Keeping up with compliance in the cloud can sound like a daunting task. Fortunately, we have some amazing folks on our team who can help simplify even the most challenging concepts into actionable methods for handling your cloud compliance. This recap of our recent Cloud Conversation featuring RegScale highlights some smart ways to make it easier to scale cloud compliance, with some helpful tips from our very own Greg Peterson and John Porter, along with RegScale Solutions Advisor, Shannon Williams.
We'll touch on how Infrastructure as Code (IaC) can be a game-changer for building a solid compliance base, check out the perks of serverless environments for sharing the compliance load, and discuss why automation is so important for streamlining things. Plus, we'll get into how AI and Machine Learning can seriously simplify compliance docs and even help you get a head start on figuring out where you stand.
Key Takeaways:
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): One of the things that I hear constantly at ScaleSec is the importance of IaC. I think John did a great job explaining how pivotal the role of IaC is in establishing a strong foundation for compliance. He mentioned that you must understand your own environment (network configurations, VM deployments, etc.) to create a repeatable process that creates the same result every time. By defining and managing infrastructure through code, organizations can ensure consistency, repeatability, and adherence to security best practices. IaC enables automated deployments, making it easier to track changes and maintain audit trails, crucial for demonstrating compliance.
- Serverless Environments: Something that I think that really sets ScaleSec apart from other consulting firms is that we help our clients understand what having a “serverless environment” truly means for your security and compliance requirements. I thought Greg gave a great example with PCI-DSS and using a serverless environment to help meet the objectives to be PCI-DSS compliant. He stated that there are controls the service provider must adhere to and show evidence for their infrastructure. One of the greatest advantages of using your cloud provider’s serverless environment is that the burden of compliance for managing the servers can be shifted to the service provider. Leveraging serverless platforms with built-in security features, when inheriting controls are possible, can effectively address the challenges of carrying the full burden of compliance for your organization and shift some of that responsibility to your cloud provider.
- Automating Compliance: Shannon hit the nail on the head explaining how manual compliance checks are time-consuming, error-prone, and often insufficient in today's fast-paced cloud environments. Automation is key to streamlining compliance efforts. She mentioned that there have been so many advancements in security automation’s ability to protect, defend, and respond. By automating tasks such as vulnerability assessments, security audits, and configuration checks to maintain compliance, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of human error, improve efficiency, and free up valuable resources for other critical activities.
- AI and ML Benefits for Compliance: Shannon stated that where she and RegScale have seen the biggest impact from AI and Machine Learning is when it comes to documentation, especially if you are a newer organization (or just new to compliance in general), and need some expediency with your compliance documents. Another great aspect of AI being able to take elements of your existing security policies and procedures and add them into your compliance documentation that you are having attested. Something that I didn’t realize you could do with ML that Shannon pointed out was using ML to learn your environment and pregrade it to establish a baseline of where you are in your compliance journey. This proactive approach allows organizations to stay ahead of threats and ensure ongoing compliance in a continuous and adaptive manner.
Knowing that there are so many ways to create scalability, leverage automation and even utilize AI in compliance efforts makes it seem a lot less daunting - and a heck of a lot less tedious - to me. From laying a solid foundation with IaC to lightening the load with serverless, and then supercharging your efforts with automation and AI/ML, there are definitely ways to make cloud compliance less of a headache and more of a manageable process. This is what makes our jobs fun at RegScale and ScaleSec: we can help organizations navigate these complexities and make compliance in the cloud less strenuous. We are here to help you level up your own compliance game in the cloud.