Living in the present technologically driven environment, one cannot deny the substantial reliance of most enterprises and their operations on cloud computing applications and platform solutions. Despite this, there is little confidence in cloud service providers’ security and their solutions. There are a number of reasons that contribute to it—but the uncertainty of being in charge of guarding personal data kept on the cloud may be the main problem.
To foster trust in cloud security, both the cloud service customer and the cloud service provider need to take equal responsibility. While the customer needs to put information security processes and controls in place, the provider must ensure that they safeguard cloud-based information against data breaches. For this purpose, the ISO/IEC 27017 security guideline may be especially helpful in bridging the gap between the two parties and securing cloud data.
What is the ISO/IEC 27017 regulatory framework?
The ISO/IEC 27017 security guideline was created expressly to safeguard cloud infrastructure. For enterprises with an information security management system (ISMS), it is a supplement to ISO 27001 and ISO 27002 (ISMS). The intended audiences for ISO 27017 are both cloud service providers and cloud service users. It provides parallel instructions for every control and part of the standard, targeted toward securing cloud infrastructure. This makes it possible for it to be an accepted method for both customers and service providers to ensure their data security.
There is just one version of ISO 27017 in existence, and it was released in 2015. A second edition is currently being worked on and is scheduled to be released in 2025.
Now that you know what ISO/IEC 27017 is, you must be wondering if you should attain certification for this particular compliance standard. To address these questions, we have exclusively curated this blog about the ISO 27017 regulatory standard.
Four Most Frequently-Asked Questions About ISO 27017
- How does the ISO 27017 certification process benefit a cloud service provider (CSP)?
Here are the benefits that a cloud service provider (CSP) can reap from an ISO 27017 certification:
- Builds trust in your organization: Gives clients and partners strong confirmation regarding the security of their data and information.
- Protects your company’s reputation: Minimizes the threat of unfavorable publicity by data breaches.
- Defense against fines: Consistently demonstrates high standards, facilitating business globally and establishing oneself as a reliable supplier.
- Aids in expanding businesses: When it comes to Information Security Governance processes, communication is essential.You are responsible for protecting the assets of your business, yet this must be a more complex operation.
- Who needs ISO 27017 compliance?
The objective of ISO 27017 is to offer a generally recognized standard for information security and cloud environments. It is intended to assist enterprises in protecting the personal information of their end users from being illegally accessed by malicious elements.
It is, therefore, useful for any cloud service provider looking to support users with secure cloud services, mainly data exchange and storage. It is a widely respected standard; being ISO 27017 compliant will provide your customers peace of mind if you provide any services or products stored in the cloud.
- What are the seven exclusive processes under ISO 27017: 2015?
ISO/IEC 27017: 2015 recommends 37 controls based on ISO/IEC 27002, including seven exclusive measures.
These 7 processes are:
- Shared duties and responsibilities in the context of cloud computing;
- Removal and recovery of assets belonging to cloud service customers after expiration of stipulated contracts;
- Secured virtual computing environment, kept apart from other customer data;
- Hardening of virtual machines to meet business needs;
- Operational security for the administrator;
- Granting users the ability to keep an eye on their cloud computing activities; and,
- Coordinated security management for physical and virtual networks.
- How does ISO 27017 integrate with ISO 27002?
Like ISO 27002, ISO 27017 is organized as a checklist of proposed security controls. Depending on whether they are cloud service providers, clients, or both, individual organizations must decide which controls apply to their specific situation.
The recommendations in this international standard enable cloud service providers and clients to adopt information security controls. It’s an excellent foundation for anyone who provides clients with cloud services. While some controls have specific purposes, others apply to customers and suppliers.
The most notable addition ISO 27017 makes to ISO 27002 is a clarification on backups. It states:
Customers of cloud services should specify the backup functionality they require from the provider, verify that the service is adequate, and make arrangements if it is not. Cloud service providers should have “secure and separate access to backups” and should detail the backup capabilities.
ISO 27017 Compliance with Akitra!
Establishing trust is a crucial competitive differentiator when courting new SaaS businesses in today’s era of data breaches and compromised privacy. Customers and partners want assurances that the organizations they work with are doing everything possible to prevent disclosing sensitive data and putting them at risk. Compliance certification fills that need.
Akitra offers an industry-leading, AI-powered Compliance Automation platform for SaaS companies. Using automated evidence collection and continuous monitoring, together with a full suite of customizable policies and controls as a compliance foundation, our platform services help customers become certified for ISO 27017 along with other frameworks like SOC 1, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, NIST CSF, NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, FedRAMP, CCPA, CMMC, and more such as CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark, etc. In addition, companies can use Akitra’s Risk Management product for overall risk management for your company, Trust Center, and AI-based Automated Questionnaire Response product to streamline and expedite security questionnaire response processes, delivering huge cost savings. Our compliance and security experts will provide customized guidance to navigate the end-to-end compliance process confidently.
The benefits of our solution include enormous savings in time, human resources, and money—including discounted audit fees with our audit firm partners. Customers achieve compliance certification fast and cost-effectively, stay continuously compliant as they grow, and can become certified under additional frameworks using a single compliance automation platform.
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