During the process of cloud migration data must be handled in two stages- at rest and in transit. Data in transit refers to information that is moved across locations during an active migration. Data at rest, on the other hand, refers to information that have already been transmitted and stored in folders in digital formats post migration. Irrespective of the stage, data must be handled in a secured way to avoid chances of theft or misuse.
For instance, data in the transit stage is transmitted through public IP with deactivated network security wall. This exposes the data to serious threats of misuse. Meanwhile, data at rest can be subject to continuous malware or phishing attack. Inappropriate data protection invites costly litigations that will seriously tarnish brand reputation. This is why it is important to adopt means to secure data both at rest and in transit.
Microsoft Azure provides a well-rounded security framework that is best-suited to protect data during cloud migration. It enlists a series of Azure security best practices to secure both data in rest and data in transit. In this article we will discuss the Azure cloud migration best practices for data protection:
Azure Cloud Migration Best Practices for Data in Transit
Azure Security Best Practices
1- Use Site-to-Site Encryption
We recommend using site-to-site VPN gateways that encrypt all the data that pass through. It decrypts an inbound data and send it in packets to the targeted host. This process of decryption and encryption creates an impenetrable wall around the data that is being migrated.
Azure site-to-site VPN gateways connect stakeholders from multiple on-premises workstations that have their individual data repository to the Azure platform. You need to use Azure portal to create a site-to-site VPN gateway. To do this, it is essential that you communicate with your on-premises network administrator to create an IP address specifically for this virtual network. Any duplicity in IP addresses will route data in an unexpected way.
2- Use Point-to-Site Encryption
A standard best practice to avoid Azure cloud migration risks is to use point-to-site VPN gateways. It uses Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) to connect your system to migration service providers’ VNet. It allows you to create your own internal public key infrastructure (PKI) root certificate authority (CA) to establish point-to-site connectivity.
Point-to-Site VPN connections do not require a VPN device or a public facing IP address. This factor itself reduces the scope of data being exposed to uncharted environment.
3- Use ExpressRoute for Better Data Security
A highly recommended Azure cloud migration best practice is using ExpressRoute. It establishes private connections between Microsoft datacenters and other infrastructure hosted by your premise or in a colocation facility. The USP of this Microsoft Azure product is the connections set by ExpressRoute cannot be accesses over the public Internet. Not only does this boost data security but also minimize lower latency. Achieving lower latency is critical to avoid sudden data loss.
You can configure ExpressRoute circuits to use private peering, Microsoft peering, or both. This allows you to configure the type and level of data exposure. In addition, ExpressRoute uses SSL/TLS protocols to encrypt data at application level to ensure better data protection.
4- Azure Information Protection for Better Data Security
Azure Information Protection (AIP) uses encryption protocols to classify and label data. It allows IT administrators to automatically classify data including documents and emails based on preset rules. They can add labels like watermarks, footers, and headers to mark data. AIP secures confidential data with Rights Management that:
- Encrypt data to specific recipients inside and outside your organization
- Decrypt data based on user’s access right and identity
- Use SHA-256 for signing purpose and RSA 2048-bit keys for public key cryptography
- Apply access rights to control the way data will be used
Azure Cloud Migration Best Practices for Data in Rest
Azure Security Best Practices
1- Disk Encryption to Protect Data
We recommend using Azure Disk Encryption is a combination of cutting-edge Linux dm-crypt and Windows Bitlocker features. It allows you to encrypt data in rest stored in Linux IaaS virtual machines and Windows platform.
Azure SQL Database and Azure Storage provide default encryption of data at rest. Alternately, you can use Azure Key Vault to control keys that allow access and encrypt data.
2- Multi-Factor Authentication to Protect Data at Rest
Cloud migration best practices must include multi-factor authentication process to add an extra layer of data protection. This process requires users to prove their authorization during sign-in process. Users are generally sent a code on their handheld devices or are asked to scan their fingerprints.
This complements the password security layer applied to data at rest. It provides a back-up security support in case a password is too weak and is easily hacked.
3- Disk Encryption to Protect Data
Disk encryption secures data at rest from insider attacks. Such insider attacks include compromising a hardware that stores data. This is done with an intention to take unauthorized control over data.
This is why we recommend using Azure Disk Encryption that can effectively eliminate this risk. It uses BitLocker and DM-Crypt to encrypt data-storing hardware such as data drives, operating systems, and others. Further, it is enabled with Key Vault to control encryption keys of drives.
How Do We Ensure Data Security During Azure Cloud Migration?
We are a Microsoft certified partner. This allows us an early access to any new Azure Migration security tools or any change in cloud migration best practices. We leverage Microsoft certified trainings to bolster data security for you during Azure cloud migration.
Our experts stay at the top of all regulatory frameworks. We migrate and audit data in transit and data at rest as per the regulatory requirements. Your data is kept safe in our multiple data centers. These centers maintain at least three copies of your data stored on separate nodes.
Your organizational and IT settings have a big role to play in ensuring data security. Considering this, we do a thorough analysis of your infrastructure settings and workflow. Based on this analysis, we set a clearly grafted Azure cloud migration roadmap to ensure proper and secured transition of your data.
Who Are We and Why Are We Considered as An Industry Authority?
This article is authored by experts at FlatworldEdge, a leading Azure cloud migration service provider. We provide cutting-edge cloud migration solutions eliminates the need for months of planning, system configuration, and installation. Our range of Azure migration services include infrastructure migration, application migration, DevOps implementation and consulting, among others.
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