Technology is advancing like never before, and cloud adoption is one the rise with tens of thousands of Texas businesses making the jump into the cloud from traditional brick-and-mortar computing environments. And why not, after all, the cloud is scalable, robust, secure, and generally less expensive than traditional client-server co-location models.
Texas’ Cloud Computing Compliance Experts
Have questions about compliance and you’re in the cloud? Texas Compliance, LLC has the answers. We’re Texas’ leading provider of security, governance, and cloud compliance services and solutions. Whatever cloud environment you’re in – Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and more – we provide a broad array of services for helping you become and stay compliant. But more than just compliance, we help you truly understand the critical elements of cloud computing.
Texas Compliance, LLC can help architect, deploy, and then audit your entire cloud platform for many of today’s growing compliance mandates. PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOC 1, SOC 2, GLBA, GDPR – do they sound familiar? If so, then you’ve found the right firm with the right skill sets in helping you save thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours on regulatory compliance reporting in the cloud. Call and speak with CPA Christopher Nickell at 1-888-447-2209, ext. 701 today to learn more.
Cloud Computing and Regulatory Compliance – What Texas Businesses Need to Know
With the rapid adoption of the cloud, a massive shift has occurred in the world of regulatory compliance, and that’s cloud compliance. The alphabet soup of compliance – SOC audits, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and dozens more – are a big part of the cloud, which means assessing and auditing internal controls for service organizations begins and ends in the cloud. Is your production environment in Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud? If so, then you’re well aware of the cloud compliance implications, which unfortunately, is where the confusion can begin.
As a Texas business, if you’ve got questions about regulatory compliance in today’s cloud environments – we’ve got answers, and solutions, such as world-class documentation and world-class auditing services.
SaaS
Software as a Service, simply known as SaaS is a cloud computing platform consisting of the following:
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A SaaS platform essentially utilizes the Internet to deliver system and applications that are managed by a third-party vendor and whose interface is accessed on the clients’ side.
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The vast majority of SaaS platforms can be run directly from a web browser without any downloads or installations required, however, in some instances, plugins are often necessary for optimal performance.
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SaaS effectively provides the ability for clients to use a provider’s applications running on a cloud infrastructure, for which such applications are accessible from client devices, including a web browser, a program interface, or something of a similar application.
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It’s relatively easy for businesses to effectively streamline maintenance and support, after all, it’s all managed by vendors. Specifically, the vendors offering SaaS solutions will manage the operating systems, applications, runtime, data, middleware, virtualization, servers, storage, networking, and more.
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Other features of SaaS platforms include the following:
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Software is managed from a central location, delivered in a “one to many” model
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Users are not required to handle software upgrades and patches to the SaaS platform itself.
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Example of SaaS include the following: Dropbox, Google Apps, Salesfore.com, bankofamerica.com, and other similar platforms.
IaaS
Infrastructure as a Service, simply known as IaaS is a cloud computing platform consisting of the following:
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Cloud platform use for compute, storage, and network services that are pre-configured with the minimal amount of systems and related technology to allows users to build and configure to their exact needs.
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Currently, Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure are the two (2) most popular platforms.
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Computing instances/virtual machines can be readily turned on and “spin up” very quickly.
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IaaS platforms generally consist of a “bare bones” environment running an operating system, or one with a preconfigured system or software stack.
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Users of IaaS are therefore responsible for managing the resources on that machine.
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There are many benefits to IaaS, with cost and efficiency of scale being the two (2) biggest. Organizations no longer have to make heavy investments into hardware and software, instead, they can rely on the “infrastructure” of the cloud provider they’re using. Additionally, development and overall “time to market” is much quick and more efficient with IaaS than traditional/older DEV/PROD environments.
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Other advantages include scalability and uptime, key elements for an organization’s success in today’s complex and competitive business arena.
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IaaS environment do generally increase regulatory compliance reporting responsibilities as YOU – the owner of the cloud system – have greater control over the platform. This is generally not the case with SaaS because the actual cloud provider AND the owner of the online SaaS portal is chiefly responsible for its configuration and delivery to end-users, thus, they share a large number of compliance requirements.
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Example of IaaS include the following: Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and other similar platforms.
PaaS
Platform as a Service, simply known as PaaS is a cloud computing platform consisting of the following:
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It’s a cloud-based platform similar to SaaS, but instead of delivering software, it’s essentially providing a platform to actually develop software. While the platform is delivered over the Internet, it nonetheless allows developers the ability to focus primarily on building software and not concerning themselves with operating systems, security and patching updates, and other routine infrastructure issues.
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Advantages of PaaS include the following: (1). Simple and efficient process for developing applications. (2). Is highly scalable, with high availability. (3). Developers can customize applications without maintaining software. (4). Reduction in coding.
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Regarding characteristics of PaaS, they consist of the following: (1). Generally built on virtualized platforms, such as instances. (2). Can easily deploy and test applications. (3). All types of user can easily access the actual development environment.
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Examples of PaaS include the following: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Windows Azure, Heroku, Force.com, Google App Engine, and other similar platforms.
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The Lone Star State Cloud Compliance Leaders
The cloud is growing like never before, and with that comes serious implications in terms of regulatory compliance. Thousands of Texas businesses need compliance reporting done annually, and Texas Compliance, LLC is there to assist every step of the way. We offer comprehensive services and solutions for all types of industries, so contact us today to learn more.
