Cloud compliance standards evolved to address these challenges. Admittedly, it\u2019s become more complex than ever because many locales have established unique data privacy requirements, such as GDPR, NISD, and California\u2019s Consumer Privacy Act. CSPs, however, make it easier to comply with the growing assortment of international, state, and local security regulations, laws, and standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s significant because an organization that doesn\u2019t comply with these standards can face legal hurdles, fines, and other negative ramifications. Cloud providers won\u2019t indemnify SMEs against all data breaches or noncompliance or circumvent every challenge by virtue of an all-inclusive security and privacy halo effect. But they can provide the tools to succeed, in combination with the steps SMEs take to ensure their<\/em> compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This post explores what cloud compliance is, the challenges that organizations might face in practice, and how to remain cloud compliant as the complexities and consequences increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, many SMEs maintain a hybrid infrastructure, and there\u2019s a growing number of cloud-based workplaces. The notion that there\u2019s distinct \u201ccamps\u201d is a false construct. Laws, including HIPAA and PCI DSS, are agnostic to where applications and data reside. However, there are multiple working groups<\/a> developing standards for cloud services. Not every standard is most appropriate for every organization, and SMEs must evaluate the best fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most commonly used standards are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some organizations evaluate their cloud compliance efforts through Service Organization Control Type 2 (SOC 2) reports<\/a>. SOC 2<\/a> certification demonstrates that security and reporting controls are in place to protect data privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This may appear complex, but cloud providers can perform the heavy lifting for SMEs. CSPs are consistently audited and disclose certifications and reports. There\u2019s also pre-built documentation and compliance controls to accommodate sensitive workflows such as Private Health Information (PHI). SMEs are expected to architect their solutions by adhering to the guidance that\u2019s provided. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \n The IT Manager\u2019s Guide to Data Compliance Hygiene <\/p>\n \n How to ace your audit <\/p>\n <\/div>\n Previously, compliance requirements at times prohibited organizations from utilizing cloud services, especially within tightly regulated sectors. Control over infrastructure was the sticking point, but it can be a red herring. The act of doing it yourself doesn\u2019t guarantee better security, but some organizations prefer to retain full ownership of their infrastructure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In that scenario, the entire burden of auditing, reporting, and responsibility for any security incidents falls on the SME (versus the protections CSPs implement and pass downstream to their customers). It\u2019s important to determine what level of control is required and to understand which security controls must be present within each hosting paradigm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a cloud-based environment, the question of who controls the data between the organization and the CSP can be unclear. For example, the company is responsible for the data its employees create in public cloud ecosystems like Amazon Web Services (AWS). However, the cloud service vendor has ultimate control over data management in such an environment. Control isn\u2019t the same as ownership and some legal measures have been established to avoid any doubt over digital ownership in favor of the content creator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This can be reflected in the CSP\u2019s terms of service, stating that the customer retains all intellectual property rights and ownership of data. CSPs may place a hold on data to comply with legal regulations. For example, they could pass the data to government agencies if requested, similar to how a court order would require access to a self-hosted infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In an on-prem environment, security is paramount, especially for organizations with sensitive data, such as banking institutions or healthcare providers. To remain compliant, these organizations may opt for on-prem environments despite the benefits that cloud computing provides. The reasoning is that IT administrators maintain full control over their deployment and maintenance. There are pros and cons to this approach. People aren\u2019t infallible and oversights can occur, irrespective of where apps are being deployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As previously noted, cloud providers undergo intensive audits and have marshaled together considerable resources to ensure CIA for their clients. It\u2019s highly unlikely that an SME would have the funds or capacity to duplicate what a CSP can do in-house. For instance, a SOC reporting necessitates a multi-million dollar investment<\/a> in people and technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mainstream CSPs have adequate segmentation to isolate between cloud tenants and are sufficient for most use cases. Dedicated cloud services have emerged to fill in gaps for when a public cloud might be inadequate for groups such as defense and intelligence agencies. These CSPs adhere to the most stringent security standards for workloads that are subject to a high level of control. These standards are unlikely to involve an SME, but CSP implementations are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most appropriate path for your enterprise, however, always depends on your unique requirements, resources, and what your organization is looking for in a compliance solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compliance with security standards can initially be challenging in a cloud-based setup because organizations must delineate where CSP responsibilities end, and their own obligations begin in a shared responsibility model. This governance failure can open up numerous vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit to attack the organization. It\u2019s no different than team members failing to perform their duties on-premises. As such, organizations that opt for a cloud-based model must conduct due diligence and ensure that the CSP is compliant with different regulatory standards within their industry. Fortunately, CSPs are extremely transparent about compliance, and each has ecosystems of extensive resources to achieve successful cloud implementations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every regulation standard requires organizations and CSPs to provide adequate measures that protect their physical and information assets. However, meeting regulatory standards may be a challenge for organizations for the following reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moving workloads to cloud-based environments means losing some of the controls that IT teams had with the on-prem environment. This is because CSPs may not grant the organization direct access to the shared IT infrastructure stack, allowing many cloud-based workloads to become \u201copaque containers.