Challenges of Cloud Compliance in a Regulated Environment

Successful cloud compliance in a regulated environment shows that your organization has met the appropriate industry regulatory requirements to protect data privacy and integrity. As more companies transition to the cloud, so does the influx of classified data. Heavily regulated industries like healthcare and the life sciences must understand the depth of requirements regarding regulatory compliance in the cloud and the challenges of upholding compliance.

Our VP of Digital Services Kevin Grimes discusses with Master Control the key challenges to acknowledge when tackling cloud compliance in a regulated environment.  

Who Has The Responsibility Of Cloud Compliance?

Cloud providers offer compliance and security elements to assist in the security of your regulated data. However, from the standpoint of regulatory agencies, the protection of your data is foremost the company's responsibility using a cloud platform as a service. It is crucial to understand the data protection and compliance is always the responsibility of the user.

Considerations For Cloud Migration

Security is still a challenge when migrating to the cloud. No cloud provider can ensure their product is impenetrable. Authentication breaches, hacks, breaches of data, and account invasions are still risks and challenges that affect companies implementing the cloud. It is useful to hold a cloud provider transparent by conducting an audit of practices and procedures to confirm how they maintain strong security guidelines. Challenges can range from a lack of strategy, data security, bandwidth, vendor lock-in, and downtime.

Integrating Cloud Applications

If cloud application integration is a crucial component of your company's business transformation processes, it is necessary to know the implementation process when assessing cloud applications. It is also essential to know how these applications influence where data is kept, who has data ease of access, how long you must store the data, and how the applications are kept secure.

Compliance Programs Are Meant To Be Changed

A regulated environment is not stagnant; a compliance program must be monitored and audited appropriately. Third-party audits are highly advised to understand your compliance position and disparities. Furthermore, advances in technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are implemented as risk monitoring devices. Experts anticipate AI to further integrate with monitoring regimens, creating proactive compliance programs to tackle heavily regulatory environments' challenges. 

To further learn how to stay proactive and alleviate the challenges associated with heavily regulated agencies, check out our Master Control featured blog.