As organizations increasingly move to the cloud, it is important to establish a robust system of governance. Cloud governance ensures that an organization's use of cloud computing technologies complies with its internal policies and external regulations. Many organizations are hesitant to move mission-critical applications and data to the cloud due to security, performance, and compliance concerns. However, with the proper governance in place, these concerns can be alleviated.
In this article, we will discuss the five disciplines of cloud governance and how they can help your organization make the most of the cloud!
1. Cost Management
The first discipline of cloud governance is cost management. In order to control spending on cloud services, organizations must track their usage and costs in near real-time. This requires both automated tools and diligent oversight from IT staff. By monitoring costs closely, organizations can avoid overspending on cloud services and ensure that their use of the cloud aligns with their budget. In addition, cost management can help organizations optimize their use of resources and identify areas where they can save money.
2. Security Baseline
Security is another critical aspect of governance. When you move to the cloud, you lose some control over your data and how it's protected. As a result, it's important to establish a security baseline for your cloud environment. This includes ensuring that all users have the appropriate permissions and access levels, that data is encrypted both in transit and at rest and that proper security controls are in place for all applications and services.
Make sure you understand the shared responsibility model for security in the cloud. Then, take advantage of tools like encryption and identity and access management to further secure your data. Finally, put together an incident response plan so you know how to deal with any security issues that may arise.
3. Identity Baseline
In order to properly govern your cloud environment, you need to have a clear understanding of who has access to what. This is known as an identity baseline. Organizations should establish an identity management system that includes both physical and logical access controls. Physical access controls restrict physical access to data centers and other sensitive areas. Logical access controls restrict access to applications, services, and data.
Organizations should also consider implementing Single Sign-On (SSO) for their cloud environment. SSO allows users to access all of their applications with a single set of credentials. This reduces the number of passwords users have to remember and makes it easier for IT staff to manage permissions and revoke access when necessary.
4. Resource Consistency
Another important discipline of cloud governance is resource consistency. This means ensuring that all resources are properly configured and that there are no unapproved changes. To do this, you must establish a process for provisioning, configuring, and managing resources. This process should be automated as much as possible to reduce the chance of errors. In addition, you need to put controls in place to prevent unauthorized changes from being made.
One way to achieve resource consistency is to use Infrastructure as Code (IaC). IaC allows you to define your infrastructure using code, which can then be deployed automatically. This helps ensure that all resources are properly configured and that there are no discrepancies between environments.
5. Deployment Acceleration
Finally, cloud governance should include deployment acceleration. This discipline focuses on automating the process of provisioning and deploying resources. Doing this can shorten the time it takes to get new applications and services up and running. In addition, deployment acceleration can help reduce the chances of errors and ensure that all resources are properly configured.
There are several ways to accelerate deployments. One is to use IaC, as we mentioned earlier. Another is to use containers, which allow you to package everything an application needs into a single unit. This makes it easy to deploy applications in any environment, whether it's on-premises or in the cloud.
The Bottom Line
Cloud governance is critical for any organization that wants to use the cloud. By implementing the five disciplines of cloud governance, you can ensure that your environment is secure, compliant, and efficient.