How to Build a Successful Career in Cloud Auditing in 2023?
Auditing is the process of going through an organization’s records and documents in a systematic way to make sure they are correct, reliable, legal, and complete. Now, the question is, what is the role of auditing in cloud computing? As organizations get ready to use cloud services, they need to ensure their internal and external controls are organized. An audit is a key to ensuring that these internal and external controls are working well. This helps organizations reduce risks, which allows them to get commercial benefits from moving to the cloud.
Table of Contents
What is Cloud Auditing?
Cloud Audit Scope
Cloud audit objectives
Cloud Auditing: How to Get Started?
Prerequisites for cloud auditing
What is Cloud Auditing?
A cloud audit is a periodic examination performed by an organization to evaluate and document the performance of its cloud vendor. This audit determines how well a cloud provider adheres to established controls and practice guidelines.
An IT firm may use the audit documents, guidelines, and controls provided by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) to examine its cloud service providers. Most audit professionals agree that CSA tools are invaluable for conducting and refining a thorough cloud audit.
A cloud environment audit is similar to an IT audit, and both look at many operational, regulatory, security, and efficiency controls. Controls for cloud audits are similar to controls for IT audits, but cloud audits pay more attention to how cloud environments work as there is a shared responsibility model.
Cloud Audit Scope
An audit is performed when a third-party, independent organization finds data through investigation, physical examination, assessment, validation, research process, or re-performance. A cloud computing audit’s scope will consist of the procedures relevant to the audit’s focus. The following aspects of IT general controls will also be covered:
- Organizations and administration
- Communication
- Risk assessment
- Monitoring objectives
- Logical and physical access
- Systems operations
- Change management
Cloud audit objectives
Auditors use goals to draw conclusions from the evidence they gather. Here’s an example of a list of cloud computing goals that auditors and organizations use:
- Define an IT strategy plan
- Define the information architecture
- Define the IT procedures, organization, and connections
- Communicate management objectives and relationship
- Analyze and control IT risks
- Identify controls for vendor management
Cloud Auditing: How to Get Started?
Today, securing cloud environments presents unique challenges, and organizations and auditors are constantly pursuing compliance verification. Understanding all cloud services in your environment and the movement of information between various applications and programs is the first step in securing your cloud infrastructure. Given that cloud auditing is a primary concern for cloud computing, with endless growth opportunities, if you are interested in starting a career in cloud auditing but are unsure, follow these steps.
Prerequisites for cloud auditing:
- Prior experience in IT audit, security, and risk is recommended
- Mandatory to have a prior cloud platform experience
- CCSK or CCSP certification is preferred
1. Make interest and work on knowledge: The first and foremost thing is having an interest in auditing. Everyone needs to improve their skills, no matter how much experience they have in the IT field. A basic understanding of IT audit is beneficial for starting a career in cloud auditing. Like how to conduct the audit and the basic steps in the auditing process. As the world is moving to the cloud, the threat to the cloud is also increasing. So having prior knowledge of cloud security and risk is recommended for starting a career in cloud auditing.
2. Basic cloud computing skills: For the next step in the learning process, you need to know about cloud technology and platforms. You need to understand what the technology is for and how it helps organizations meet their needs. Once you know the cloud technology and its respective platforms, it is time to move on to the fundamentals of cloud computing. You must thoroughly understand various topics like cloud architecture and formation, cloud service models, deployment models, and governance aspects of cloud computing. You can start with the basics of cloud certification, like Cloud Practitioner training certification.
3. Certification: Certification is one of the essential pillars for entering cloud auditing. It is recommended to have a Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) to enter cloud auditing. CCSK enables security professionals to gain in-depth knowledge of cloud security and related topics and a broad understanding of how to address multiple cloud security issues. The CCSK certification requires a fundamental understanding of cloud computing and a basic knowledge of numerous security essentials such as firewalls, cryptography, access control, and secure development. Once you are certified in cloud security knowledge, you can start preparing for a Certificate of Cloud Auditing Knowledge (CCAK). CCAK prepares IT professionals for the unique challenges of auditing the cloud, ensuring the appropriate controls for confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility, and preventing the cost and risk of audit management and non-compliance.
Cloud Auditing with InfosecTrain
To audit changing processes in the cloud, you must be patient, humble, and open to learning. One of the best ways to reach your goals and improve your auditing skills and knowledge is to plan on getting certified in cloud auditing. If you want to learn more about cloud auditing, InfosecTrain is here to help you prepare. InfosecTrain is a skilled technology and security training and consulting company that works worldwide. We offer a wide range of IT security services and courses. Our CCAK training is meant to help you get the advanced skills you need for Cloud Auditing.
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