Software agencies find themselves extremely drawn to AWS (Amazon Web Services) as a Cloud Security solution. At the same time, they’re well aware that it isn’t very reliable and leaves a lot to be desired.
Today I’ll be going over some of the most important drawbacks of this solution, so that your team can manage custom software development in peace.
Hackers Aren’t Slackers
Incidents like the shutdown of CodeSpaces, highlight one of the largest concerns about AWS. Hackers can access data very easily and remain hidden.
Sensitive details like credit card information or home addresses, need to be encrypted. But if you’re not careful hackers can still access this information.
It becomes very important to have protective tools other than credentials. This is because hackers can acquire credentials easily and proceed to change them, effectively locking out team members and making it very difficult to get access back.
Less Control And Visibility
Many development companies agree that managing cybersecurity on site is preferable to Cloud Computing custom software.
When all the equipment is on-site, IT professionals have the benefit of making adjustments and monitoring activity more easily. Communication between all processes is streamlined and in case of any issues, they’re notified pretty quickly.
AWS is used by many companies for a variety of applications. This makes it especially egregious that you can’t account for suspicious activity or even differentiate it from regular usage.
Defining Liability
The topic of liability is a pretty contested issue in Cloud Computing. Software development agencies tend to have differing opinions on the subject and it’s easy to understand why. After all, are the users responsible for any issues or does everything fall on the provider?
What You Need To Do
With AWS, there’s a decent amount of collective accountability but that doesn’t mean your company is exempt from responsibility. You need to have a clear idea of who has access to what, such as:
- Monitoring data and processes
- Permissions for deleting, uploading or editing existing data
- Different access levels to increase security
- Protocol for security alerts
This way you can have a clear line in figuring out whether the problem originates from AWS or internally.
Can We Make It Work?
The short answer is, yes. While it may have these caveats, AWS isn’t a lost cause. However you need a very robust and well thought our security protocol to achieve this.
For many companies, there’s a better custom software solution out there. But AWS has its merits if you can account for the challenge it poses.
- Identify your blind spots
- Define access levels practically
- Maintain and document logs
- Make use of Two-Factor Authentication
- Encryption across the board
Conclusion
AWS isn’t perfect and for many it’s more trouble than it’s worth. I like to give credit where it’s due and acknowledge that it has potential for sure.
But that potential hasn’t been realized yet, so anyone interested in starting off with AWS is better off waiting till more updates and improvements are made.
