The growth in cloud adoption is nothing short of explosive. In fact, according to IDC, at least 50% of net-new IT spending will be cloud-based, shrinking on-premise enterprise applications by 20%. However, even though the cloud is emerging as the mainstream choice for many businesses, it doesn’t mean that the technology is trusted entirely.
Most IT leaders abide by a fundamental rule in data security: maintain control of the IT environment. Surrendering this authority to a third party creates fear around exchanging data over a public network and increasing vulnerability to cyber attacks. Some worry that adopting the same infrastructure that is used by multiple clients in a variety locations will impede segregated confidentiality. Still, others express concerns over exposure to a variety of legal and regulatory requirements in unfamiliar jurisdictions.
While there is a healthy dose of skepticism within the IT organization, the inherent benefits of the cloud are not going unnoticed. Business and IT leaders both view cloud computing as an opportunity to address increasing complexity, security concerns, and privacy challenges while lowering the cost to maintain it all. Plus, the flexibility of subscription licensing and high scalability allows the business to respond to changing market dynamics and growth opportunities in the moment.
Trust, security, and compliance in the cloud – that’s our commitment to you
Because avoiding cloud technology is no longer an option, businesses should still consider service providers that offer a level of transparency that instills trust through proof of security, ease of access, and audit-ready compliance. For SAP, these capabilities come in the form of SAP Cloud Trust Center, which was launched as a public Web site during SAPPHIRE NOW.
SAP Cloud Trust Center delivers transparent status and information across five main areas of concern:
1. Cloud service status
Real-time insight into the performance of any system landscape is essential, especially when it comes to the cloud. SAP Cloud Trust Center empowers the IT organization to prepare for future business needs and optimize resources with 24x7 access to system availability, insight into potential downtime and maintenance, and awareness of upcoming releases.
2. Compliance
Customers expect cloud solutions that meet the latest data security standards. In response, we provide a consistent service that meets customer and applicable regulatory requirements through an integrated framework based on several international standards.
Compliance standards are regularly checked through external reviews and audits and follow one standard framework for data security and privacy regulations worldwide. As demonstrated on SAP Cloud Trust Center, secure operation of our services is enabled by continuous improvement and nonconformity prevention. All cloud units are certified under the guidance of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and British Standards (BS), which is audited annually by our certification body.
3. Security in the cloud
Ironclad information security is a critical attribute for on-premise, cloud, and mobile environments. For this reason, we work continuously to strengthen and improve security features in all of our software and service offerings, while protecting our own company and assets. SAP Cloud Trust Center provides details on product security, cybersecurity, and physical safeguards such as hardware-failure contingency plans, fire protection, building reinforcement, data provisions, backup activities, and intrusion detection.
4. Data protection and privacy
SAP protects the rights of employees, applicants, customers, suppliers, partners, and all other persons by preserving data ownership, protection, and privacy throughout the processing and use of information. Existing and potential cloud customers can rest assure that the cloud infrastructure complies with applicable data protection and privacy laws by reviewing the global policy for handling personal data, requirements for all processing and access to personal data, and clear responsibilities and organizational structures.
5. Cloud contract agreements
The contract for cloud services from SAP consists of three main building blocks: Order form, data processing agreement, and general terms and conditions. To maintain simplicity, each of these agreements is generally the same for any cloud service on our price list, while the cloud service description is a product-specific collection of terms. At any point in the purchase cycle, businesses can review each part of the contract anytime, anywhere.
Your business is built on trust, and you expect the same from all of your vendors. As a leading software provider and a cloud company, we’re dedicated to building – and keeping – our customers’ trust. With open and straightforward access to cloud-related processes and availability of all fundamental aspects of business-enabling technologies, SAP Cloud Trust Center accelerates the decision making process of prospective and current customers. All of the information buyers need and want are accessible anytime, anywhere.
Explore the transparency and ease of SAP Cloud Trust Center. Visit us at
https://www.sap.com/cloud-trust-center
