A CISO’s Roadmap to Cloud-Native vs. Traditional Compliance
Discover how your company can bridge traditional compliance frameworks with cloud-native standards.
Cloud-native applications have transformed how organizations build and deliver software. By leveraging the scalability and flexibility of the cloud, businesses increasingly develop and deploy solutions faster, more efficiently, and at lower cost.
This shift has transformed industries, but it also presents new security and compliance challenges that legacy frameworks never anticipated.
Cybersecurity needs to adapt alongside this move towards cloud technologies. Relying on static controls and annual audits leaves gaps that attackers can exploit well before organizations can detect them.
Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) face the dual challenge of adapting security practices to dynamic, cloud-first environments. Additionally, companies must still demonstrate compliance to regulators, customers, and partners.
For years, organizations have relied on frameworks like SOC 2 and ISO 27001 to demonstrate accountability and maturity. These traditional standards remain essential, but they cannot fully address the risks that cloud-native environments create.
As organizations increasingly migrate their infrastructure to the cloud, newer models like CSA STAR have emerged to address the realities of cloud-native security.
The roadmap for CISOs, therefore, involves bridging these two worlds: ensuring compliance with established standards while implementing adaptive, intelligence-driven, and cloud-native strategies.
Traditional Compliance as the Foundation
Traditional frameworks such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001 remain critical to an organization’s credibility.
SOC 2 Overview
SOC 2, widely adopted in North America, is particularly suitable for service providers and SaaS companies that need to demonstrate robust security practices to clients. Its five Trust Service Principles (security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy) offer a flexible framework that organizations can tailor to their specific risk profiles.
ISO 27001
ISO 27001 is a widely recognized standard that provides a structured framework for creating and maintaining an Information Security Management System (ISMS). It goes beyond the trust service principles by demanding formal risk assessments and continuous improvement cycles.
For multinational organizations, ISO 27001 offers both international credibility and an integrated approach to risk management.
These frameworks form the bedrock of compliance. They assure customers, regulators, and partners that an organization has not only considered its risks but also established the governance structures to manage them.
However, while essential, they are not enough on their own to address the speed and complexity of modern threats.
The Rise of Cloud-Native Standards
As organizations shift to the cloud, we’re seeing a different set of requirements emerge. Legacy compliance standards were not designed with cloud-native architectures in mind, and this is where the Cloud Security Alliance’s STAR program fills the gap.
The CSA STAR expands on the principles of ISO 27001 but adapts them for cloud environments. Its multi-level framework, from self-assessments to ongoing third-party audits, enables organisations to show both compliance and transparency. This is especially vital in environments where infrastructure is elastic, distributed, and often outsourced.
For businesses that are either born in the cloud or undergoing rapid cloud transformation, CSA STAR provides a way to reassure clients and regulators that you are addressing cloud-specific risks.
In this way, CSA STAR does not replace SOC 2 or ISO 27001 but complements them, providing the cloud-native counterpart to traditional compliance frameworks.
Choosing the Right Frameworks
CISOs often face the practical question: Which compliance framework is most appropriate for us? The answer depends on geography, industry, and business model.
- Organizations with a strong North American presence and frequent vendor risk assessments often find SOC 2 unavoidable.
- Global enterprises or those with complex governance requirements typically gravitate toward ISO 27001.
- Cloud service providers benefit most from CSA STAR, particularly when clients demand evidence of cloud-specific assurances.
Rather than treating these frameworks as competing obligations, many CISOs now pursue alignment. By mapping controls across SOC 2, ISO 27001, and CSA STAR, organizations can eliminate redundancy and create a unified compliance strategy. This reduces audit fatigue and also creates a single operational backbone that serves both traditional and cloud-native requirements.
A Quick Comparison
Beyond Compliance: Building Adaptive Security
Compliance frameworks, while helpful, are often retrospective in nature. They confirm what was true at the time of the audit, but cannot guarantee readiness against tomorrow’s attack.
Adversaries, by contrast, are adaptive. They change tactics quickly, exploit legitimate system tools in “living off the land” attacks, and take advantage of the blind spots that static controls inevitably leave.
This is why CISOs must treat compliance as the foundation, not the finish line. A modern roadmap integrates traditional and cloud-native standards with adaptive, intelligence-led strategies.
This approach emphasizes:
- Continuous monitoring and analytics that move beyond point-in-time checks.
- Threat intelligence that provides early warning of adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).
- Cloud-native tools, such as scalable SIEMs and automated SOAR platforms, enable faster detection and response.
By layering adaptive defences on top of compliance frameworks, CISOs transform standards from static checklists into living systems that evolve alongside threats.
A CISO’s Roadmap
To make the discussion more concrete, consider a roadmap for CISOs who want to bridge traditional and cloud-native compliance:
- Establish a compliance foundation based on SOC 2 or ISO 27001, depending on your unique business requirements and location.
- Introduce CSA STAR to address cloud-native needs and enhance transparency in cloud-first settings.
- Map controls across frameworks to streamline evidence collection and minimize duplication.
