Why Does Your Enterprise Need Cloud Governance?

Why Does Your Enterprise Need Cloud Governance?

October 14

While every organization faces unique security and operational requirements, there are a few common guidelines that should be a part of any cloud governance policy. Ideally, these best practices should be implemented ahead of an initial cloud adoption, whether a company is transitioning completely to the cloud or just adding a cloud-based solution to its tech stack.

Establish Rules for Data

The distributed nature of cloud infrastructure means that organizations need to be very deliberate about where different types of data are stored and how they can be accessed by applications. Sensitive data like personally identifiable information, for instance, frequently needs to be stored in a secure, encrypted environment that prevents exposure to the open internet. Since privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA also require organizations to provide details about customer data and delete that data, it’s critical to know what information is being gathered and where it’s located.

Implement Access Rules

Defining and managing roles, privileges, and authorizations for every potential user is a bedrock principle of good IT security, but the distributed nature of cloud computing makes it important to be even more rigorous with regards to access management. As with an on-premises system, each user should be limited to the data, applications, and functionality they need to do their jobs to minimize the potential for a data breach. This can be challenging for larger organizations with complex cloud deployments that feature extensive integrations with other applications. Many enterprises build their own access management system or tie cloud authentication into a centralized service to avoid having to manage access across multiple platforms.

Focus on Security

Concerns about security caused many organizations to delay their transition to the cloud, but modern cloud platforms frequently provide extensive built-in security tools such as event logs, account dependent rules, and automated reporting to meet cloud governance requirements. Larger enterprises typically have an IT security team that can handle active monitoring, incident response, and auditing, but even smaller organizations can now turn to a variety of managed service solutions that automate cybersecurity policies to identify and respond to potential threats. Identifying and leveraging the right security tools is a critical component of any cloud governance policy, but most cloud providers have the solutions in place to help organizations implement the appropriate safeguards to protect their mission critical cloud operations.

Monitor Spending

The expansive nature of cloud computing makes it easy to spin up additional resources as they’re needed, but without ongoing oversight, cloud spending can quickly spiral out of control. Overprovisioning resources, leaving unused applications running, and provisioning unnecessary storage volumes can all contribute to escalating costs that quickly undermine one of the core benefits of cloud services. Cloud billing can often be complex, especially when an organization is using multiple services that integrate with colocated or hybrid environments. Implementing a system for tracking and analyzing cloud spend is essential for keeping costs under control. For larger organizations that utilize multiple providers, it may be necessary to turn to a third party solution to gain full transparency into how cloud resources are being utilized each month.

Enhance Your Cloud Governance with Evoque

As with most technology policies, cloud governance is not a “set and forget” process. Once rules and procedures are in place to manage cloud resources, they must be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they’re being followed correctly and that they’re actually meeting the standards they were designed to uphold. Many policies will need to be updated over time to reflect changes in cloud platforms and the way the organization is utilizing data and applications.

Evoque Data Center Solutions provides cloud consulting services to help organizations of all sizes and industries develop cloud governance policies that will keep their operations secure and compliant. Our unique approach to workload placement and hybrid IT deployments gives us a nuanced perspective on cloud infrastructure. Whether you’re migrating your entire tech stack to the cloud or simply integrating a handful of cloud solutions into your environment, our cloud consulting experts are ready to guide you every step of the way. 

To learn more about Evoque’s cloud consulting services, talk to one of our solutions experts today.

 

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