In the first part of this series, we explored how a robust cloud governance strategy is essential for labs to maintain data security, compliance and operational efficiency in the cloud like QLIMS. In this second part, we dive deeper into the critical components of cloud governance: visibility, configuration, operations and risks.
1. Visibility: You can’t govern what you can’t see
In terms of cloud governance, visibility means having an accurate, detailed and up-to-date view of all the activity an organisation has in the cloud. Labs often operate in complex environments with numerous users, departments and third-party integrations, making it challenging to maintain visibility.
Practically speaking, that includes:
- Cloud assets such as applications, platforms, infrastructure, VPC, and buckets.
- Data stored in the AWS Cloud
- User access controls, so only authorised users can access sensitive data.
Although this sounds straightforward, it’s actually quite challenging, particularly in a hybrid or multi-cloud environment or in a global organisation with multiple users and departments. In these environments, it’s especially easy for unmanaged IT to proliferate—which includes the use of IT-related hardware and software by a department/individual without the knowledge of the organisation’s IT department. By definition, unmanaged IT is invisible and therefore ungovernable.
2. Configuration: Setting the stage for success
Misconfigurations are one of the leading causes of data breaches in the cloud. Labs often face challenges in ensuring that their cloud infrastructure is configured securely to meet compliance standards.
AWS services can help:
- The AWS Foundational Security Best Practices standard is a set of controls that detects when deployed accounts and resources deviate from security best practices.
- AWS Config Conformance Packs provide a collection of AWS Config rules and remediation actions that can be easily deployed as a template to evaluate an organisation’s AWS environment.
- AWS IAM Access Analyzer helps organisations identify the resources or accounts, such as Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) buckets, that are shared with an external entity.
3. Operations: Managing the processes that manage your cloud
As labs scale their operations in the cloud, managing security manually becomes increasingly difficult. A robust governance strategy must include automated processes to identify, report and address operational issues before they become security risks. AWS offers several solutions to help:
As you deploy policies and procedures to more effectively and securely manage your operations in the cloud, AWS can help:
- AWS Systems Manager provides a unified user interface that allows organisations to view operational data from multiple AWS services and automate operational tasks across AWS resources.
- AWS Control Tower provides the easiest way to set up and govern a secure, multi-account AWS environment, ensuring that all accounts conform to company-wide policies through built-in best practices.
- AWS Organizations helps users centrally manage and govern their environment as they grow and scale AWS resources.
4. Risk: Where the governance meets the bottom line
In a lab setting, cloud governance is essential to mitigate risks that can affect data security, compliance, and overall operations. Risks like data breaches, regulatory violations, and unauthorised access can severely impact your lab’s financial position, reputation, and trust with customers.
AWS services can help assess, manage, and mitigate risk throughout the cloud:
- AWS Config provides the means to assess, audit, and evaluate AWS resource configurations. It continuously monitors and records those configurations, automating the evaluation of recorded configurations against desired configurations.
- AWS Audit Manager continuously audits AWS usage to simplify how organisations assess risk and compliance with regulatory standards.
Better Together: Cloud Governance takes all of us
Cloud governance is based on a shared responsibility model, in which both AWS and your organisation share the responsibility for data security and compliance.
AWS is responsible for the security of the cloud. That means AWS is responsible for protecting the infrastructure that runs all of the services offered in the AWS Cloud, which includes the hardware, software, networking and facilities that run AWS cloud services.
Your organisation is responsible for security in the cloud. Your responsibility is determined by the AWS cloud services you select, which then determines the amount of configuration work you must perform as part of your security responsibilities.
Your lab can ensure the highest level of security, compliance and operational efficiency, all while maintaining focus on delivering exceptional results in your work with QLIMS on AWS.
Contact us to secure your lab data today!
