A Comparison of IT Governance & Control Frameworks in Cloud Computing

Abstract

Providing the appropriate level and type of IT governance and controls in a cloud computing environment is a new challenge facing many CIOs and their organizations. This paper provides a comparison of several of the existing control frameworks, including: CobiT, COSO, ITIL, ENIA, and ISO 27000. While there are many commonalities among these frameworks, the authors identify the key components of each model as they relate specifically to the cloud computing environment. Governance in the cloud requires defining policies and implementing an organizational structure with well-defined roles for the responsibility of information technology management, business processes, and applications. Best practice IT governance considerations proffered by Weill and Ross, ITGI, and others are then included into our cloud framework. Finally, the IT Cloud Governance Dial is presented in this paper, which identifies the necessary steps for implementing the appropriate IT governance for a cloud environment.