Achieve Compliance and Security in Your Linux Estate

Security and compliance in Linux are fundamental requirements for business-critical systems. Enterprises face increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks and a constantly evolving threat landscape.

To safeguard sensitive data and ensure regulatory compliance, securing all Linux systems—whether they host mission-critical workloads or not—has become a top priority. As businesses adopt multi-cloud, hybrid and containerized infrastructures, they should also evaluate their security postures to defend against an expanding attack surface.

With this in mind, enterprises must understand the core security considerations for Linux estates, the regulatory demands their systems must meet, and how to best secure these complex environments.

Regulatory and Compliance Requirements

Meeting the demands of data security regulations has never been more crucial. Global standards and regional regulations impose strict requirements on how businesses store and protect sensitive data. Failing to comply with these regulations can result in significant fines, legal repercussions and reputational damage.

To avoid these consequences, enterprises must align their Linux infrastructure with industry-standard compliance frameworks. For example, certifications like Common Criteria and FIPS demonstrate that a secure Linux distro has undergone rigorous testing and meets stringent security requirements. Especially in highly regulated industries, selecting a Linux distribution that adheres to these standards is a must.

Certifications and regular audits not only prove that your systems meet compliance standards but also reassure customers, partners and regulators that your business takes security seriously.

Security Across Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Environments

As organizations increasingly adopt hybrid and multi-cloud strategies, securing these distributed environments poses new challenges. Enterprises must protect their data across multiple infrastructures—whether it’s on-premises, in the cloud or in a containerized application. This requires consistent Linux server security measures across all platforms.

Key considerations for securing hybrid and multi-cloud environments include encryption of data in use, at rest, and in transit, as well as ensuring that data sovereignty and privacy requirements are met. For example, data encryption and robust key management practices are essential to protecting sensitive information, no matter where it’s stored or transmitted.

In addition, confidential computing can significantly enhance security by protecting sensitive data during processing. This technology ensures that data remains encrypted, even while it’s being actively used, adding an extra layer of protection in multi-cloud and hybrid environments.

Cloud native workloads, such as containerized applications, require specialized security measures. Implementing container security best practices, such as container image scanning and Kubernetes security policies, helps enterprises mitigate risks while maintaining agility. However, these measures also require a reliable Linux container host built on an enterprise Linux distribution, certified to meet industry standards for security and compliance. A certified enterprise Linux not only provides stability and performance but also ensures a complete, secure software supply chain throughout the IT infrastructure, reducing vulnerabilities and safeguarding critical workloads. 

Moreover, when running containers in remote sites, the latest enterprise Linux offerings, featuring an immutable OS with transactional updates and full rollback capabilities, ensure that massive outages, like those seen in recent events, become a thing of the past, providing even greater resilience and reliability; see “Massive Outage Highlights Need for Resilient Operating System.”

Evaluating Security & Compliance Capabilities in Linux Solutions

When evaluating a secure Linux solution, enterprises should look for several key factors: 

• Security Certifications: An enterprise-grade Linux distribution, like SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), often comes with certifications that ensure the highest levels of security, such as Common Criteria EAL4+.
• Linux Patch Management: Patching capabilities should be robust, providing features like live patching to minimize downtime and reduce exposure to vulnerabilities.
• Secure Software Supply Chain: By selecting a Linux solution that is built over a evaluated Secure Software Supply Chain, businesses can reduce risks associated with third-party software, enhancing both security and compliance, streamlining SBOM.

It’s important to distinguish between free upstream Linux distributions and enterprise-grade Linux solutions. While free distributions can be appealing due to their low cost, they often lack the security features, support and compliance guarantees required by large enterprises. Enterprise Linux solutions, on the other hand, provide the peace of mind that comes with dedicated security teams, continuous updates and compliance certifications.

SUSE’s Solutions for Linux Server Security

When it comes to meeting your enterprise’s security and compliance needs, SUSE offers a comprehensive suite of Linux solutions. 

As a secure Linux distro, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server provides enterprise-grade security, enabling organizations to protect their infrastructure and reduce risk. These capabilities contribute to SLES’ robust security posture:

• Enterprise-Grade Security Certifications: SLES is certified to meet the highest security standards, including Common Criteria EAL4+.
• Curated Secure Software Supply Chain: SUSE offers a verified software supply chain, reducing risks from untrusted third-party code and ensuring compliance across your Linux estate.
• Comprehensive Multi-Cloud Security: SUSE’s solutions support hybrid and multi-cloud environments, providing consistent security and compliance measures, such as data encryption and regulatory adherence.
• Regulatory Compliance with SLES: SUSE assists organizations in meeting critical compliance requirements. By leveraging expert services, certified solutions and comprehensive documentation, enterprises can ensure they remain compliant and minimize regulatory risks.

SUSE multi-linux management solution, SUSE Manager, provides automated Linux management tools that augment the security of all Linux distros, not just SLES. SUSE Manager automatically applies security patches as they are released, addressing vulnerabilities without interrupting critical operations. This helps maintain uptime while ensuring continuous security and IT efficiency.

These SUSE solutions strengthen security and compliance while also lightening the load on internal security and compliance teams. In a recent white paper titled “The Business Value of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Manager,” IT market research firm IDC found that enterprises increased the efficiency of their security teams by 26% with SUSE Linux.* SUSE’s security resources, support, centralized management and live patching contributed to security teams’ efficiency gains.

Similarly, IDC found that after adopting SUSE Linux solutions, “compliance teams could more easily demonstrate that their organizations met complex regulatory requirements with a more resilient Linux environment.”* With SUSE Linux, enterprises had 47% more productive compliance teams, according to IDC’s research.*

One energy organization told IDC: “SUSE is highly secure. My organization hires external companies to do pen tests and vulnerability analysis. We have not had a single issue. SUSE updates and patches are very robust. It was designed with the purpose of being secure.”*

Securing the Future of Your Linux Infrastructure

In today’s complex IT landscape, security and compliance are critical components of a successful Linux strategy. Enterprises must prioritize these aspects to protect their systems, ensure regulatory adherence and reduce risks.

With SUSE Linux solutions, businesses can confidently secure their entire Linux estate, from on-premises to cloud environments. 

Download the IDC white paper to learn more about the security benefits of using SLES and SUSE Manager. 

Get in touch to discover how SUSE can help your organization safeguard its future.

* IDC Business Value White Paper, sponsored by SUSE, The Business Value of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Manager, August 2024 | IDC #US52392824