The Ultimate Guide to Performing Cloud Audits

Cloud computing is the availability of computing resources and services on-demand with a software delivery model. The need for expensive infrastructure or active management personnel for infrastructure management is hence eliminated. With cloud computing, you pay for only the services and resources you use with a SaaS business model. Given the imminent move of all business processes to the Cloud, it is essential to ensure that the cloud computing processes within your organization are well-suited to your requirements and take data privacy and reliability into account. One of the most pressing issues faced by any company that uses a cloud service provider is security, whether to protect against threats from within or foreign entities trying to gain access from within. Knowledge is power when it comes to defending your data. Here’s everything you need to know about performing a cloud audit to make sure that your business is well-protected against threats and highly efficient in terms of operations.

Cloud Audits: Introduction

Audit refers to an independent assessment of standard business procedures using verifiable evidence to ensure that they meet the necessary compliance requirements. By extension, Cloud Audit refers to an audit of an organization’s cloud computing presence to ensure data privacy and business performance in the long term. The Audits may include checking data integrity and accuracy and reviewing company records and procedures to make sure they are in line with laws and regulations. It is common for cloud service providers such as Amazon Web services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure to help their users meet cloud compliance requirements by making it relatively easy to enable controls that auditors generally look for. But it is necessary to your business that the audits are performed in a fair and just way to ensure that they can determine the points of failure within your cloud strategy. Audits are usually done yearly and can help you identify any changes that need to be made to improve the integrity and ingenuity of your business. In a cloud audit, the auditor may follow a permutation of these steps to form a report of the cloud architecture and operations within the organization:

1. Effectiveness of Communication
2. Security Events
3. Core Network Security
4. Risk Mitigation
5. Data Governance
6. Executive commitment towards ethics
7. System Development
8. Physical Access Management

Types of Cloud Audit

Cloud audits have become a standard procedure within most organizations. Organizations can perform cloud audits to either meet security compliance guidelines or make sure that you realize the true potential of all your resources. No matter the type, defining a strategic plan is key to performing a successful cloud audit. It is also necessary to encourage communication about the cloud environment within the organization.

There are different types of Cloud audits such as SOC 1 and SOC 2 reporting, PCI, HITRUST, and FedRAMP. However, it would help if you considered your organization’s needs before you decide to pick a cloud auditing standard.

The type of approach taken while performing a cloud audit is also a vital factor. The types of cloud audit approaches are also listed below:

1. Risk assessment
2. Service provider compliance
3. Business continuity
4. Compliance
5. Data encryption
6. public cloud

Why you must invest in Cloud Audits

Many businesses are negligent when it comes to monitoring fluctuating costs or unmanaged expenses. Your cloud environment hosts some of the critical aspects of your business, from customer data or future roadmaps to business processes. By performing a cloud audit at regular intervals, you can understand your cloud environment in a much better way and optimize it well while focussing on both assets and spending. Given that the cloud computing industry is relatively new and evolving fast, it is generally hard for regulators to keep up with the pace of innovation in the cloud space, which is usually why meeting regulatory compliance isn’t enough to protect your business against breaches. It is better to be safe than sorry. Hence, a company must leave no stone unturned to find vulnerabilities when performing a cloud audit.

Cloud Audits: Checklist

The following checklist will be helpful and serve you with a better understanding of cloud audits:

1. Security: Security is one of the most important factors to be considered while performing a cloud audit. Failure to meet security compliance guidelines can hinder your business’s growth and make it impossible to scale without an array of security breaches.
2. Executive Assessment and Access Management: Establishing goals and requirements when migrating to the cloud at the executive level is critical. But so is continuing to assess the needs of the business and modifying requirements accordingly.
3. Safety and Violations: The emphasis here is on the safety measures implemented to protect your cloud infrastructure. To test the reliability of your systems, pen tests and bug compensate programs can go a long way.
4. Workflow and processes: It is vital to your core business to establish cloud workflow and strategies that promote ownership and accountability within the organization. Monitoring them with the help of an audit can help you realize untapped potential.
5. System Reliability: The reliability of your cloud systems is essential. The kind of cloud architecture your designs are based on is imperative as well.
6. Cost optimization: Monitoring extra costs that are often overlooked can help you burn a useless hole in your pocket and leave you with more capital to invest back into your business and get a better return on that investment.

How Atidan Technologies Can Help You Perform Cloud Audits

Atidan specializes in cloud services and enables you to harness the true potential of the cloud computing delivery model. With decades of experience and a tremendously powerful platform, our goal is to help you realize the full potential of today’s cutting-edge technologies. With a presence in over 14 countries, We have software engineers and consultants that can help you maximize the value you gain from your technology investments and bring new efficiencies to your business. Our team of developers, architects, and specialists bring a diverse array of technology frameworks and a rock-solid approach to ensure your application works seamlessly. In addition, Atidan’s expert consultants will work actively with your business process managers, IT staff, and executive leadership to identify your requirements and help you reach your business goals.