Any company needs security to protect its assets and its competitive edge. These days, that means web security. After all, major companies of all kinds exist and do business online, and even small brick-and-mortar shops rely on their internet presence to lure in new customers and develop their brand.
However, no type of company has more to lose from a cybersecurity break than a technology company. In such a fast-moving space, the latest apps and developments can be worth millions — and the bad guys after them will do everything they can to break through cybersecurity measures.
When discussing tech companies and cybersecurity in 2018, the focus is container security. This is because containers have become essential development tools for technology companies of all kinds. Here’s what you need to know about container security.
What are containers?
First things first: what are containers? While you might be picturing shipping containers or any other sort of physical containers, this is not particularly accurate. Rather, what is meant is containing things digitally. Containers in cybersecurity terms reference something akin to virtual machines.
A container isn’t the same as a virtual machine, but it’s quite similar in some ways. It has its own network resources, so it can work in relative isolation. This isn’t quite the same as a virtual machine. A virtual machine emulates hardware; containers virtualize operating systems instead.
Containers are much more lightweight than virtual machines because they can all use the same kernel and don’t have to duplicate their efforts in the same way that individual virtual machines would. But like virtual machines, they allow developers to isolate their work, making it easy to observe and measure things without fear of interference from other applications.
Of course, a container only works if it contains things. And for tech companies working on highly sensitive things, it’s essential to keep containers one hundred percent secure.
What you need to know about container security
Containers represent great opportunities for companies and developers, but they also offer opportunities for hackers. Putting a container in the cloud can make it easy for developers to work from various locations and observe the same isolated results from anywhere. But moving to the cloud always means new security concerns, and that’s as true as ever with cloud containers.
Containers isolate their own little operating environments, but they need to be defended in the same way that larger computer systems have to be. That means firewalls, application-tailored defenses, and more, say the experts behind container security company Twistlock.
However, each tech companies doesn’t have to develop its own individual container defense strategy. Cybersecurity firms are already on it, offering scalable cybersecurity platforms tailored to the needs of companies using containers. This means that using containers can be as safe as it is convenient for both companies and developers.