How do you collaborate and communicate with cloud service providers and customers on IA issues?

1 Understand your roles and responsibilities

Before you engage in any cloud service, you should clarify your roles and responsibilities with your cloud provider or customer, and document them in a service level agreement (SLA). The SLA should specify the scope, objectives, and metrics of the service, as well as the division of tasks and accountability for IA. For example, who is responsible for data encryption, backup, and recovery? Who is in charge of patching, monitoring, and auditing? How will you report and resolve any IA incidents or breaches?

2 Establish trust and transparency

Trust and transparency are essential for effective collaboration and communication on IA issues. You should establish trust and transparency with your cloud provider or customer by sharing relevant information, such as your IA goals, strategies, standards, and best practices. You should also verify their IA capabilities and performance, such as their certifications, accreditations, audits, and reviews. You can use third-party tools or frameworks, such as the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) STAR program, to assess and compare the IA level of different cloud providers.

3 Communicate regularly and clearly

Communication is the key to successful collaboration and communication on IA issues. You should communicate regularly and clearly with your cloud provider or customer, using the appropriate channels, formats, and protocols. For example, you should use secure and encrypted email, chat, or video conferencing tools to exchange sensitive or confidential information. You should also use clear and consistent terminology, acronyms, and symbols to avoid confusion or misunderstanding. You should also document and archive your communication records for future reference or evidence.

4 Align your policies and processes

To collaborate and communicate effectively on IA issues, you should align your policies and processes with your cloud provider or customer, as much as possible. This means that you should adopt or adapt to their IA policies and processes, such as their security controls, risk assessment methods, incident response procedures, and compliance requirements. You should also coordinate and harmonize your policies and processes with other cloud users or providers, if you are using or offering a multi-cloud or hybrid cloud service.

5 Monitor and measure your IA performance

To ensure that you are meeting your IA objectives and expectations, you should monitor and measure your IA performance with your cloud provider or customer, using the agreed metrics and indicators. You should also collect and analyze feedback and data from various sources, such as logs, reports, surveys, and audits. You should use these information to evaluate and improve your IA performance, as well as to identify and address any gaps or issues. You should also share and discuss your IA performance results with your cloud provider or customer, and agree on any corrective or preventive actions.

6 Learn and innovate together

Collaboration and communication on IA issues are not only about solving problems, but also about creating opportunities. You should learn and innovate together with your cloud provider or customer, by exploring new ideas, technologies, and solutions for IA. You should also leverage the collective knowledge, experience, and expertise of your cloud community, such as other cloud users or providers, researchers, developers, and industry associations. You should also participate in events, forums, webinars, or publications that showcase the latest trends, best practices, and case studies on IA in cloud computing.