How can you establish effective cloud governance policies?

What delivers consistently good results is the mix of using technology for doing assessments combined with maturity assessments against a leading framework (we use Deloitte’s cloud security maturity framework but others exist as well). The maturity assessment gives a spider for maturity of the different domains which we then adjust based upon the technical assessment which we then again adjust after an architecture review against a well architected framework. Only doing one or two of these steps limits the ability to identify improvement areas.

a)No changes without impact assessment. Model tools to identify attack paths in cloud and changes. b)Access to any resource in cloud should follow the zerotrust principles. Continous validate. c) Out of trend access should be flagged as anomalies. d)Use cloud native tools to segment out application groups. e) Microsegment d) Encrypt all structred and unstructured data. We can build in control list but a centralized monitoring to find the gaps from these baseline through CSPM, CWPP and other tools to be used and the gaps auto remediated which appears to be risk. Build controls to protect applications,workloads, data and have monitoring controls through next generation SIEM for predictive analysis followed by auto remediation.

Knowing what is being protected is the most efficient way to achieve success. Many market frameworks list as a key item the identification of assets, their owners, and the risks related to them. In a cloud environment, these principles are not much different. The possibilities are greater, especially in a world where the concept of multicloud has become increasingly prevalent. Understanding the role of each element and how they interrelate will bring greater clarity in establishing processes, limits, and responsibilities in increasingly complex and interconnected environments. The needs of business areas have been growing larger and with tighter deadlines, significantly increasing the risk.

Based on the diverse perspectives shared here, it's clear that effective cloud governance requires a comprehensive approach. Effective cloud governance demands a continuous, adaptive approach. Regularly assessing your cloud environment shifts focus from reacting to issues to proactively mitigating risks, essential for robust security and optimal performance. Utilizing a variety of tools enhances this process. For instance, CSPM can identify security vulnerabilities, Cisco Tetration offers network insights, and CloudHealth helps manage costs. This multifaceted strategy ensures a thorough understanding of your cloud's current state, crucial for developing effective governance policies.

It requires effective governance, like a sheriff taming a town. - Know your land: Assess your cloud assets, usage, and vulnerabilities. This is your map. ? - Define the law: Set clear policies for security, cost, and compliance. These are your rules. - Form your posse: Assign roles and responsibilities for managing your cloud. This is your team. - Enforce law: Use tools and training to ensure everyone follows the rules. - Adapt: Regularly review and update your policies as the cloud evolves. - Tech: Leverage automation and AI to manage your cloud effectively. By following these steps, we can transform our cloud to secure, and profitable asset.

Some of the objectives to consider: 1) Define the policies to what it should be, than to what it is. Many times, the policies are written based on the current processes, controls and organization. Its important when defining a policy to also take an objective view and set the tone on how the firm should operate.

Define Clear Objectives and Principles: Start by defining what you want to achieve with your cloud governance policies. This might include cost control, security, compliance with laws and regulations, operational efficiency, or risk management.

Estruturadamente eu sugiro iniciando com quest?es simples como: - Como acessar a nuvem com eficiência? - Como fazê-lo com seguran?a? - e como extrair o máximo de recursos. A governan?a em nuvem facilita o gerenciamento de recursos, diminui os riscos inerentes à atividade de TI e reduz o trabalho (e, principalmente, o retrabalho).

To ensure that your cloud governance remains relevant and effective in a landscape that's constantly shifting, I would argue for a more adaptive, fluid approach. In the rapidly evolving cloud landscape, rigid objectives and fixed principles might limit an organization's ability to respond to new challenges and opportunities. So, instead of strict time-bound and specific objectives, consider setting broader, adaptable goals. For example, rather than a fixed target for cost reduction or uptime, aim for continuous improvement in these areas. Also, principles should be viewed as evolving guidelines rather than unchangeable rules. As new technologies and practices emerge, these principles should be re-evaluated and updated.

Missing from here is the defining who the customer and the audience for the output is. In other words who do report to, and who holds you responsible. A compliance regime, internal policy or team implemented best practices all have different objectives and principles, even if the core items overlap. For example best practices may have superseded compliance requirements, but if your are reporting to a government agency, you will need to take that into account

Establishing roles and responsibilities in cloud governance is crucial for effective management. The use of a RACI matrix to delineate accountability, responsibility, consultation, and information roles provides a clear and structured way to manage complex cloud environments. I'll only add a few things: 1. Incorporate ongoing training and development programs for all stakeholders. 2. Implement feedback channels to allow for continuous improvement. 3. Regularly review the RACI matrix and the effectiveness of role definitions. 4. Encourage cross-functional teams or committees, especially for overlapping areas like security and compliance. This fosters a more holistic approach to cloud governance and breaks down silos.

