while maintaining strict security controls. Let’s delve deeper into how this innovative approach was implemented and the key components that make it successful.

Integration with Apono and PagerDuty

The integration between Apono and PagerDuty is a critical aspect of the solution. By utilizing these tools, Aaron was able to create a seamless flow that enhances incident response efficiency:

1. Apono’s Role: Apono allows for the configuration of flows that integrate with Pagerduty. It enables the automatic approval and revocation of access based on pre-defined criteria and schedules.
2. PagerDuty’s Role: PagerDuty manages the incident response process, including shift rotations and incident notifications. It ensures that the right personnel are alerted and can take immediate action.
3. Combined Workflow: By integrating these tools, Aaron created a workflow where access requests are managed dynamically. Engineers on the PagerDuty rotation can approve access requests directly through Apono, ensuring that only the necessary permissions are granted when needed.

The “Break-Glass” Google Group

One of the core components of the solution is the “break-glass” Google group. This group serves as a temporary access point for engineers who are not part of the regular database admin team but need immediate access during an incident. Here’s how it works:

1. Incident Identification: When an incident occurs, the engineer responsible for addressing the issue can request access to the “break-glass” Google group.
2. Approval Process: This request is routed through PagerDuty to the on-call database admin, who has the authority to approve the access. This step ensures that only authorized personnel can grant access.
3. Temporary Access: Once approved, the engineer is added to the Google group, which grants him or her the necessary permissions to interact with the production database. This access is time-bound, typically limited to two hours, to minimize security risks.

Employee Training and Implementation

Implementing a new system requires proper training and buy-in from the team. Aaron addressed this by conducting bi-weekly tech talks and creating comprehensive documentation:

1. Tech Talks: These sessions provided an opportunity to demonstrate the new system to the entire engineering team, showcasing its benefits and how it works in practice.
2. Documentation: A detailed Confluence page was created to document the steps and procedures for using the new system. This resource is invaluable for engineers who need to refresh their knowledge or learn about the system for the first time.

Addressing Compliance and Security Concerns

One of the significant advantages of this system is its ability to address compliance and security concerns effectively:

1. Auditing: Apono provides a full audit trail of every access request, including who made the request, who approved it, and the exact times of access and revocation. This detailed logging is crucial for compliance reporting and internal audits.
2. Compliance: By implementing this system, Aaron’s team can meet stringent compliance requirements. The granular control and auditing capabilities ensure that access to sensitive data is tightly controlled and documented.
3. Security: The time-bound nature of the access and the integration with PagerDuty ensures that permissions are only granted when absolutely necessary and are automatically revoked after the incident is resolved.

Aaron’s innovative approach to incident response and access management demonstrates how combining the right tools and processes can create a secure, efficient, and compliant system. By leveraging the “break-glass” Google group, integrating Apono with PagerDuty, and ensuring thorough training and documentation, Aaron successfully enhanced his team’s ability to respond to incidents quickly and securely. This solution not only improves operational efficiency but also meets the high standards required for auditing and compliance in today’s complex IT environments.

As organizations increasingly adopt diverse cloud services to meet their varying computational and storage needs, multi-cloud security emerges as a critical concern. “In 2024, a majority of organizations (78%) are opting for hybrid and multi-cloud strategies. Of those organizations, 43% use a hybrid of cloud and on-premises infrastructure, and 35% have a multi-cloud strategy,” according to the 2024 Fortinet Cloud Security Report.

This approach not only amplifies the benefits of cloud computing but also introduces complex challenges in safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring robust data governance. Thus, the significance of multi-cloud security cannot be overstated, as it plays a fundamental role in protecting data across multiple cloud environments from cyber threats, unauthorized access, and data breaches.

The Basics of Multi-cloud Security

What is Multi-cloud Security?

Multi-cloud security refers to the protective measures and strategies implemented to safeguard data, applications, and infrastructures when utilizing multiple cloud service providers such as AWS, Azure, and GCP. This approach is crucial in a world where businesses leverage diverse cloud environments to enhance flexibility, resilience, and cost optimization. It addresses the complexities of managing varied cloud resources, ensuring seamless data integration and robust security across all platforms.

Why is It Essential?

