Data has emerged as a goldmine in the digital era, driving innovation and growth across various industries. This substantial asset requires the highest security standards to safeguard its integrity and confidentiality in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
The cloud data security market is projected to reach USD 6.73 billion in 2025, reflecting an increase from the USD 6.02 billion recorded in 2024, and will develop at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.9%, according to The Business Research Company. This growth is attributed to advancements in the Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) domains.
However, escalating concerns over data breaches and the need for compliance with robust data protection regulations are fueling the growth of the market.
As cloud platforms and cloud-native solutions continue to revolutionize global data storage, the future of cloud data is poised for transformative growth, with AI solutions and quantum computing advancing rapidly.
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The Foundation of Modern Technology
Data is the foundation of modern technology and has revolutionized business operations and economies. Its transformative power has led to its surge in recent years, with the global data volume reaching 149 zettabytes in 2024. According to Statista, this volume will grow to 394 zettabytes by 2028, driven by advancements in AI and IoT.
Cloud data platforms have enabled more efficient solutions for storing and managing vast data volumes. Subsequently, the 2024 Data Attack Surface Report projects that cloud data will reach 100 zettabytes in 2025, representing half of the world’s data. This growing transition to the cloud reflects the significance of cloud data security in preventing unauthorized access to personal and enterprise data, as emphasized by Zayan Sadek, Middle East & Africa Service Provider Managing Director at Cisco, in an exclusive interview with Telecom Review.
“In today’s complex and hyper-distributed digital landscape, businesses face an unprecedented level of risk. Expanded connectivity results in more opportunities for cyber criminals to disrupt critical infrastructure and global economies.”
Gartner predicts that over 85% of organizations will implement the cloud-first principle in 2025, while 90% will adopt a hybrid cloud approach by 2027, signifying the increasing cloud data transition.
As we move from traditional computers to the cloud, we are on the edge of welcoming the quantum age, which is expected to mark a significant shift in modern technology. This advancement will lead to the emergence of quantum cloud computing (QCC), enabling remote access to quantum computers.
Driven by advancements in AI and IoT, the global data volume will grow to 394 zettabytes by 2028.
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Cloud Data Challenges
As cloud data continues to grow dramatically, so do cybersecurity threats. According to Fortune Business, the global cloud storage market is projected to reach USD 376.37 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 24.0%. This exponential growth has attracted cybercriminals keen to exploit data for identity theft, financial fraud, and other extortions. This is especially prevalent as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) models become more mainstream. Cloud data protection is essential for SaaS platforms to ensure the security, compliance, and integrity of customer data while maintaining seamless access and scalability.
Expanding on this in relation to telecom in an exclusive interview with Telecom Review, Kamal Nagpal, Head of Sales, Middle East & Africa, Cloud & Network Services (CNS) at Nokia, highlighted that the biggest challenge in securing telco cloud data is the regulation and storage of information.
“Considering that the data linked to a software that is offered ‘as-a-Service’ may not be stored in the country where the service is offered, there is great concern regarding data privacy and security. We still have some way to go before SaaS becomes mainstream in the telco world, but I am confident that we will demystify the concerns of policy makers and companies can then take full advantage of SaaS business models.”
Despite Nagpal’s confident prediction, the industry consensus illustrates the opposite. The risk of cyber data theft has encouraged many organizations to adopt traditional data storage strategies, with the 2024 State of Data Storage survey indicating that 54% of companies prefer central or decentralized data centers over public cloud storage.
Challenges in cybersecurity have been highlighted by a series of incidents that jeopardized the data of millions of users around the world. In 2024, the ‘RockYou2024’ leak exposed nearly 10 billion real-world passwords used globally.
In the same year, an enormous mother of all breaches (MOAB) was discovered, comprising 12 terabytes of information from online platforms, spanning 26 billion records with over 3,800 folders. The leak also contained records from various government organizations, including the United States, Brazil, Germany, the Philippines, and Turkey, making it the largest compilation of multiple breaches (COMB) to date.
Similarly, Telecom company, AT&T, experienced a breach in 2024 whereby cybercriminals stole the data of nearly all its customers, while solutions provider, Cloudflare, mitigated 6.9 million distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, highlighting the persistent cyber threats to enterprises.
Recently, a new ransomware threat referred to as ‘Codefinger’ targeted Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud users by demanding payment for the symmetric AES-256 key cipher required for the data decryption. Halcyon researchers underscored that data recovery may be impossible without the attacker’s key.
With the digital era nearing the quantum age, significant risks to cybersecurity measures loom. The advent of quantum computing is set to make data vulnerable to decryption, with the ‘harvest-now, decrypt later’ trend gaining traction (cybercriminals gather encrypted data for future decryption once quantum computing becomes available).
The exponential growth of cloud storage has attracted cybercriminals keen to exploit data for identity theft, financial fraud, and other extortions.
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Advancements in Cloud Data Security
The emergence of modern technologies, such as AI and automation, has significantly boosted the cloud security infrastructure. Regulatory organizations and major technology players have made substantial developments to enhance data protection and cybersecurity measures in response to these threats.
In August, 2024, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) approved three post-quantum cryptography algorithms, advancing mainstream security strategies. This step was critical in preparing for the quantum computing era, which can break current encryption methods.
In a move to address the requirements of the public and government sectors, Google Cloud launched the Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) in 2024—an air-gapped, disconnected private cloud platform that efficiently manages classified and restricted data. The GDC’s zero trust architecture (ZTA) enhances data protection through regular authentication, preventing threats and safeguarding against chain attacks. In addition, Google announced its support for hybrid post-quantum key exchange, strengthening the security of Chrome users.
Global cybersecurity leader, Fortinet, introduced the FortiDLP—a cutting-edge data loss prevention (DLP) and insider risk management solution that enables efficient data security management, enhanced data protection, and improved visibility of insider threats, particularly in large enterprises. Shadi Khuffash, Senior Director for the South Middle East, recently demystified Fortinet’s four-fold journey to safeguarding the global cloud landscape, which includes addressing transition and migration, visibility and control, identity and access management, and the skills gap.
“Moving from a traditional data center on-premises solution to the cloud needs a completely new mindset; things have to be looked at from a regulatory perspective. For example, ‘Are we compliant with both international regulation or local regulations?’ These are the questions that service providers need to ask, and, depending on the data, will need to adapt and migrate.”
Recently, Microsoft launched its Quantum Ready program to safeguard the digital landscape against the looming threats of quantum computing. This initiative offers skilling and training opportunities for enterprises and governments to provide more insight and guidance on the impact of quantum computing. Microsoft also unveiled new encryption algorithms designed to counter quantum computer attacks.
Moreover, IBM started integrating post-quantum cryptography into its products, including IBM z16 and IBM Cloud. IBM has also integrated generative AI (GenAI) solutions into the cloud and utilizes the latest cryptography technologies to enhance data protection.
The emergence of modern technologies, such as AI and automation, has significantly boosted the cloud security infrastructure.
Read More: Navigating the Quantum Landscape: From Cloud Computing to AI and Beyond
Final Thoughts
Emerging technologies, such as AI and ML, and the growing cybersecurity challenges will shape the future of cloud data privacy. The advent of AI-driven security measures, quantum-resistant cryptography, and innovative encryption strategies will drive new possibilities to safeguard global data.
With data exploitation becoming a global concern, it is crucial to find the balance between innovation and privacy. Organizations must prioritize enhancing cloud data security to protect this critical asset against impending threats in the digital landscape.
The journey towards securing a digital future may be challenging; however, it is evident that more advanced, innovative solutions are emerging to combat these evolving risks and threats.
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