Auditing Cloud Computing: A Security and Privacy Guide

Gain assurance with your hosted services with Auditing Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing has taken the IT world by storm. Often viewed as the utopia of utility computing, Cloud Computing offers flexibility and financial benefits second to none. But in today's high-stakes corporate world, one devastating breach could quickly break a company. Learn how to harness and secure the computing power of the Cloud while helping your bottom line with Auditing Cloud Computing.

Edited by Ben Halpert, a well-respected authority in IT security, Auditing Cloud Computing presents a rich compilation of ideas and strategies from thought leaders who show you how to develop better ways of evaluating the security and privacy practices of Cloud services.

This comprehensive collection of papers is arranged to allow for a logical flow of information—beginning with a thorough introduction to the field, followed by in-depth coverage of governance, audit, legal, service delivery, and other perspectives—to provide you with a 360 perspective of the Cloud Computing space.

Designed to help you audit the security and privacy of your hosted services, Auditing Cloud Computing answers your Cloud-related questions, including:

• Is the Cloud secure enough to house my data?
• What kind of data shouldn't be stored in the Cloud?
• What are the key regulatory issues?
• Why do I need to establish a governance model before using the Cloud?
•   What steps do I need to take to remain in compliance?
• What are the causes and effects of regulation?
• What are the real and perceived risks and benefits?
• How do I balance business risk and business opportunity with the appropriate internal audit?
• What are the traditional lifecycle management techniques?
• What are the Cloud's benefits over traditional IT outsourcing?
•   How do I manage my company's service agreements?
• What is the future of regulation?
• What's holding Cloud Computing back?

Timely and practical, Auditing Cloud Computing lays out the groundwork to help you and your organization build a proper audit that ensures operational integrity and customer data protection for Cloud-based resources.