The essence of multi-cloud security lies in its ability to provide a unified security posture across various cloud platforms, which is vital for maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive data. Organizations face numerous challenges such as cyber threats, unauthorized access, and potential data breaches. Implementing a comprehensive multi-cloud security strategy mitigates these risks, enhances data governance, and supports compliance with data sovereignty requirements.

Multi-cloud Security Key Statistics

Recent studies underscore the importance and rapid adoption of multi-cloud strategies:

• Adoption Rates: 62% of organizations are currently utilizing a multi-cloud environment, with an additional 18% in the transition phase.
• Growth Projection: Approximately 64% of businesses expect their use of multi-cloud to increase over the next two years.
• Security Concerns: About 51% of IT leaders express reluctance in expanding to additional clouds due to the complexities of maintaining security across multiple platforms.

These statistics highlight the growing reliance on multi-cloud environments and the critical need for effective security measures to protect organizational assets and ensure operational continuity.

Top Benefits of Multi-cloud Strategies

Access to Diverse Services

Multi-cloud strategies allow organizations to leverage a wide array of services from various cloud providers, each offering unique capabilities and features. By utilizing multiple clouds, businesses can select the most suited provider for specific tasks, such as one specializing in data storage and security while another excels in big data analytics. This approach not only ensures that organizations can employ the best-of-breed services for their specific needs but also fosters innovation by integrating diverse technologies like Kubernetes, which supports application portability across different environments.

Enhanced System Reliability

One of the most significant advantages of adopting a multi-cloud strategy is the improvement in system reliability and uptime. By distributing workloads across multiple cloud platforms, organizations can minimize the risk of service disruptions. If one cloud platform experiences an outage, the workload can be seamlessly shifted to another provider, ensuring uninterrupted access to resources and services. This redundancy is crucial for maintaining continuous service availability and operational continuity.

Agility and Quick Responses to Changes

Multi-cloud environments provide businesses with the flexibility to quickly adapt to changing market dynamics and technological advancements. The ability to switch between providers or distribute workloads across multiple clouds reduces the risk of vendor lock-in and enhances organizational agility. This strategic flexibility allows companies to respond swiftly to opportunities or challenges, ensuring they remain competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Additionally, the scalability of cloud resources enables organizations to efficiently manage demand spikes or decreases, optimizing cost and performance.

Key Challenges in Multi-cloud Security

Managing Increased Complexity

One of the primary challenges in multi-cloud security is managing the increased complexity that comes with operating across multiple cloud platforms. Each provider has its own set of tools, interfaces, and security protocols, making it difficult for organizations to maintain a clear oversight of their data and resources. This complexity often leads to challenges in data integration and consistent monitoring, increasing the risk of security gaps and data inconsistencies.

Achieving Consistent Security Policies

Achieving consistent security policies across various cloud environments is another significant challenge. Organizations must ensure that their security measures are uniformly enforced across all platforms to protect sensitive data from threats. However, differences in cloud architectures and service models can complicate the implementation of uniform security policies. Organizations need to develop comprehensive security frameworks that are adaptable to the specific requirements of each cloud provider while maintaining overall security standards.

Mitigating an Expanded Attack Surface

The use of multiple cloud services inherently expands an organization’s attack surface. Each additional service and integration point introduces potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by cyber attackers. Ensuring robust security measures, such as encryption, access controls, and regular security assessments, is crucial to mitigate these risks. Organizations must also stay vigilant against emerging threats and continuously update their security practices to protect their multi-cloud environments.

Implementing Effective Multi-cloud Security Measures

Identity Access Management (IAM)

Effective multi-cloud security begins with robust Identity Access Management (IAM). IAM systems control who accesses cloud resources by enforcing multi-factor authentication, role-based access control, and other security measures. This acts like a sophisticated key card system, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access specific resources within the multi-cloud environment. Regular audits of user roles and permissions help maintain this control, preventing unauthorized access and safeguarding sensitive information.

Data Encryption and Secure Transfers

Data encryption is critical for protecting data both in transit and at rest across multiple cloud platforms. Utilizing advanced encryption methods, such as AES 256-bit encryption, ensures that data remains secure, whether it is stored locally or transferred across cloud environments. Moreover, securing data transfers between different cloud platforms is essential and can be achieved through encryption and secure network connections. This layer of security protects data from being intercepted and accessed by unauthorized parties.

