Security and compliance on the cloud.
Security and compliance on the cloud refer to the amount of inbuilt security within the cloud infrastructure and the level to which it complies with user needs.
More specially, cloud security is a collection of processes and technologies that combat external and internal threats. Most organizations will have some form of security, whether it's inbuilt into the product itself or whether it sits external to the product. The security essentially refers to cloud protection.
Cloud compliance ensures that any and all cloud computing services meet legal requirements for product or service compliance. This is to protect users who engage with your cloud services and products in case of a data breach or attack, which could leave them vulnerable. Data transference, storage, backups, retrievals, data access and other ways in which data can be tracked or monitored are looked at here. These form the functions of formal departments that make decisions, monitor, govern and audit these procedures.
The degree to which this happens depends on your service or product category, but any information or customer agreement will have some form of legal compliance agreement that a customer enters into with the organization in question.
Why would you want security and compliance on a cloud service?
With the increasing risks of cyber-attacks and data breaches, it is essential for an organization to have a process that enforces the security and compliance of its services. Not only does this ensure that any product or service it creates is legally able to operate, but it also protects the longevity, performance and usability of the product.
Essentially, although security increases the size of a cloud service, the value it gives in return, in terms of customer assurance, value add, protection, recovery time and cost, legal compliance and detection capabilities, means having a security process is far more valuable than not having one.
How does security and compliance on the cloud work?
Security and compliance monitoring should be used to:
- Identify the critical requirements and standards relevant to any services provided, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS.
- Set up a cloud infrastructure that supports security and compliance, such as secure data centers, encryption, and access controls.
- Establish clear procedures and protocols, such as regular security assessments, incident response plans, and compliance audits.
- Use data analytics and machine learning to identify potential security risks and threats and to optimize our security and compliance processes accordingly.
- Use cloud-native tools and services to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the security and compliance processes.
- Use feedback and input from stakeholders to improve the security and compliance process continuously.
- Train and educate all stakeholders on the security and compliance process and best practices.
- Establish a process for managing security incidents and breaches to ensure we can respond quickly and effectively.
- Use collaboration and communication tools to ensure all stakeholders are aligned on security and compliance requirements and timelines.
- Continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the security and compliance process, and make improvements as needed.
The value of security and compliance on cloud
Being caught with a cyber attack or data breach is bad for any organization for chiefly two reasons. The first ruins the product by introducing glitches and bugs, which are expensive and time-consuming to remove, and disrupting live users. The second involves legal ramifications around data protection and lack of proper security protocols, which can result in significant damage claims.
A well-tested and strengthened security process can protect an organization’s assets, reputation and legal standing in the case of successful data breaches or hacking attempts. If the system is in place, the ability to recover or even block these attempts completely is greatly increased.
Main advantages of security and compliance on the cloud
- Helps ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and systems
- Facilitates compliance with security regulations and standards
- Helps prevent security breaches and data loss
- Enables effective data backup and disaster recovery
- Enhances overall security posture of the organization
- Helps maintain customer trust and loyalty.
A common user story
“As a Product Manager, we want to create a security and compliance process for cloud services to ensure that our services are secure, compliant with relevant regulations and standards, and meet the security needs of our customers. By identifying critical security and compliance requirements and standards, setting up a cloud infrastructure that supports security and compliance, establishing clear procedures and protocols for ensuring security and compliance, and using data analytics and machine learning to identify potential security risks and threats, we can maintain the trust of our customers, safely and securely drive business growth and success.”
Any questions?
Contact us and we will be happy to help