Cloud Security Compliance: Ensuring Data Safety in the Cloud

Modern organizations know that protecting their data is absolutely critical. That’s where cloud security compliance comes in. Satisfying regulatory standards helps organizations protect against unauthorized access and data breaches, as well as other security incidents. Beyond protecting data, compliance also protects organizations from the legal implications and financial effects of attacks. In this blog, we’ll explore how cloud security compliance frameworks can enhance any organization’s reputation as a responsible and trustworthy custodian of sensitive data.

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What is cloud security compliance?

Cloud security compliance is the process of adhering to regulations designed to protect data, ensure privacy, and maintain security in cloud computing environments. These regulations can be enshrined in the law, established by governments, maintained by industry entities, or recorded in contracts. In order to achieve compliance, organizations must implement policies, controls, and procedures to protect any data they store, process, or transmit in the cloud.

Data protection standards and regulations are the guardrails around the world of cloud security compliance. Here are a few critical standards to know:

• HIPAA: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulates how organizations must handle protected health information (PHI). It is a national standard established in the United States to protect American patients and keep citizens’ private data safe.
• PCI DSS: The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) defines how organizations must safeguard credit card information. Payment data has a much longer life cycle than the specific moment of a transaction, and keeping that data secure at every stage is paramount.
• GDPR: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a privacy law established in the European Union to secure European citizens’ data — regardless of the data’s type, what it’s for, or where it is processed. GDPR has been called one of the world’s strictest data security laws and aims to protect sensitive data as a human right.

Cloud security frameworks and certifications are other important components of compliance. These industry-leading entities provide organizations with agreed-upon guidelines and best practices for maintaining secure cloud environments:

• CCM: The Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM), created by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), provides a comprehensive framework for cloud security. The matrix is split into 197 objectives and 17 domains that together cover all the critical aspects of cloud technology, as well as the best ways to secure and protect them.
• NIST: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework is another widely recognized set of standards that provides guidelines for managing and mitigating cybersecurity risks. The NIST frequently updates the framework in response to changes in cloud tech and the evolving attack landscape.
• ISO: The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) maintains ISO/IEC 27001, one of the world’s most widely adopted standards for information security management systems, including cloud-based systems. A third-party ISO certification advertises an organization’s cybersecurity compliance.
• SOC2: System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 certifications are another way organizations can provide independent verification of compliance. A third-party audit of your adherence to established cloud security standards could go a long way toward building a reputation of trustworthiness in the marketplace.

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Challenges to cloud security compliance

Because of how cloud technologies work, there are a few common challenges that typically stand in the way of cloud security compliance. The first comes into play for organizations seeking to secure multi-cloud and hybrid cloud architectures. Because these structures are inherently more complex than single platforms, remaining in compliance requires additional cloud governance steps. Organizations with multi-cloud or hybrid cloud systems must establish clear policies and procedures for cloud usage, including administrative controls, access management, and data protection measures.

The second major challenge that organizations may face is the issue of ensuring data privacy and cloud security compliance across geographical borders. Some of the regulations and rules dictating compliance, such as GDPR, come from governments. That means different countries have distinct data protection and privacy regulations, which can vary significantly in their requirements and enforcement protocols. 

Organizations must navigate the web of regulations to ensure compliance and protect sensitive data anywhere they do business. For some organizations, that’s a matter of balancing where the company is located and where its users are based. For international organizations, transferring data between countries is a more prominent concern when it comes to cloud security compliance.

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How cloud service providers impact compliance

Cloud service providers also play an important role in the question of compliance. Organizations must navigate shared responsibility models that split the onus of data protection and compliance between the two parties. The cloud provider is responsible for ensuring the security of the underlying cloud infrastructure, including physical security, network security, and storage security. The organization — which is, in this case, a customer of the cloud service provider — is responsible for securing its data, applications, and user access within that cloud environment.

Typically, cloud service providers offer a range of compliance features and certifications to help their customers meet industry-specific requirements. When organizations undergo compliance audits, for example, third-party investigators will take a cloud service provider’s certifications into account. Organizations need to ensure their cloud environments and all the vendors they work with are also taking steps to implement best practices in cloud security compliance.

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5 strategies for enhancing cloud security compliance

#1: Identify and understand compliance requirements

First, review and analyze the specific regulations and standards that apply to your industry, and the regions in which your organization operates. Doing so will help your team develop a comprehensive strategy, and implement the necessary controls to achieve and maintain compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards.

#2: Implement robust access control measures

To achieve compliance, organizations must establish consistent access management practices. Use strong authentication methods to frequently verify your users’ identities. You should also implement access controls that ensure users have access only to the resources they need when they need them. A zero trust approach will help your security team grant appropriate privileges based on individual user needs and behaviors.

#3: Audit and assess your compliance regularly

Compliance is never a one-and-done task. Achieving and maintaining a state of compliance requires ongoing, dedicated effort. Compliance audits and internal assessments are essential for maintaining cloud security compliance. Organizations must regularly review and evaluate their security controls and practices to identify weaknesses or vulnerabilities and adapt when appropriate.

#4: Use encryption and data loss prevention tools

Encryption is a critical step toward protecting sensitive information because it secures data both in transit and at rest by making it unreadable to unauthorized users. Data loss prevention (DLP) tools help monitor and control data transfers, preventing unauthorized access, leaks, and breaches. Encryption and DLP services work hand-in-hand to preserve data integrity from multiple angles. The latter makes it harder for attackers to succeed, while the former ensures that they can’t access any sensitive data if they do successfully breach a system. 

Together, these tools help organizations meet legal and regulatory requirements for data security. They also provide audit trails and reporting capabilities that are essential for demonstrating cloud security compliance.

#5: Automate compliance monitoring with CASB 

There are also tech tools that can help your organization automate compliance monitoring. A cloud access security broker (CASB), for example, acts as a security checkpoint between cloud service users and providers. CASBs help organizations enforce policies and meet compliance requirements for data protection, access control, and threat prevention. Bundling all these functions of compliance into one tech tool can help security teams achieve, monitor, and maintain compliance more efficiently.

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Get your cloud environment in compliance

Achieving cloud security compliance is essential for organizations to safeguard sensitive data and maintain trust in cloud environments. By implementing robust security measures, adhering to regulatory standards, and leveraging advanced tools like Lookout Secure Cloud Access, organizations can more effectively navigate the complexities of cloud compliance and protect their valuable information. To learn more about the risks you face when operating in the cloud, read the Lookout whitepaper on the Top Five Risks When Operating in the Cloud and What You Can Do About It.