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Cloud computing is known for driving innovation, fuelling business performance, and enabling enterprises to move away from the CAPEX model to the OPEX model. For this reason, many research reports from the leading institutions have marked this disruptive technology as the game changer in the IT industry.
It enables users to select and deploy their own choice of SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS models with just a click of the mouse. However, these cloud acquisitions create silos of clouds having minimum IT governance and higher risks towards data security, which in turn can further affect continuity of a business.
In such a scenario, it is imperative for enterprises as well as service providers to ensure cloud governance. This blog attempts to illustrate this practice in detail. Let’s see how.
Cloud governance in simple words put together is considered as a practice, whereby a structure of policies is formulated defining the rules and principles for an organization on how to effectively use these services.
IT controls a set of multifaceted infrastructure, including hardware, software, and data storage environment. Subsequently, data centers are designed to efficiently manage these assets at a secured location. These facilities are backed by SLAs to deliver guaranteed network uptime to the users. IT governance process ensures that:
- All the IT assets, such as internal processes and systems, are meticulously implemented in line with the established techniques and policies
- The assets are adequately managed and controlled
- These assets are able to support organizational goals and objectives
As a result, IT governance needs to include policies and procedures that can accurately measure as well as control these systems. So, the question arises how IT governance is different from cloud governance?
Cloud management platform (CMP) is a centralized platform that mainly enables enterprises to manage and control access to the cloud hosting environment on a unified and continual basis. The platform act as a protective shield between various cloud providers and users by managing their workflow, re-enforcing right policies, and offering role based access controlling mechanism. CMP with strong governance engine can minimize IT involvement in cloud administration and facilitate self service among businesses.
Service providers consider cloud governance as an important way for controlling complicated integrated systems. Some of the key features of the cloud management platform are:
Managing SSH Key: This controlling measure makes sure that every enterprise with SSH key encompasses SSH access along with suitable rights to the devices/machine it manages. In case the organization is no longer active, it’s SSH rights are automatically revoked.
Timely Notifications: It powers administrators and users with regular notifications on important activities like under or over utilization of resources, capital expenditure alerts, and identification of existing cloud services that are not provisioned via CMP.
Auditing: Maintaining a log of day-to-day activities in the cloud can help third parties keep a track on user activities.
Financial Checks: This enables users to track and budget their capital outlays per project. Thus, every time an additional resource is procured across the cloud, CMP needs to track the associated cost in order to limit the overall expenditure.
Hence, cloud hosting providers can mitigate these risks and help businesses reap benefits by incorporating the right cloud governance solution in their IT infrastructure.