I view this from the perspective of having a well defined Cloud Center of Excellence. This is pivotal in the successful execution of proper governance as it ensures that accountability and ownership trickles down to the respective stakeholders.

Establishing clear roles and responsibilities is essential for a proactive defense strategy. Roles may include cybersecurity analysts, incident response teams, and compliance officers, each responsible for distinct aspects of security. Defined responsibilities encompass threat monitoring, policy enforcement, and incident resolution. When roles are well-defined, there's cohesive alignment in implementing security measures, incident management, and compliance adherence. This fosters a proactive approach to cyber defense, ensuring comprehensive protection of critical assets and sustained resilience against evolving threats.

Define clear objectives, form a cross-functional team, assess risks, develop concise policies for access, security, and cost, implement robust controls, monitor and audit regularly, provide training, and continually improve for effective cloud governance.

Assign RACIs, train all stakeholders and conduct testing exercises to ensure all stakeholders understand and abide by their roles. Set a frequency for review. Does the stakeholders list need to be modified due to organizational or any other changes?

One thing I've found helpful is applying a layered approach when developing cloud governance policies. For instance, in a recent project, we started with essential, mandatory policies for data security as the foundation. Then, we added a second layer of optional guidelines that departments could adapt to their specific needs, ensuring operational flexibility. We also integrated global standards for consistency while accommodating regional variations to meet local compliance. This multi-layered strategy proved effective, ensuring a solid governance foundation with the necessary flexibility and compliance.

I have found that a GRC platform is a great place to keep all of these policies and standards - for both your company and auditors who ask to see them. Sit the auditor down at a PC and let them rifle through the (hopefully) large number that cover the gamut.

In cloud security, policy and standards development is critical. Policies outline guidelines for data encryption, access control, and incident response specific to cloud environments. Security standards set the expected practices for secure cloud adoption, covering aspects like data protection, authentication mechanisms, and compliance requirements. Well-crafted policies and standards facilitate consistent security practices, regulatory compliance, and risk management in cloud environments, ultimately bolstering the integrity and resilience of cloud-based systems and data.

Here are some tips for developing effective cloud governance policies and standards: ==> Involve stakeholders: Get input from key stakeholders across different departments, including IT, security, finance, & legal, to ensure broad buy-in and address diverse needs. ==> Start small and iterate: Don't try to build everything at once. Start with a few key policies & gradually expand your framework as you mature your cloud governance practices. ==> Document everything: Maintain clear & up-to-date documentation of your cloud governance policies and standards for easy reference and audit purposes. ==>Use technology: Leverage cloud management platforms & other tools to automate tasks, enforce policies & gain insights into your cloud environment.

Con relación al negocio, en mi opinión es importante incorporar políticas de gestión de riesgos y continuidad del negocio. Esto ayudará a mitigar los riesgos asociados con interrupciones en la nube y garantizar la disponibilidad y la integridad de los servicios críticos para la organización.

The successful execution of policies and standards necessitates collaborative efforts among all pertinent stakeholders. Cloud policy engines play a crucial role in automating governance policies across the entire cloud infrastructure. This, in turn, leads to cloud configuration management, ensuring a standardized configuration for all cloud resources used within an organization, thereby minimizing the risk of misconfigurations. To maximize the effectiveness of these measures, it is essential to provide training and support to the team responsible for policy implementation. Additionally, a commitment to continuous improvement based on evolving organizational needs and lessons learned is imperative.

Cloud policy engines play a central role in enforcing governance rules by automating the evaluation of policies across the cloud environment. For example, a governance policy may mandate that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data. A cloud policy engine would continuously assess user permissions and flag any deviations from this rule, enabling real-time compliance monitoring. And the implementation phase involves deploying a combination of policy enforcement and monitoring tools to ensure that governance standards are consistently applied and adhered to across the cloud infrastructure.

Ter um SOC proativo, um time especializado para analisar os alertas, seja de qual tipo for, facilita o dia a dia e torna a governan?a ativa e o ambiente seguro, baseando essas a??es e monitoramentos sempre na política e padr?es.

After you've established your standards and policies for cloud governance, We have to apply them to your entire cloud infrastructure with the use of tools like automation, configuration management, and cloud policy engines. Policies can be regularly enforced and monitored with the help of these technologies. To further aid in the timely detection and correction of problems, make use of cloud dashboards, reports, and alerts to monitor governance performance and compliance in real-time. The cloud infrastructure is kept secure, compliant, and well-managed thanks to its thorough installation and continuous monitoring.

It's not enough having policy defined if they're not implemented. I have seen many organisations with corporate policies on paper without any technical or management control to enforce implementation and compliance. Without a robust GRC engine like that offered on Azure/AWS, corporates may find that policies may only remain as good as they are on papers.

Cloud technology is getting used more and more by businesses and organisations to shift from offline to the digital world allowing them to connect with more and more potential people and increase connectivity amongst the online community. However, Security of the cloud is also needed to be considered in this contemporary digital world due to the rising of cyberattacks. As a result, cloud governance,which includes setting up security policies and aligning with industry standards, plays an important factor to secure the cloud environment. Nevertheless, cloud governance requires policy and standard management framework and needs to be reviewed and evaluated periodically and to be updated whenever required!! That's all folks!! Thank you

En mi experiencia, es recomendable establecer un proceso de retroalimentación y colaboración con los usuarios y las partes interesadas para recopilar comentarios y sugerencias. Esto permitirá una mejora continua de las políticas y estándares de gobernanza de la nube, asegurando que sigan siendo relevantes y efectivos en un entorno en constante evolución.

One thing I found helpful is to embrace AI for agile cloud governance, staying agile is key. Regularly review and update your policies to align with evolving business needs and tech advancements. Utilize AI as an essential ally in this process. AI tools can efficiently analyze data trends, predict potential compliance issues, and offer insights for optimization. Schedule periodic audits and assessments, incorporating AI-driven analytics to identify gaps and opportunities. This proactive approach ensures your cloud governance remains effective, secure, and compliant, adapting seamlessly to the dynamic tech landscape.

Periodic reviews of cloud governance policies and standards are essential to ensure their continued relevance and effectiveness. This iterative approach accommodates changes in business needs, advancements in cloud capabilities, shifting regulatory requirements, and valuable input from stakeholders. For example; where a company initially adopts a cloud governance policy focused on cost optimization. Over time, as the business expands and technology evolves, the organization may realize the need to prioritize data security more prominently. Periodic review allows stakeholders to identify this shift and modify governance policies accordingly. This adaptability ensures that cloud governance remains aligned with the organization's goals.

Solicit feedback from cloud users and stakeholders regularly. Collaborate with different teams to understand their challenges and needs. This collaborative approach ensures that governance policies reflect the practical realities and expectations of those using the cloud resources.

Why is establishing effective cloud governance policies important? This is because effective governance helps organizations optimize their cloud infrastructure, control costs, and enhance overall performance. This can overall provide a framework for managing access, data integrity, and compliance with regulatory requirements. Implementing this can help organizations can mitigate risk in multiple sectors such as finance, security and much more. At the end of the day this can help streamline operations, and create a culture of accountability amongst employees.

- Consider Continuous Monitoring - Reflect Business Evolution - Training and Skill Development - Collaboration and Communication - Third-Party Assessments - Incident Response Plans

Bien rédigé et très informatif. Généraliste, il aurait besoin de plus d'exemples concrets et de mise en situation, surtout pour la mise en oeuvre et applications des normes. Aussi, préciser à qui il s'adresse, aux TI ou autres Administrateurs. Merci

En mi experiencia resalto la importancia de integrar los principios de la ISO 27017 al dise?ar políticas de gobernanza en la nube. Esto implica abordar aspectos clave como clasificación de datos, evaluaciones de riesgos específicas para la nube, controles de acceso basados en la norma, requisitos de cifrado y establecimiento de políticas para auditorías, monitoreo, gestión de cambios, respuesta a incidentes y continuidad del negocio. Al respaldar estas políticas con la ISO 27017, no solo se fortalece la seguridad, sino que también se establece un marco reconocido internacionalmente, mejorando significativamente la gobernanza en entornos de nube.

Consider regularly auditing and monitoring your cloud environment, ensuring compliance with industry regulations, conducting employee training on security protocols, and having a response plan in case of security incidents. Regularly assess and adapt your cloud governance policies to evolving technologies and potential threats.