Regular Audits and Assessments

Conducting regular security audits and assessments is vital to uncover and address security vulnerabilities across all cloud platforms. These audits should include a comprehensive evaluation of the organization’s security posture, identifying any potential threats and vulnerabilities. By continuously monitoring the multi-cloud system in real time and regularly auditing security measures, organizations can maintain adherence to security policies and regulatory requirements, ensuring ongoing protection against potential cyber threats.

Implementing these measures will significantly enhance the security of multi-cloud environments, enabling organizations to leverage the benefits of cloud computing while minimizing risks.

Conclusion

It’s clear that the journey towards achieving secure multi-cloud environments is ongoing and requires continuous adaptation to emerging threats and evolving cloud technologies. The significance of adopting a strategic, well-rounded approach to multi-cloud security cannot be overstated, as it underpins the integrity and resilience of modern digital infrastructures. With the right mix of strategic planning, technological implementation, and constant vigilance, organizations can harness the full potential of multi-cloud computing, turning the challenges of security into opportunities for fostering innovation, enhancing system reliability, and driving business growth.

How Apono Helps

Apono secures multi-cloud environments by leveraging a robust, scalable architecture that eliminates the need for permanent credentials. It employs ephemeral certificate-based authentication, which ensures that access permissions are granted only when needed and for a limited duration. This approach minimizes the risk of credential theft and unauthorized access. Additionally, Apono facilitates centralized access management across diverse cloud platforms, allowing organizations to enforce consistent security policies. Through its seamless integration with existing identity providers and comprehensive audit trails, Apono enhances visibility and control, enabling organizations to maintain stringent security standards in complex, multi-cloud ecosystems.

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As businesses continue to expand their reliance on cloud security and privileged access management, the imperative to implement least privilege access in a manner both effective and efficient cannot be overstated. Yet, with the increasing complexity of information systems and the proliferation of privileged accounts, manually administering and enforcing the least privilege principle poses substantial challenges.

However, through automation, companies can now achieve fine-grained access control, facilitate just-in-time access, and manage temporary access with precision, thereby minimizing the potential blast radius of security incidents.

Understanding Least Privilege Access

The principle of least privilege (PoLP) is a critical concept in information security, mandating that individuals and systems have only the minimum levels of access necessary to perform their functions. This principle is essential for minimizing the risk of accidental or intentional data breaches and for maintaining a secure computing environment.

Definition and Key Principles

At its core, the principle of least privilege ensures that every module—be it a process, a user, or a program—has access only to the information and resources essential for its legitimate purpose. This approach limits the abilities of a user or program to interact with the system, thereby reducing the potential for misuse or accidental harm. For instance, a user account created solely for generating backups would not have permissions to install new software, as these rights are unnecessary for the task of backing up data.

Historical Context and Evolution

The concept of least privilege is not new and has evolved over time as systems have become more complex and interconnected. One of the earliest implementations of this principle can be traced back to the UNIX operating system, where the login.c program would start with super-user permissions and drop these privileges as soon as they were no longer necessary.

This principle has been foundational in the development of modern security architectures, influencing various frameworks and technologies. For example, the Zero Trust model incorporates the principle of least privilege at its core, requiring verification and validation of everything trying to connect to an organization’s systems before access is granted.

Implementing the principle of least privilege requires careful planning and continuous management to ensure that privileges are appropriately assigned and adjusted as needed. This involves auditing existing privileges, revoking unnecessary permissions, and monitoring for changes that might introduce risks. Organizations must also consider the dynamic nature of access requirements, as roles and responsibilities can evolve, necessitating adjustments to access privileges. 

All in all, understanding and applying the principle of least privilege is essential for securing systems against unauthorized access and potential threats. By limiting users and programs to the minimum access necessary, organizations can significantly reduce their vulnerability to attacks and ensure the integrity and confidentiality of their data.

Challenges of Manual Least Privilege Access

Implementing the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) manually presents numerous challenges that can hinder an organization’s security framework. These challenges stem from various factors ranging from employee resistance to the intrinsic complexities of modern IT environments.

