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How to build and implement a cloud governance framework?

date: 23 January 2025
reading time: 7 min

Looking to efficiently manage your cloud resources while ensuring all necessary policies, processes and controls are in place? Let’s explore how a cloud governance framework can help you unlock the full potential of your cloud infrastructure!


How can I align cloud governance with my organisation’s business goals?

To align cloud governance with your organisation’s business goals, begin by identifying your strategic business objectives and understanding how cloud services can support them. Ensure that your cloud governance policies enhance agility, scalability, security, and cost-effectiveness.

For example, if your goal is rapid growth, your cloud data governance should allow seamless resource expansion without compromising control. Similarly, if cloud security is a top priority, enforce strict measures to protect sensitive data and avoid data breaches.

Additionally, consider the regulatory and legal requirements specific to your industry, data type, and geographic location. Different sectors, such as healthcare, finance, or government, may have stringent data privacy and compliance regulations that impact how cloud governance should be structured.

Read more about cloud compliance:

Aligning cloud governance model with business goals helps create a framework that not only supports growth but drives efficiency and long-term success.


How does cloud governance help in managing cloud computing costs?

Cloud governance is key to managing cloud computing costs by establishing clear policies for resource allocation, usage, and optimisation through automation. While cost optimisation is a natural outcome, the primary goal is to maintain control over cloud resources, ensure policy adherence, and uphold security standards.

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Many of our clients see a return on investment within the two-week assessment, with savings of up to 70% on cloud costs, often recouping the initial $10-15k spend.

Through effective governance, organisations can set limits on cloud consumption, monitor usage, and enforce policies that align with both business and security objectives. It also supports better budgeting and forecasting, helping to avoid unexpected costs by tracking spending in real-time and ensuring resources are used effectively and in compliance with established guidelines.


What are the key components of a cloud governance framework?

A comprehensive cloud governance framework consists of several key components that ensure effective cloud management. They include:

  • Policy management: defining clear guidelines for cloud resource usage to maintain compliance with organisational standards.
  • Data security: establishing protocols to protect sensitive data through encryption, classification, and secure access management.
  • Compliance monitoring: ensuring the cloud environment adheres to relevant regulations and internal policies through audits and automated checks.
  • Access control: regulating user access to cloud resources based on roles, ensuring secure and appropriate permissions.
  • Resource management: optimising the allocation and utilisation of cloud resources to ensure efficiency and scalability.
  • Cost management: implementing mechanisms to track and optimise cloud costs, ensuring budget adherence and cost control.
Key components of a cloud governance framework
Key components of a cloud governance framework


Who should be involved in creating a cloud governance framework?

Building a cloud computing governance framework requires input from several key stakeholders across the organisation. Take into consideration:

  • IT teams which define the technical architecture, ensuring scalability and managing the cloud infrastructure.
  • Security teams who establish security protocols and risk management strategies to safeguard data, ensure privacy, and protect from data breaches.
  • Finance teams who monitor cloud spending, set budgets, and implement cost management strategies.
  • Compliance teams which ensure the cloud environment complies with industry regulations and internal policies.
  • Business units that provide insights into operational needs, ensuring the framework supports business goals with flexibility.


What are the steps in creating an effective cloud governance framework?

Creating an effective cloud governance framework requires a structured approach to ensure it aligns with your organisation’s goals, promotes compliance, and optimises resources.

Here are the essential steps to guide you through the process of building and implementing a successful cloud governance strategy.


Define cloud governance policies, objectives and processes

Begin by establishing clear governance objectives that align with your business goals. Create policies for cloud resource provisioning, access control, change management, incident response, and continuous monitoring to ensure compliance and efficiency.


Create and communicate policies to stakeholders

Develop specific cloud governance policies around resource management, security, and compliance. Clearly communicate the framework’s purpose, objectives, and stakeholder responsibilities to ensure buy-in and collaboration across teams.


Provide training and support for employees

Organise training sessions to familiarise employees with governance policies, best practices, and security protocols. Ongoing support will help ensure employees are equipped to follow the framework and mitigate security risks.


Implement access control and cost management measures

Implement access control systems to regulate cloud resource access based on user roles. Additionally, establish cost management measures to track and optimise cloud spending, ensuring financial discipline.


Monitor, assess, and continuously improve the framework

Set up tools to monitor cloud usage, security, and compliance. Use KPIs to assess the effectiveness of the cloud governance framework and identify areas for improvement. Regular reviews will ensure the framework adapts to evolving needs.

Cloud governance framework
Cloud governance framework


What are the challenges in implementing cloud governance?

Implementing a cloud governance framework can present several challenges that organisations need to address to ensure success. Some of the most common ones include:


Gaining executive buy-in

Securing support from top management can be difficult, especially when cloud governance initiatives require resource investment and long-term commitment.


Ensuring cross-departmental collaboration

Cloud governance involves multiple departments, including IT, security, finance, and compliance. Coordinating these teams and aligning their goals and responsibilities can be complex.


Managing multi-cloud environments

Many organisations use multiple cloud providers, which can make it challenging to standardise governance policies and maintain consistent oversight across different platforms. In multi-cloud environments, each cloud provider may offer distinct tools, features, and compliance requirements, making it difficult to establish a unified governance model.

Organisations must ensure that their cloud governance framework accounts for differences in security controls, access management, data storage policies, and cost management across various cloud platforms. This often requires integrating tools for visibility, monitoring, and reporting across clouds, which can add complexity to both the management and enforcement of governance policies.


Balancing flexibility with control

Cloud environments offer flexibility, but ensuring that teams can operate freely without compromising security or compliance can be tricky. Striking the right balance between enabling innovation and maintaining control is essential for effective cloud governance.

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How can I measure the effectiveness of my cloud governance framework?

Measuring the effectiveness of your cloud governance framework involves tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics that align with your organisation’s objectives.

Some essential metrics to evaluate include:

  • Compliance audit results: regularly review audit findings to ensure the organisation remains compliant with industry regulations and internal policies, demonstrating the framework’s success in maintaining security and legal requirements.
  • Incident response times: measure the time taken to detect, respond to, and resolve incidents related to cloud security or policy violations. Faster response times indicate an effective cloud governance framework.
  • Resource utilisation: monitor how cloud resources are being utilised and if the cloud governance framework is optimising resource allocation to prevent over-provisioning and reduce waste.
  • Policy adherence rates: evaluate how consistently employees and teams follow governance policies, such as access control, security protocols, and data management guidelines, to assess overall compliance.
  • Cost savings: track reductions in cloud spending, optimisation of resource usage, and adherence to budget constraints to assess how well the cloud governance framework manages costs. It’s a very beneficial side effect of the process.


Optimising your cloud environment: partner with Future Processing for expert cloud governance

If you’re ready to enhance your cloud governance processes and drive cloud operations efficiency, Future Processing is here to help. Our experts can guide you through the process of designing, implementing, and optimising your cloud governance framework, ensuring that your organisation stays secure, compliant, and cost-efficient.

Contact us today to learn how we can support you in embarking on an efficient cloud governance journey!

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