Cloud Security vs Cyber Security – What’s the Difference? (Explained)

Cloud Security vs Cyber Security – What’s the Difference? (Explained). When digitalization is the key word, no organization wants to stay away from its share of the pie. Almost all companies have their data in digital format, which helps them to make informed decisions and improve online performance. But with simple tasks comes greater challenges.

With the advancement of digitalization and technology, cyber crimes have increased exponentially, making data and devices more vulnerable. It has become necessary for businesses to take measures to safeguard their data and confidential information.

The first thing that comes to mind when we discuss cyber attacks is cyber security. With most organizations now transferring and storing their data in the cloud. It is also important to consider cloud security.

In this blog, we will provide definitions for cloud security and cyber security and a detailed explanation of the key differences between the two.

What is Cloud Security?

The first thing one should know about cloud security or cloud computing security is that it is a cyber security discipline.  It encompasses a detailed and practicable set of policies that include all the advanced controls, essential technologies and IT services. Those protect your professional and personal data and application saved in cloud platforms.

With Cloud security it protects your information against threats, either external or internal. Effective cloud security requires the efforts and hard work of every individual in the organization, cloud providers, and the customers using them.

Categories of Cloud Security

Essentially, cloud security comprises the below mentioned categories:

  • IAM (Identity and access management)
  • Data Security.
  • Data Retention and Business Continuity Planning.
  • Governance (guidelines available on threat mitigation, prevention, and recognition)
  • Legal Compliance.

What does cloud security actually protect?

The protection includes:

  • Operating System.
  • Data Servers.
  • Physical equipment required in networking, such as cabling and routers.
  • Computing software used as a core of online networking.
  • Computer virtualization frameworks, including host and guest machines.
  • Hard Drives.
  • Data (stored or modified).
  • Running programs or runtime environments.
  • Applications.
  • E mails.
  • End user hardware such as PCs, smartphones, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, modems.

Categories of Cloud Computing

The various categories of cloud computing are:

  • Private Cloud Services (run by public cloud providers/third-party).
  • Additional Private Cloud Services (run by the internal staff/team).
  • Hybrid Cloud Services (combined with private and public cloud computing configurations).

next in this article blog Cloud Security vs Cyber Security – What’s the Difference? is to introduce Cyber Security. 

What is Cyber Security?

The cyber security is the field of information that helps enterprises and businesses defend their machines, devices and services from electronic attacks by suspicious actors such as hackers, spammers, and cybercriminals. The defence mechanism is for protection against ransomware attacks, identity thefts, phishing schemes, data breaches and financial losses.

Some cyber security components are meant to strike before the cybercrime occurs. But the majority focus is on determining the best way to defend the assets (including computers, smartphones, networks, and databases) from attacks.

Every year, major cyber security breaches and data leaks expose millions of people’s confidential information online. 

As per the Identity Theft Research Center reports, the overall data breaches in 2021 are up by 68% compared to 2020. This is a new record set in the number of data compromises, which is 23% higher than the previous record set in 2017.

A separate study by IBM and the Ponemon Institute revealed that the average cost of data compromise among the organizations surveyed touched $4.24 million per cyber security breach in 2021, the highest in 17 years.

Key Elements of Cyber Security

The key elements of cyber security include:

  • Network Security.
  • End user Security.
  • Operational Security.

To prevent unauthorized access to devices, data and networks, cyber security is essential for organizations and individuals. It is also necessary to prevent such attacks that disrupt the operations of a device or a system. The importance of cyber security can be highlighted by the projection that cybercrime would cost the world 10.5 trillion dollars by 2025 – making it equal to the world’s third largest economy after the USA and China.

As data breaches and cybercrime rise, the cyber security industry grows manifold. More and more organizations are hiring cyber security partners and using cyber secure software to safeguard information.

Now that we have discussed cloud security and cyber security, they may sound similar to you. However, there are many differences between them.

It is time for a comparison of Cloud Security vs Cyber Security – What’s the Difference? 

Cloud Security vs Cyber Security - Difference Explained

cloud security vs cyber security

Understanding the differences between cloud security and cyber security will assist you in making the best possible choice when it comes to selecting where and how you would want to store your information. It can help you know what to consider when storing information digitally.

Definitions of Cloud Security and Cyber Security

To analyze the differences between cloud security and cyber security, it is essential to understand the two definitions.

Definition of Cloud Security

According to Mcaffee’s definition of cloud security. A defined “procedures and technology that safeguard cloud computing environment against both internal and external cyber security threats.”

On the other hand Cloud security differs from cyber security.  Here the cyber security involves individual device owners taking security measures to ensure the protection of their personal information.

Definition of Cyber Security

The US Department of Homeland Security explains cyber security as “the procedure of protecting networks, data and devices from unauthorized access or criminal use and the practice of ensuring confidentiality, availability, and integrity of information.”

So, the primary difference in both forms of security is that cloud security ensures that data is stored in the cloud, free from unauthorized use, while cyber security ensures that personal devices remain free from cybercrimes.

Responsibility of Security

Cloud Security

Usually a Cloud security is  shared model where the security services provided fall under the service provider’s scope. However, configuring and using these services is a user’s responsibility. Hence, if you are using cloud services and setting an easy and guessable password, the service user is responsible for the after effects, not the cloud service provider.

Cyber Security

With cyber security, the device owner is accountable for the safety of personal information. You are responsible for monitoring your device and your personal information. Hence, advocating various security measures to safeguard information from cybercrimes rest on your shoulders.