Common Issues and Pitfalls

1. Employee Frustration: Manual enforcement of PoLP often leads to user and administrator frustration, especially in environments where speed and automation, such as DevOps, are prioritized. The friction caused by access restrictions can lead to increased administrative overhead and reduced productivity.
2. Complexity of Computing Environments: With assets spread across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, managing access becomes increasingly complex. Each platform may have its own set of access management tools and policies, which complicates the implementation of a unified least privilege strategy.
3. Lack of Granularity: Most operating systems and environments do not support the fine-grained control necessary for effective least privilege implementation. This often results in either overprivileged accounts or hindered user functionality.
4. Cloud Proliferation and Multi-Cloud Challenges: The ephemeral nature of cloud environments complicates tracking and managing permissions. Users often expect cloud services to have built-in security measures, which may not be sufficient for strict PoLP enforcement.
5. Visibility and Control Over Privileged Accounts: A significant barrier to effective least privilege enforcement is the lack of visibility into all privileged accounts and credentials. Without comprehensive monitoring and management, privileged accounts can become a major security risk.

Case Studies and Real-World Examples

• SolarWinds Breach: Attackers exploited excessive privileges granted to the Orion application, which required global administrator access to function. This breach underscores the dangers of not adhering to the least privilege principle in application management.
• Verkada Breach: Compromised super admin credentials allowed attackers to access the live feeds of 150,000 security cameras. This incident highlights the risks associated with overprivileged accounts and the lack of proper access controls.
• NSA / Edward Snowden Breach: Snowden used his administrative privileges to access and leak significant amounts of classified information, demonstrating how excessive privileges can lead to massive data breaches.
• Target Breach: Hackers used credentials from a third-party vendor to access Target’s network, showing how third-party access can lead to significant breaches if not properly managed under the least privilege principle.

These examples illustrate the critical need for stringent control and regular audits of access privileges to prevent security breaches and ensure compliance with least privilege policies.

Benefits of Automating Least Privilege Access

Automating the enforcement of least privilege access yields significant benefits for organizations, chiefly in terms of security enhancements and operational efficiencies. By implementing systems that automate the provisioning and revocation of access, companies can better manage user permissions, ensuring that access is strictly aligned with job requirements. This minimization of excessive privileges not only reduces the attack surface but also limits the potential impact of security incidents. 

Enhanced Security Outcomes 

The principle of least privilege is fundamental in maintaining a secure IT environment. Automation plays a pivotal role in enforcing this principle effectively across an organization’s network. By automating access controls and permissions, the risk of unauthorized access is significantly diminished. This is crucial for preventing data breaches and ensuring that sensitive information remains protected. Automated systems can quickly adjust permissions in real-time, based on predefined policies that assess the current needs and threat landscape, thereby enhancing the overall security posture. 

Automated least privilege systems prevent malware spread by restricting user access to execute potentially harmful applications. This containment is critical in mitigating the impact of cyber threats, as it limits the blast radius of any attack. For instance, if a user inadvertently triggers malware, the damage remains confined to the limited access available to that user’s account, rather than permeating throughout the network.

Moreover, the application of least privilege through automation supports compliance with various regulatory requirements. By providing detailed logs and records of access activities, organizations can demonstrate compliance during audits more effectively, showcasing their commitment to stringent security practices.

Operational Efficiency and Cost Savings

One of the most tangible benefits of automating least privilege access is the enhancement of operational efficiency. Manual management of access rights is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors, which can lead to both security vulnerabilities and operational bottlenecks. Automation alleviates the administrative burden on IT staff, freeing up their time to focus on more strategic tasks that add value to the business.

Furthermore, the implementation of just-in-time (JIT) access models ensures that permissions are granted precisely when needed and revoked immediately after use. This approach not only tightens security but also optimizes resource usage, preventing unnecessary access that could otherwise tie up valuable IT assets.

In conclusion, automating least privilege access is a strategic move that offers multiple advantages. It strengthens security measures, supports compliance efforts, and enhances operational efficiency, all of which are crucial for modern organizations facing a complex cybersecurity landscape.

Implementing Automated Least Privilege Access

Implementing automated least privilege access involves a series of strategic steps and the adoption of specific tools to ensure that access rights are strictly aligned with the operational needs of an organization. This approach not only enhances security but also improves operational efficiency and compliance.

Implementing automated least privilege access involves a series of strategic steps.

