Glossary

Cloud assets encompass a diverse range of IT resources and components that are leveraged for cloud computing purposes within an organization’s digital infrastructure. These assets include virtual or physical servers, storage systems, databases, networking infrastructure, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications that are hosted and managed within cloud environments, such as public, private, or hybrid clouds.

Unlike traditional on-premises IT assets, cloud assets are provisioned, deployed, and accessed over the internet, offering scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness to organizations seeking to leverage cloud computing technologies for their business operattations. Given the dynamic nature of cloud computing, where resources can be rapidly provisioned and scaled to meet changing demands, virtually any IT element within an organization’s IT ecosystem has the potential to become a cloud asset if it contributes to operations in the cloud. This includes legacy applications and infrastructure that have been migrated to cloud environments, as well as new applications and services developed specifically for cloud deployment.

Cloud assets play a crucial role in enabling digital transformation initiatives, supporting agile development practices, and driving innovation across various industries and sectors. However, they also introduce unique security challenges and considerations, including data privacy concerns, regulatory compliance requirements, and the need to implement robust security controls and access management mechanisms to protect sensitive information and mitigate cyber threats. Cloud attack surface has to be uniquely addressed when creating security policies.

As organizations continue to embrace cloud computing as a strategic IT model, it becomes increasingly important to effectively manage and secure cloud assets, ensure compliance with relevant standards and regulations, and implement comprehensive cloud security strategies to safeguard critical business assets and data in an evolving threat landscape. By adopting proactive measures and best practices for cloud asset management and security, organizations can optimize the benefits of cloud computing while mitigating the associated risks and vulnerabilities effectively.