Maintenance of Security of Personal Information

Cloud Security

Many people will use cloud services to add more storage to their devices, including mobile phones. But many worry about the security of personal information stored in the devices.

The cloud maintains security by filtering out traffic trying to access data stored in the cloud. The traffic is guided straight to the cloud rather than going through other servers that may collect its user’s data. The cloud allows authorized users to access information while blocking unauthorized users from accessing the same.

Cyber Security

On the contrary, cyber security controls security differently. It makes users take control of their information directly. You can manage cyber security through:

  • Using strong passwords and changing them often. Constantly changing your password can prevent malware from stealing your passwords and accessing your information.
  • Setting up two factor authentication gives extra security. This method makes it challenging for hackers to access your information as users will get a notification if an unauthorized person attempts to log in to their account.
  • The users should avoid clicking on suspicious email links. This way, you can safeguard your device from viruses or ransomware that these links carry.

Liability

Cloud Security

The Cloud services are used widely around the world. And the Cloud service providers use technology protection to safeguard data in the cloud from leakage or theft. Companies must keep cloud users’ personal information private and secure from hackers because the liability falls on them if the customer data is stolen and sold. Cloud security is important when storing personal information in the cloud.

Cyber Security

On the other hand, cyber security is necessary to protect your devices from malware that could steal your precious data. Here, the liability is on the user. So Cyber security protects your devices from being hacked and your personal information stolen and sold on the dark web.

Who Has the Data? Each Has Its Benefits

Every form of security has its benefits. To make certain you are using the best method to protect your data, you must know the merits of each form of security.

Cloud Security

Benefits of Cloud security :

  • Keeping threats away from business.
  • Ensuring the prevention of lost data.
  • Dodging the risk of loss of data and information.
  • Security is managed by a third party vendor instead of yourself.
  • Low infrastructure investment cost.

There is little chance with Cloud security to mess  up security. However, cyber security allows you to customize your security how and to what extent you would want it.

Cyber Security

Cyber security is beneficial  due to:

  • Needing to remain in charge of your data and what happens to it.
  • Configure the device system the way you like it.
  • Both physical and network security are provided.

Security Threat Detection

Cloud Security

Firstly Cloud security automatically detects and perceives threats with the help of artificial intelligence. It does not require any updates like the traditional methods. Artificial intelligence is always on top of the hacking methods as they happen. Hence, information is more secure from cyber attacks, and the risk of an attack is lower.

Cyber Security

However, traditional cyber security procedures use anti virus tools to detect security threats. The main issue with anti virus tools is that they are usually slow, changing threats. They have to be updated constantly to keep on top of the hackers. Traditional cyber security methods are always vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Threats are identified as signatures. With cyber security software, the process crawls. However, there is no method gap with cloud security as signatures detect threats.

The popularity of Each Security

Cloud Security

With technology continuously evolving, it is important to know the prevalence of each security. Which security method is widely used and trusted by companies and individuals around the world? The majority of the crowd is slowly shifting to the cloud.

Every year, more and more people trust the cloud to store their information and data. According to 451research, “90% of the organizations are on the cloud.” More businesses are expected to join the cloud arena; however, knowing how many trust the cloud to store their data is essential.

Cyber Security

People are moving away from the traditional cyber security methods and storing their data in the cloud. Still traditional methods are still being used by individuals to add more protection to their data. It is still important to engage in these methods because of the risk of your device or system getting infected with malware.

Purplesec.us states, “92% of the malware is delivered by email.” Businesses and individuals need to protect their emails through various cyber security methods. A lot of company emails are targeted by hackers to get financial information. Hence, regular cyber security updates are crucial.

Data Back Up and Storage

Cloud Security

Backups and storage in Cloud security differ from cyber security. They are automated and unlike the traditional approach, non manual. Here, the backups and storage process are not conducted by an IT person but by a vendor in an automated process. Thus cloud security backup and storage are way cheaper than traditional backups.

There is no store of data onsite with Cloud security . It means there is a lower risk of data going through physical harm since it is stored in the cloud, but in cyber security, there is a lot of human activity involved, and it is easier to mess up and harm data storage.

Having said that, unlike cyber security, your data in cloud security is shared with service providers for safekeeping. This can be considered a flaw by many.

Cyber Security

Many believe that traditional cyber security backup and storage are better because you know who has access to your data. But these backups and storage can be both expensive and manual. Either it has to be you or an IT person who has to maintain a recurring backup and storage schedule.

You would have to purchase more backup storage space as your data increases. Else, you might lose data permanently. So frequent backups and sufficient storage are necessary for safeguarding data from cybercrimes.

Thank you for reading Cloud Security vs Cyber Security – What’s the Difference? (Explained). We can summarize. 

Cloud Security vs Cyber Security – What’s the Difference? Conclusion

Currently, no data is safe. Every technology that you use is vulnerable to cyber attacks. It is not only the governments worldwide who are worried about the security of personal information and data. Even large corporate servers to small personal websites that store sensitive personal information are continuously under the radar of cybercriminals.

Hence, everyone must take steps to protect their data and sensitive information. We do hope that this blog has been informative and clear about the difference between cloud security and cyber security and what you should do for the safekeeping of information.

Avatar for Hitesh Jethva
Hitesh Jethva

I am a fan of open source technology and have more than 10 years of experience working with Linux and Open Source technologies. I am one of the Linux technical writers for Cloud Infrastructure Services.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x