Monitoring cloud app activity for better data security: Five key tips

Digitisation has dramatically changed how work gets done. Business-critical apps and data are a keystroke away, no matter where an employee is or what time it is. Perhaps it is this familiarity with data that makes employees feel so connected to it that, when they switch jobs, they often take some of it with them. Maybe it’s why most of them don’t think this is a criminal act.Whatever the reasoning for this willful exfiltration of data, a lack of security can impact an organisation’s growth and ability to retain a competitive advantage. But with more visibility into insider threats, organisations can drive bad actors out and improve their overall security posture.Below are the top five events that organisations monitor cloud applications for and how paying attention to them can help to promote good security hygiene within a company. Dig into who is logging in, from where and when, is likely to turn up some surprises related to application interaction. Terminated users who have not been properly deprovisioned may be able to gain access to sensitive data after employment, in the case of a departed employee, or at the end of a contract with a third party. Login activity can also tell you a user’s location, hours, devices and more – all of which can uncover potential security incidents, breaches or training opportunities.