How to Maximize the Efficiency of Your Cloud-Based Software Solutions

Nearly every business in operation today uses a software-as-a-service or other cloud-based solution. These cloud-based programs offer power and convenience that, quite frankly, outpace what can be done on a single server or offline system. It therefore makes sense to rely on a cloud-based infrastructure for your business.

That doesn’t mean your cloud-based infrastructure is working as efficiently as it can be. Not only can misconfigurations cause integration issues, but it can also result in serious security breaches.

There are ways to both audit and improve your cloud-based software solutions and integrations, and all you need to get started is to follow this guide.

Start By Analyzing Your Current Cloud Infrastructure

The first step to improving any system is to audit the system itself. In this case, you’ll want to get a comprehensive look at what your company is using SaaS solutions and other cloud-based programs for. Pay particular attention to any unused or unauthorized SaaS systems, as these pose significant security risks. You’ll also want to analyze how well integrated your SaaS solutions are, and consider alternatives if there are significant gaps that are interrupting your workflows.

Update Your Cloud System with the Latest SaaS Security Recommendations

The next step is to work to improve your cloud security with the latest SaaS security recommendations. Know what the current threats are, why they pose a risk, and how you can better protect your system against them. Having this knowledge will allow you to direct your IT and security teams to your cloud system’s weak points, from checking for misconfigurations to advancing user access limitations.

Clean Up Your Data

Shadow data, or data that’s currently being unused and has no current applicable value, is a security risk for your business. You need to run a tight ship to ensure you know where all your system’s data is and that it’s fully protected from threats (including emerging harvest-and-decrypt-later issues that mean even current encryption methods aren’t enough).

To do this you’ll need to migrate any fragmented databases into a single data warehouse. This will help reduce bloat and even speed up your systems by creating a single source of truth. Add in comprehensive data markup, and you’ll instantly be able to get more out of your automated and AI tools, all while better protecting your own system from threats.

Improve API Performance

APIs are widely used to link cloud-based and legacy systems together. To improve API efficiency and therefore their output, you’ll want to cache when you can, limit payloads, use AI to identify ways to streamline database queries, and work to limit rate limits to avoid abuse.

Other simple solutions include optimizing network connectivity, which can start simply by moving your internet modem so that it’s closer to your computers.
Stay Updated on Evolving Risks and Recommendations

Technology is advancing at breakneck speed, which is why it’s essential to review your existing security and optimization standards every quarter. This is how you’ll ensure your system is secured against the latest threats, and that you’re not only getting the most out of your cloud infrastructure, but also using the best tools available to you at any given time.

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