Cloud computing has become a major growth area in IT spending, and enterprises must adapt to the changes it brings to maximize the return on investment.

To help organizations worldwide get the most value from the cloud, ISACA issued a new guide outlining how to implement effective controls and governance for cloud computing.

According to the ISACA guide, when enterprises decide to use cloud computing for IT services, business processes are impacted and governance becomes critical to:

• Effectively manage increasing risk
• Ensure continuity of critical business processes that now extend beyond the data center
• Communicate clear enterprise objectives internally and to third parties
• Adapt effectively
• Facilitate continuity of IT knowledge, which is essential to sustain and grow the business
• Handle myriad regulations.

The guide notes that enterprises must ask the following key questions for proper governance of cloud computing:

• What is the enterprise’s expected availability?
• How are identity and access managed in the cloud?
• Where will the enterprise’s data be located?
• What are the cloud service provider’s disaster recovery capabilities?
• How is the security of the enterprise’s data managed?
• How is the whole system protected from Internet threats?
• How are activities monitored and audited?
• What type of certification or assurances can the enterprise expect from the provider?

T Control Objectives for Cloud Computing is available in print (US $60) and e-book (US $50) form. ISACA members can download the e-book free of charge and purchase the print book for US $35.