As cloud technology continues to grow and evolve, businesses are transitioning their data to cloud storage platforms. However, as more sensitive information is stored in the cloud, there's an increase in concern for the security and compliance of this information. It is easy to confuse cloud security with cloud compliance since they share some similarities. This blog post aims to differentiate and provide a factual comparison between cloud compliance and cloud security.
Cloud Security
Cloud security refers to all the measures taken to keep data secure from unauthorized access on cloud computing platforms such as data breaches, cyber-attacks, fraud, and loss of data. In a report by Fortune Business Insights, the cloud security market is expected to be worth $68.5 billion by 2027. Surprisingly, despite the growing market, businesses still lack adequate security measures to protect their data.
Protecting your organization's data from cybercriminals and malicious attacks should be a top priority. Adequate cloud security measures include anti-virus software, firewalls, encryption, network security, and continuous monitoring of the cloud environment. Having proper security measures in place prevents unauthorized access to data, ensuring integrity, availability, and confidentiality of information stored on cloud-based servers.
Cloud Compliance
On the other hand, cloud compliance refers to the adherence to rules, regulations, and policies set by a specific industry or geographical region. It ensures that organizations maintain legal standards and ethical practices when handling their data. Failing to comply with set standards can result in legal action, reputational damage, and monetary penalties.
There are several compliance regulations that organizations must comply with when using cloud services. These regulations include GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 1, 2, & 3, PCI DSS, CCPA, and ISO 27001. These regulations ensure that organizations maintain best security practices in their respective industry while protecting the privacy and data of clients.
Understanding the Differences
The significant difference between cloud compliance and cloud security lies in their definitions. Cloud security deals with the technical protection measures that are used to protect data. While cloud compliance refers to the policies and regulations that organizations must follow to avoid breaching specific laws and industry standards.
Furthermore, cloud compliance addresses legal and ethical standards within specific industries, while cloud security ensures the technical infrastructure behind cloud-based services is in place to maximize protection.
Overall, cloud security and cloud compliance go hand in hand. Although they have different objectives, they work together to ensure that your data is safe and follows industry standards. Adopting both cloud security and cloud compliance measures significantly improves an organization's credibility, reduces reputational risk, legal and monetary penalties, and enhances customers' trust.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cloud compliance and cloud security are both essential components that organizations need to adopt to protect clients' data and adhere to industry laws and regulations. Although different, they complement each other to ensure maximum security for users' data on cloud-based services.
References:
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Fortune Business Insights. "Cloud Security Market Size, Share and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Service Type, By Security Type, By Cloud Deployment, By Organization Size, By End-User, and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027." 23 Oct. 2020, https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/cloud-security-market-101860.
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Lucian Constantin. "How to achieve compliance across multiple IT domains." https://www.csoonline.com/article/3315345/how-to-achieve-compliance-across-multiple-it-domains.html.