Strategies and Best Practices

To effectively implement automated least privilege access, organizations should consider the following strategies:

1. Self-Service Access
   Empowering employees through self-service portals allows them to request access as needed without excessive administrative delay. This reduces the broader permissions often requested out of convenience and aligns access more closely with immediate job requirements.
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2. Decentralized Resource Ownership
   By decentralizing the approval process, access requests can be evaluated and approved by direct managers or resource owners who understand the specific needs of their operations. This approach reduces the burden on IT departments and speeds up the access management process.
3. Policy-Based Access
   Implementing policy-based access control systems where access rights are automatically determined based on predefined policies ensures that decisions about access are consistent, timely, and aligned with organizational security policies. This method leverages attributes such as role, department, and data sensitivity.
4. Automatic Access Provisioning
   Utilizing API-driven tools for access provisioning allows organizations to automate the granting and revocation of access rights. This not only ensures a rapid response to access requests but also the immediate withdrawal of access once it is no longer needed, thereby adhering strictly to the principle of least privilege.

These strategies should be supported by continuous monitoring and adjustment to address the evolving needs and security landscape of the organization.

Tools and Software Recommendations

For the successful implementation of automated least privilege access, the following tools and software are highly recommended:

• Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solutions: Tools such as Okta or Microsoft Azure Active Directory provide robust frameworks for managing identities and access rights across various resources.
• Privileged Access Management (PAM) Software: Solutions like CyberArk, Apono or Thycotic Secret Server help manage and monitor privileged accounts, which are often the target of cyber attacks.
• Access Rights Management (ARM) Tools: Systems like Apono or SolarWinds Access Rights Manager can automate the detection and management of user permissions, ensuring that only necessary privileges are granted.
• Workflow Automation Platforms: Tools like ServiceNow or custom solutions developed with no-code platforms can automate the workflows associated with access requests, approvals, and provisioning.

By integrating these tools into their security infrastructure, organizations can significantly enhance their ability to manage access rights efficiently and securely, minimizing the risk associated with over-privileged accounts and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.

Conclusion

Through the comprehensive exploration of the principle of least privilege and the pivotal role of automation in its enforcement, it becomes abundantly clear that leveraging technological solutions is not only beneficial but essential for modern organizations aiming to secure their digital landscapes. Automation enhances compliance, refines access control, and simplifies the management of privileges, thereby effectively diminishing the risk of security breaches. This shift towards automated systems underscores a move from manual, error-prone processes to more resilient, efficient, and secure operations, significantly fortifying an organization’s defense against cyber threats.

The recent attack on Snowflake accounts underscores a critical lesson for all cloud users: securely managing identities and access is paramount under the shared responsibility model. As more organizations leverage cloud services, it’s essential to understand that security is a collaborative effort between the service provider and the customer.

Here are some key takeaways:
1️⃣ Shared Responsibility Model: While cloud providers like Snowflake ensure the security of the infrastructure, customers must secure their identities and access management.
2️⃣ Identity Management: Implement strong identity governance to ensure only the right people have the appropriate access to critical data.
3️⃣ Access Control: Use tools and policies to manage and monitor access, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

Listen in to hear our Director of Product, Sharon Kisluk, explain where things went wrong in this major security incident.

Transcription below

• At first people thought it was a breach of Snowflake, but then it turned out that the hacks happened because these companies had credentials that were stale with open-ended access to the data that were found online.
• 20:54 Okay, so also you have to include in this the fact that there was only a single factor off of the kinds of which were targeted, which is its own question about whether or not Snowflake needs to start implementing MFA requirements for sensitive data being stored there.
• 21:08 But we see data hacks happen all the time. Why was this interesting?
• 11:13 Yeah, I think this was interesting, first of all, because of the scale. We’re talking about very big companies and really sensitive data. That’s the stuff you don’t want to have leaked, right? Your customer data, personal information.
• 11:25 But also, I think what’s interesting is that, first of all, the vendor did everything right. Snowflake itself was not hacked. It offered its services as expected. And it really goes to show that companies, customers, need to think about identity and access management.
• 11:38 They need to understand that they have shared responsibility with the vendor to secure their identities and their data. And we see here a complete failure of identity and access management processes. Credentials were not rotated. Accounts that were not used were not properly off-boarded. And access was left open-ended to something very, very sensitive instead of being managed
• 11:57 just in time as people require it. So that’s a big thing. And also, to add to that point of how important identity security is, there was no vulnerability of resources involved. So no cloud resources, no services,
• 12:16 storage, databases, buckets, nothing was misconfigured or had vulnerability. So that just adds to the fact that identities was the cause of the breach here.
• 22:25 Right, so it’s very much a human management problem more so than anything