Many Australian organisations rely on cloud-based services like Amazon Web Services (AWS) to store and manage sensitive business data. If you’re considering moving your business operations to the cloud, it’s essential to understand and follow top security and audit frameworks.
One widely recognised standard is System and Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2), an internationally acknowledged framework initially developed in the United States. Learn about the best practices for SOC compliance and how the AWS experts at WOLK can help you navigate them.
The Main Objectives of SOC Compliance
SOC 2 covers five principles called Trust Services Criteria (TSC), which outline its main benefits, including:
- Security. Keeping sensitive data safe from unauthorised access at rest, when accessed, transferred, or deleted.
- Availability. Ensuring your organisation’s data resources are always accessible by maximising uptime and implementing data backup and disaster recovery measures.
- Processing integrity. Implementing measures to verify sensitive business data is complete, accurate, valid, and processed correctly.
- Confidentiality. Verifying that confidential business information, such as intellectual property or financial information, is protected through access controls and user privilege systems.
- Privacy. Protecting personal information, as defined in the Privacy Act 1988, from breaches, unauthorized access, or damage, such as healthcare information
Organisations using AWS benefit from Amazon’s Shared Responsibility Model, which ensures that AWS infrastructure and core software meet SOC compliance standards. However, businesses must also ensure that their data, applications, and resources hosted on AWS servers comply with SOC requirements.
SOC Compliance on AWS: Best Practices
AWS offers organisations a variety of tools and measures to help implement and maintain SOC compliance. Here are some key practices to follow:
- Enforce the principle of least privilege. One of the core aspects of data security is that each user or team member has only the permissions necessary to perform their tasks. AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) allows you to create roles with clearly defined data access rights, serving as the first line of defence against unauthorised access to sensitive business information.
- Use data encryption protocols. AWS Key Management Services (KMS), CloudHSM, and server-side encryption protocols can help your organisation maintain SOC compliance. They protect your data when stored on the cloud and in transit, limiting the risk of sensitive data being exposed to the public internet.
- Maintain visibility in your environment. AWS CloudTrail and CloudWatch provide your organisation with logs, metrics, event viewers, and API calls. They give you a full view of your AWS environment, allowing you to detect and address potential security breaches on time.
Contact WOLK For Guidance with SOC Compliance
Move your organisation to the cloud confidently with WOLK’s AWS team. Our experts can assess your business needs and guide you through creating a secure and SOC-compliant AWS environment. Contact us today to start your migration process.