Google Doubles Down on Cloud Security

Google is advancing the security features for its Cloud customers. The firm today announced a couple of new security features for Google Cloud that will help companies protect their data and customers.

The firm is introducing a new set of context-aware access capabilities that will help firms prevent unauthorized access to data. The feature works by letting admins limit access depending on a user’s location, identity, and other context clues of their request. The feature can, for example, be used to eliminate access when an employee is out of the company space or using an unknown IP for their request. The system takes things much further than just using two-factor authentication, and it’s going to be available for select Google Cloud customers soon. Context-aware access is going to be tremendously useful for firms using Google Cloud Platform APIs, other Cloud services to store data and even G Suite.

Google is announcing a number of other advanced security updates for its Google Cloud platform today. The company is launching its own physical FIDO security key called the Titan Security Key, that can be used to add an extra layer of security to any service. Google has been using physical security keys internally for months, with none of its employees experiencing phishing attacks after the firm moved to use security keys for the past year. The company’s new Titan Security Key works just like other security keys and can be used over Bluetooth or USB. It’s available to Google Cloud customers today, but it will also be available to regular consumers via the Google Store sometime soon.