\u201d This is especially true in multicloud systems where there’s no centralized monitoring solution available by default. For instance, it\u2019s not possible to tap\/SPAN a network to examine a packet dump. Some organizations are compelled to use a third-party solution to supply cloud-related network data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Likewise, an organization may lack visibility into their on-premises architecture or have the required experience to analyze network data and produce findings that are actionable and timely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Managing resources in an on-prem setup is straightforward because the organization assigns the responsibility to in-house IT teams. However, with cloud-based workloads, the responsibility is shared between the organization and the CSP. A CSP is responsible for the security of the cloud<\/em> (facilities, network, hardware) while clients handle configurations in the cloud<\/em>. In the cloud, security controls are necessary for the guest operating system (no different than self-hosted) and applications, in addition to network management and security tools that the CSP provides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The boundaries of security obligations shift on the spectrum between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. The shared responsibility model may create confusion for organizations, especially where IT teams are unsure of their roles within the divided responsibilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cloud computing services allow businesses to operate globally. Under such environments, creating local servers and storage systems that keep confidential data for processing according to data localization and sovereignty standards can be a challenge. CSPs have responded to data residency and sovereignty regulations by associating specific data retention policies with availability regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These laws also apply to self-hosted applications, in which case, an SME might be expected to maintain and operate a local data center. It\u2019s a best practice to always review local laws and regulations prior to deploying services. Companies have cropped up exclusively to help SMEs navigate cloud risk and compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An organization may fail to configure services properly regardless of where their applications reside. For example, IT teams may fail to turn on data encryption or activate multi-factor authentication (MFA)<\/a> to secure local file sharing resources just as easily as they might misconfigure a cloud service. Failure to close a port on a firewall is no different than making the same mistake in the cloud. These oversights can expose the organization\u2019s environment to multiple cybersecurity risks such as data exfiltration, phishing, and ransomware attacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An organization may fail to configure its cloud-based services properly, especially if operating in a multi-cloud environment. Here are some common errors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cloud compliance requirements usually vary depending on the industry you\u2019re operating in and the regulations that guide your business. Nevertheless, cloud compliance management<\/a> is essential. Let\u2019s dive into the issues that you need to put into perspective to ensure cloud compliance, from your data, infrastructure, and apps to users and endpoints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider hiring an external resource to audit your cloud configurations for missteps. In lieu of that step, conduct a self-audit to assess compliance program effectiveness. There are many free online guides and toolkits available for this purpose. Some business events (such as an IPO) will trigger an SOC 2 type audit, so preparation and planning are always recommended. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Compliance isn\u2019t a destination; it\u2019s a process<\/a>. It\u2019s a moving target, especially in IT, where technology evolves rapidly. New laws and regulations\u2014global, federal, state, or local levels\u2014can present challenges that IT teams must address quickly. Virtually every organization now operates under some form of regulation, regardless of the industry, with the most common<\/a> ones being GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. Also, be aware of the relevant data privacy and protection laws that apply to your organization\u2019s data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Standards from organizations such as ISO cover the processing of personal data in the cloud and track against the key objectives of regulators in large markets such as the European Commission. The selection of a CSP is another important aspect of meeting legal obligations, especially if your organization is branching out into other regions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are no constraints that prohibit SMEs from adopting cloud services; CSPs help SMEs ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today\u2019s IT infrastructures have increased in complexity, especially with emerging remote and hybrid workplaces<\/a> that require employees to access enterprise resources through heterogeneous endpoints. For example, many modern IT environments contain Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems (OSs). Accessing IT resources from unmanaged devices introduces attack surface area risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The processes and systems within these environments need to be deployed anywhere across any system while adhering to compliance standards that specify controls such as MFA, vulnerability and patch management<\/a>, and drive encryption. This complexity, coupled with on-demand everywhere access capabilities, complicates the processes of securing distributed workplace environments. Modern device management<\/a> platforms provide cross-OS support to centralize relevant management functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bring-your-own-device (BYOD)<\/a> phenomenon can be valuable and cost-effective IT strategies that an organization can employ. However, they can also adversely affect the best-laid plans if the organization doesn\u2019t implement proper controls. Any disconnect or lack of strategy regarding BYOD could lead to: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mobile device management<\/a> (MDM) can help organizations to establish security baselines to reduce the risk of using employee-owned devices to access company resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Transitioning from on-prem IT infrastructure to cloud-based services provides organizations with the convenience and flexibility to scale their resources as needed, cost-effectively. However, it also changes the scope of compliance and reporting requirements. Fortunately, the entire multi-tenant cloud environment doesn’t fall within the scope of individual audits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The customer environment and the provider-managed environment and processes (the \u201cin the cloud\u201d portion) are subject to audits, and controls are prescribed including penetration testing, network vulnerability scanning, entitlements management, and identity and access management (IAM). Per PCI, \u201cany devices (e.g., physical router on premises, cloud gateway, or peering transit networks, etc.) used to facilitate the connection, is secured and managed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n JumpCloud\u2019s open directory platform helps with compliance, because it extends what\u2019s possible from existing business systems with features such as Zero Trust<\/a> controls, device management, and even reporting for AWS. This helps organizations meet compliance obligations in the cloud, for endpoints and behind the firewall. Some of the capabilities that align with common compliance controls are: <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Is Compliance in the Cloud Different from On-Prem Compliance?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n <\/div>\n Control and Security<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Control<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Security<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Common Cloud Compliance Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lack of Network Visibility<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Challenges with Shared Responsibility<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Data Localization and Sovereignty Issues<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cloud Misconfiguration Challenges<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How To Ensure Cloud Compliance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Auditing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Changing Laws and Regulations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Control Remote and Hybrid Environments <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Manage BYOD<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Using JumpCloud for IT Compliance <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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IT Compliance: As Painless As Enforce, Prove, Repeat.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n