Difficult to Provide Data Point in Cloud Environment

B.

Cloud environments are constantly changing and often span multiple physical locations.

A cloud customer is also very unlikely to have knowledge and insight into the underlying systems architecture in a cloud environment.

Both of these realities make it very difficult, if not impossible, for an organization to provide a comprehensive systems design document.

The data point that auditors always desire but is very difficult to provide within a cloud environment is "Systems architecture."

Systems architecture refers to the overall design and structure of an organization's IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, networks, and other components. Auditors often require access to this information to assess the security posture of an organization and to determine whether it meets relevant regulatory requirements.

In a cloud environment, systems architecture can be challenging to provide to auditors due to the dynamic nature of cloud infrastructure. Cloud environments are highly scalable and can be rapidly provisioned and de-provisioned as needed, making it difficult to maintain a consistent and up-to-date inventory of all assets and configurations.

Additionally, cloud environments are often made up of numerous interconnected services and components, which can make it difficult to provide a clear and comprehensive overview of the entire systems architecture. Finally, many cloud service providers may not be willing to share detailed information about their own infrastructure and systems architecture with auditors, which can further complicate the process.

While access policies, baselines, and privacy statements are also important data points for auditors, they are generally easier to provide within a cloud environment than systems architecture. Access policies can be defined and enforced through cloud service provider tools, baselines can be established and monitored using automated tools, and privacy statements are typically publicly available.