Cloud Security Control Standards Current State and Guidelines

Most organizations are moving fast towards cloud adoption due to the cloud's flexibility and ease. Many of these companies are going for a hybrid cloud structure with multiple cloud providers in scope. One of the bigger challenges companies face with cloud adoption and transformation is cloud security.

Industry standards and guidelines are widely available for this domain now. Cloud security control or compliance frameworks are sets of guidelines, best practices, and controls that organizations can use to protect their data, applications, and infrastructure in a cloud environment. Control frameworks (referred as risk control frameworks or RCFs) provide a structured approach to identifying potential risks and implementing security measures to mitigate them while keeping in mind security vs functionality. These frameworks help companies achieve a better security posture with current state metrics and help them comply with mandatory regulations and standards.

Here are some widely known and adopted cloud security control frameworks:

Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM): The CCM is a comprehensive framework that covers all aspects of cloud security. It is organized into 17 domains, each of which is further divided into control objectives.

• Center for Internet Security (CIS): The CIS Center for Internet Security (CIS) is a nonprofit organization that creates best practices and standards for IT security. They have developed several cloud security standards including, CIS Benchmarks, CIS Critical Security Controls, CIS Cloud Audit Guide, and the CIS Cloud Security Assessment Tool.

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF): The CSF is a general-purpose cybersecurity framework that can be applied to any IT environment, including cloud environments. It is organized into five functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover.

• FedRAMP: FedRAMP is a US government program that provides a standardized approach to assessing and approving cloud security products and services. It is based on the NIST CSF.

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 27001:2013: ISO 27001 is a standard for information security management systems (ISMS). It can be used to implement and maintain a comprehensive security program for cloud environments.

• Cloud provider-specific well-architected Frameworks: Cloud well-architected frameworks are sets of best practices and guidelines that help you design, build, and operate secure, reliable, performant, and cost-efficient cloud workloads. They're like blueprints for success in the cloud, offering a structured approach to ensure your cloud infrastructure is optimized for your specific needs. GCP, AWS, and Azure are the most well-known ones.

Organizations can choose to adopt one of these frameworks or develop their own custom framework based on their specific needs. Here are some tips for choosing and implementing a cloud security control framework:

• Consider your organization's specific needs and requirements. • Select a framework that is aligned with your industry regulations and standards.

• Get buy-in from all stakeholders, including IT, security, and business leaders.

• Tailor the framework to your specific cloud environment.

• Implement the framework gradually and measure your progress.

Organizations can use an available cloud security control framework or create a tailored version of it to improve their security posture and protect their data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud.