Featured article by Russell Emmenthal
The ubiquity of the cloud has revolutionized the way we store, analyze, and share data. As more and more businesses and individuals use the cloud daily, a whole new approach to cybersecurity is needed.
Traditional agent-based responses are time-consuming and tedious for overloaded priorities and workloads. To protect assets in the cloud, businesses and individuals should combine agent-based security with agentless options that take “snapshots” of information in the cloud without using up resources.
Keep reading to learn more about four of the major benefits of agentless cloud security.
1. Faster Setup and Deployment
With typical agent-based systems, you’ll need to install a separate agent on each machine or workload you want to protect. This process is extremely time-consuming, meaning you’ll be in a holding pattern without the security you need until every installation is complete.
By contrast, technology like Orca’s Agentless Sidescanning can be set up in a matter of minutes and provide a total risk assessment of everything you have in the cloud in the span of a day.Â
Plus, you won’t need access to every individual agent in order to perform future scans; you can conduct a total scan of your cloud assets from one central location.
2. Less Maintenance Required
Because agentless systems can be managed from one central, remote access point, they require a lot less effort to maintain. You can distribute patches and updates across the entire network instead of individually updating a host of separate agents.
The lower maintenance requirement of agentless security does more than save effort; it also saves you money. You can scan and monitor your entire cloud estate without buying and installing a horde of separate programs.
Agentless systems provide a higher return on investment than agent-based options thanks to their greater efficiency and lower overall security costs. If you’re a business owner, you’ll also free up your IT department to focus on tasks other than constantly updating and managing your cloud security system.
3. Great for Large-Bandwidth Networks
Most companies place a heavy demand on their network bandwidth during business hours and require high performance at all times to ensure optimal working conditions.
Agent-based security systems are often clunky and can suck up a lot of resources while running scans. This can negatively impact your system resources and make it harder for everyone in the office to do their jobs, leading to frustration and lowered productivity.
Agentless scanning systems are ideal for large-bandwidth networks because they provide updates in real time without needing to leech power from your network.
4. Better Scalability and Flexibility
Expanding or transitioning your cloud storage requires a lot of configuration and complex setup if you’re only using agent-based security. This isn’t ideal for businesses planning for near-future growth or transitioning their data center to a new location.
Agentless systems work well on all three types of cloud — public, private, and hybrid. They can be configured to scan your whole system rather than one specific domain, which offers much greater flexibility than their agented counterparts.
Finally, agentless security can continue protecting your data even while your company is actively transitioning its data center. You won’t be left open to cyberattacks at a vulnerable moment; instead, you can trust your security system to continue doing its job and focus on the task at hand.
The Takeaway
Running a business in this day and age usually requires handling and storing a vast amount of data in the cloud, whether it’s financial records, customer information, or communications.
Optimal cloud security involves a combination of agent-based and agentless systems to ensure all your bases are covered, and your vulnerable data is protected without negatively impacting productivity.
