NexRev Freedom, data protection, and the cloud

If you’re reading this blog, you’re likely already aware of our NexRev Freedom product, which delivers enhanced energy and building management from the cloud. NexRev Freedom lets you access state-of-the-art EMS/BMS functionality through a software-as-a-service deployment model.

With that brief introduction behind us, however, our purpose in this blog isn’t to go down the familiar path of talking about building management software or NexRev Freedom itself. You’ll find plenty of other blogs on this page that do just that. It’s also not to  discuss the advantages of software-as-a-service compared to in-house data center deployment approaches for enterprise software.

Instead, in this blog, we’ll focus on the often-raised security and data protection issues, which are almost always the first to be raised when cloud-based service architectures are under consideration.

A short survey of the Azure landscape

First, though, an introduction to the landscape we’re considering. NexRev Freedom sits in Microsoft’s Azure cloud, the company’s cloud computing platform. Azure  offers services that enable enterprises to build, deploy, and manage their  applications and services using Microsoft's global network of data centers. Its services include:

• Computing
• Storage
• Databases
• Networking
• Artificial Intelligence
• Internet of Things (IoT)

There are plenty of good reasons why the Azure platform makes sense for hosting NexRev Freedom. Among the foremost are:

• Azure’s global network of data centers spread across the world enable low-latency access to services with high availability and redundancy.
• Compute options include Virtual Machines (VMs) that provide flexible computing power, App Services for web applications, Azure Functions for serverless computing, and more.
• A broad range of storage options, from unstructured data to file sharing in the cloud to disk for persistent VM storage.
• Managed database services such as Azure SQL Database, Cosmos DB (NoSQL), Azure Database for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and others, mean it’s easier to deploy, manage, and scale databases.
• AI and machine learning services, including Azure Machine Learning, Cognitive Services, and Bot Services, enable your developers to build intelligent applications.
• Azure’s IoT Suite enables connections, monitoring, and management of IoT devices at scale.

…and  many more in areas like networking, hybrid solution deployment, DevOps integration, and beyond. But for our purposes specifically, the advantages also include Identity and access management, and security and compliance. Now, we will redirect our focus towards those specific areas.

Security and the Azure cloud

As we mentioned earlier,  security concerns are still invariably the first flag raised in almost any discussion or evaluation of software-as-a-service deployments.  However, a brief overview of Azure cloud security’s crucial aspects will help to explain how those concerns are being addressed by today’s technology.

1. Data Encryption: Azure provides encryption at rest and in transit to safeguard data. Data stored in Azure services such as Azure Storage, Azure SQL Database, or Azure Cosmos DB is automatically encrypted. Plus, data sent between Azure services and clients is encrypted using industry-standard protocols such as TLS.

2. Identity and Access Management: Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) acts as the central identity and access management service for Azure. AAD offers multi-factor authentication (MFA), conditional access policies, and role-based access control (RBAC), which makes sure only authorized users can access resources.

3. Network Security: Azure Virtual Network (VNet) enables users to create private and isolated network environments. Network Security Groups (NSGs) enable control of inbound and outbound traffic with security rules. Azure Application Gateway and Web Application Firewall (WAF) protect web applications against common web exploits and vulnerabilities.

4. Threat Detection: Azure Security Center acts as a unified security management and monitoring service that provides threat detection, incident response, and continuous monitoring across Azure resources. It provides insights into security posture and recommendations for improving security and integrates with third-party security solutions.

5. Compliance and Certifications: Azure adheres to numerous industry standards and compliance frameworks, such as ISO 27001, SOC 1, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and more. Microsoft undergoes regular third-party audits to validate compliance with these standards.

6. DDoS Protection: DDoS Protection within Azure provides a barrier against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. It automatically detects and mitigates malicious traffic.

7. Data Resiliency: Azure provides data redundancy and replication for data resiliency and disaster recovery.

Summary

The bottom line: deploying NexRev Freedom in the Azure Cloud means you can be confident that security concerns have been addressed.  If you want to learn more, then the official Azure documentation and security resources^[1] are worth visiting for the most up-to-date information on Azure cloud security.

At NexRev, we’ve been unlocking the power of facility and energy management data with over a million connected devices across North America. Our team of experts is focused on helping you deliver more with your budgets, infrastructure, and assets to create sustainable savings in operations and energy, reducing your risk and increasing operational confidence.

To begin a discussion on how we can help you reduce energy waste, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

^[1] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/?product=security