Cloud Security Implementation

Task: Hardening an Azure Environment for Compliance and Resilience

By Reynold W. Obuyekha
M.S. Cybersecurity, 2025

Modern cloud environments offer scalability and flexibility - but without the right security controls, they can also introduce serious risk. In this project, I conducted a full security evaluation and remediation of a cloud infrastructure hosted in Microsoft Azure, focusing on encryption, access control, backup configuration, and regulatory compliance.

Issues Identified During the Assessment

The initial cloud environment revealed several high-risk misconfigurations:

• -  No encryption enabled for key virtual networks and storage resources.
• -  Backups were not configured, posing data loss risks during outages or attacks.
• -  Users had broad access across departments, violating the principle of least privilege.
• -  No recent vulnerability assessments had been conducted - despite regulatory requirements.

These gaps made the environment noncompliant with major frameworks including FISMA, PCI DSS, and NIST SP 800-53, which are critical for organizations handling sensitive or regulated data.

Solutions: Remediation and Secure Cloud Design

To bring the environment into compliance and strengthen its security posture, I implemented the following:

• -  Azure IaaS Architecture to centralize control over virtual machines, networking, and storage.
• -  Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to restrict users to only the resources their role requires.
• -  Key Vault Management to enforce data-at-rest and in-transit encryption, with strict access policies.
• -  Centralized Backup Policies with defined RPO/RTO objectives and daily backup schedules.
• -  Public access disabled on key resources to reduce external attack surfaces.

Alignment with Regulatory Standards

The secure redesign was guided by:

• -  NIST SP 800-53: Implemented control families related to access control, audit logging, and contingency planning.
• -  FISMA: Improved continuous monitoring and defined ownership for cloud responsibilities.
• -  PCI DSS: Enforced encryption, access controls, and logging for systems handling sensitive data.

Threats Addressed

Several emerging threats were proactively mitigated:

• -  Misconfiguration risks addressed through automation and Azure policy enforcement.
• -  Insider threats mitigated via RBAC, auditing, and user awareness training.
• -  Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) considered through proactive detection and threat intelligence strategies.

Key Takeaways

Cloud security is more than just turning on services - it's about strategic configuration, shared responsibility, and ongoing compliance. This project helped transform a vulnerable environment into a secure, audit-ready, and resilient cloud platform capable of supporting future growth and regulatory needs.