Key Points

• A cloud security policy is essential as businesses increasingly store sensitive data in the cloud. It outlines how data will be secured and helps prevent data breaches, which could lead to fines and loss of customer trust.
• The policy should define what data is allowed in the cloud, how it's controlled, who can access it (considering a zero-trust strategy), incident response procedures for breaches, and regular audits to ensure ongoing compliance.
• To create an effective policy, assess existing cloud security, evaluate third-party app security measures, secure senior management buy-in, use planning tools for organization, involve legal and HR teams, and prepare for annual audits.

In 2022, businesses stored around 60% of corporate data in the cloud, an increase of 10% on the year before.

As more and more data (such as employee data, customer data and financial information) is stored in the cloud each year, it becomes vital for businesses to protect the data they are responsible for.

What is a cloud security policy?

A cloud security policy is an internal policy for your organisation that relates how you’ll keep data secure in the cloud. Every business that uses the cloud or third party apps should have one in place to ensure that customer and employee data is protected.

In terms of scope, your policy should cover all of your cloud systems and tools including SaaS apps such as Google Drive, Jira, and Slack. Intended for internal use, it should also be shared with contractors, freelancers, and agencies who are working with your company.

Rather than being a one-off task, your policy should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. While having a cloud security policy will allow you to be proactive in your approach to cloud security, it should outline how users should be utilising the cloud, and, since lots of devices and users can access the cloud, you should also discuss what would happen if it’s breached, and how you would prevent malware or other cyberthreats spreading to other devices connected to it.

Who is responsible for creating a cloud security policy?

An in-house security professional should be project managing the creation of a cloud security policy, but there should be other teams involved such as legal, HR and compliance to ensure you’re aligned with the company’s values and legal requirements.

It’s not recommended to outsource this to a third party as your employees will understand how best to integrate your cloud security policy with your workflows, without disrupting your employees.

Why is it important?

“If your team are using the cloud on a daily basis (as much of us are), it’s vital that you put a cloud security policy together to keep it protected,” says Sheree Buller Lim, Head of Product at Metomic.

“Not only can it help you to understand how you’ll secure your cloud to minimise the risk of data breaches, but you could also face fines for non-compliance if you don’t have one in place. It also gives your customers the assurance that their data is protected which is hugely important in this day and age.”

What are the key components of a cloud security policy?

Your cloud security policy should cover some important points, such as:

• What data is allowed in the cloud - e.g. will you allow PHI and PII to be shared in the cloud or will it be stored elsewhere?
• How that data is controlled and who is responsible for having full visibility over it
• Who can access the cloud - will you put a zero-trust strategy in place for your employees?
• How you respond to incidents if the cloud is breached

What are the steps to creating an effective cloud security policy?

Creating an effective cloud security policy takes careful planning and is very much a team effort.

Here are a few steps you can follow to make sure you have everything you need in place:

1. Understand what you already have in terms of cloud security. Run a data risk assessment to identify gaps in your processes.
2. What security measures do your third party apps (e.g. Slack) already have in place? Is it enough or will you need additional tools to bolster your security efforts?
3. Get senior management buy-in to help create the policy with you, so you know they’re on board from the beginning.
4. Use a planning tool like Jira or Trello to plan your project so everyone knows what’s happening throughout the process.
5. Keep those in leadership positions in the know with regular updates, emphasising the importance of having your cloud security policy in place.
6. Get legal and HR involved in the conversation so there aren’t any nasty surprises later down the line e.g. you’ve missed out a vital compliance regulation.
7. Prepare for annual audits to be carried out each year, to stress test the policy, and ensure it’s still aligned with the company’s needs.

How can Metomic help?

Metomic's data security software can help you protect sensitive data in your SaaS apps by giving you full visibility and control over things like PHI, PII, financial data, confidential employee information and more that could be hiding in apps like Slack, Google Drive, Jira and Notion.

By reducing the amount of data you hold, and minimising the impact of a potential data breach, Metomic helps you comply with GDPR, PCI DSS, and other compliance requirements that have strict rules around the storage of sensitive data.