Did you really think letting someone else manage your security was the answer?
What is missing in this Petri article, ‘Free Microsoft Identity Tools Increasing Risk‘, the blog posting that presents the problem many have with Cloud security, from a survey Petri.com ran, is the answer to the problems presented.
Their Key Takeaways from the survey:
- Free, snapshot‑based Microsoft identity tools are creating dangerous timing gaps in enterprise environments.
- The survey shows Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID are the hardest platforms to monitor.
- Organizations now expect continuous visibility, not just periodic assessments, from identity security.
Does anyone want to guess what the expected proposed solutions will be?
1. Hand your security to costly ‘live’ monitoring third parties (there was an ad for this IN the article!)
2. The “AI can do it” crowd response. (listen to the S.S.V.”)
3. You start to realize that maybe you can’t afford the cloud due to the cost of mitigating the risks.
If anyone else feels the cold creep up your back you aren’t alone. These signs might be the harbinger for the end of cheap cloud computing, never mind what it means for national security risks (yikes).
Security requires control.
I tried to keep this post on LinkedIn but they keep altering the URL to the Petri article with an expiring shortened link, so I have posted a clear response here.
My thoughts:
- Microsoft might be able to provide a better resolution than snapped security auditing, but I say ‘might’ carefully, as the costs will be (pause for affect) problematic.
- Privatized cloud solutions, like what NextVenue.com had 15 YEARS ago will be the wave returning, but again, co$t$ (HPe Greenlake’s solution might be best there with their near-zero cost of implementation)
- But, because solutions #1 and #2 are adding to your existing budget, either with manpower, education or licensing, such remedies will take time. So the answer, for now, is the same solution many already are opting for:
Move out of the Cloud.
This was the answer, to move them back out of the Cloud, for a recent client of ours that saw their costs for a single Terabyte file server using cloud stubbing. Their costs jumped from $12k to $30k USD in just three months! Interestingly enough, the physical file server replacing the stubbed server cost the same we migrated them to with Beyond Compare.
The much improved Microsoft Hyper-V platform, with the ease of migration, is what most have landed on as their quick answer. We have received many calls to implement the move from VMware to Hyper-V, for both smal businesses and large global corporations. For, such problems as the Broadcom VMWare licensing issues, the increasingly expensive Cloud solutions, and now costs for securing Cloud Identity, all has encouraged many to move their infrastructure back out of reach of all these expensive vulnerabilities.
Gee, no one saw that coming. 😉
Uh, yes, we did and we said so too. I wonder if the next time we make suggestions, like telling a client to call Microsoft for a copy of their data to save yourself tens of thousands of dollars in bandwidth costs downloading the data instead, they will actually listen? (((SIGH))) No, they would rather blame the costs on the contractor. Sheesh.
-Patrick Burwell
P.s. We HIGHLY recommend Beyond Compare from Scooter Software for moving large amounts of data. What an exceptional product and timely support! They answered all my stupid questions and provided scripts without asking. I continue to use them and suggest learning all the ways to run their tools, as the training is worth it. -Patrick
*S.S.V.: Still Small Voice. Still not sure? Ask me privately, I might answer.