- Embed adaptive security measures such as continuous monitoring, proactive threat intelligence, and automated response.
- Invest in advanced tools and training to turn compliance obligations into tangible, real-world resilience.
- Foster operational excellence by maintaining rigorous patch management, testing incident response plans, and cultivating a culture of security awareness across the enterprise.
Turning Compliance into Competitive Advantage
Traditional compliance frameworks such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001 provide organizations with credibility, structure, and assurance. Cloud-native standards such as CSA STAR extend that assurance into environments that are more dynamic and distributed.
For CISOs, the challenge—and the opportunity—is not to select one framework over another, but to build a bridge that integrates them into a unified, adaptable roadmap.
By combining the credibility of traditional compliance with the flexibility of cloud-native standards and by layering intelligence-led defences on top, organizations can achieve more than compliance. They can achieve resilience.
And resilience, more than any single framework, is what will determine whether enterprises can withstand the next wave of cyber threats.
At Securisea, we help organizations turn compliance into a strategic advantage by aligning established frameworks like SOC 2 and ISO 27001 with cloud-native standards such as CSA STAR. From readiness and gap assessments to complete audits and continuous monitoring, we make sure businesses can meet the demands of today’s security frameworks and tomorrow’s challenges.
Talk to a Securisea specialist today and build a roadmap that turns compliance into resilience.
Secure Software Development Attestation Form
On March 11, 2024 the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), released the final version of its common Secure Software Development Attestation Form.
If your organization sells software to the US government, this release has some extremely important implications.
The form is being used by Government agencies to fulfill requirements set forth in recent OMB memorandum requiring those agencies to ensure that the software they use is secure by requiring attestations from software developers.
“Failure to provide any of the information requested may result in the agency no longer utilizing the software at issue. Willfully providing false or misleading information may constitute a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001, a criminal statute.” - CISA
The release of the final Secure Software Development Attestation Form triggered a countdown wherein agencies need to begin collection of the forms within three months for “critical software” and within six months for all other software.
- “Critical Software” Deadline - June 11, 2024
- All other Software Deadline - September 11, 2024
The self-attestation form states that “A third-party assessment must be performed by a Third Party Assessor Organization (3PAO) that has either been FedRAMP certified or approved in writing by an appropriate agency official. The 3PAO must use relevant NIST Guidance that includes all elements outlined in this form as part of the assessment baseline.
Securisea is a FedRAMP 3PAO (Third Party Assessment Organization) with 18+ years’ experience helping organizations certify their ability to meet stringent security standards. In May 2020, A2LA accredited Securisea as the first FedRAMP 3PAO to be certified through a new process that requires organizations to first become accredited by A2LA's Cybersecurity Inspection Body Program, demonstrate compliance with cybersecurity program requirements for a year, and then transitioning to the FedRAMP program.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Has Securisea conducted any CISA Secure Software Development Attestation assessments? Can Securisea evaluate conformance to all elements in this form? Yes - we have conducted CISA Secure Software Development Attestation assessments for other organizations.
- As a 3PAO, is Securisea able to use relevant NIST Guidance that includes all elements outlined in this form as the assessment baseline? Yes - we are able to use relevant NIST Guidance in completing this form.
- What is Securisea’s process for conducting the assessment? Our process involves interviewing an organization’s software engineers and reviewing the output of their various procedures that address each of the attestation form's requirements.
- Approximately how long does each attestation take? The overall timeline will depend on how organized and responsive your organization can be throughout the process, but on average can be completed in just a few months.
Why Securisea?
Securisea is one of only a handful of audit firms in the world certified to provide CSA STAR, ISO27001 and 27701, SOC2, SOC1, PCI DSS, FedRAMP/StateRAMP 3PAO, HITRUST & HIPAA assessments all under one roof. Their integrated compliance approach allows clients to leverage existing security controls from other frameworks directly into each engagement, reducing overhead and work duplication.
- Broadly certified and trusted by clients
- 18+ years of successful engagements
- Remote presence across the US & Canada
- Capable and experienced technical team
- Strive toward client satisfaction
- Engagement process structured toward maximum simplicity
- Flexibility with existing systems, tools, and with scheduling
- Awarded a seat as a GEAR Advisor by PCI Council
Success Story: Altair + Securisea
Altair selected Securisea in 2023 to support its ISO/IEC 27001:2022 initial certification audit. Previously, Altair achieved various other compliance certifications, but this was its first foray into ISO 27001. As a global technology company, Altair takes information security seriously and sought achieving ISO 27001 certification to follow the latest global information security frameworks. Additionally, for Altair’s enterprise-level customers, having ISMS certification is becoming more important. In a world where the security boundaries between client and vendor are blurring, an ISMS demonstrates Altair's commitment to information security.
Altair told our team that they had seen many different platform options for assisting with ISO 27001 certification, but they wanted experienced, talented people working on their audit - not just a software platform. They shared that they were looking for collaborative auditors who would both give them a “fair crack of the whip” to drive good business behaviors, but at the same time provide the guidance and feedback they needed to ultimately achieve certification at the end of the process.
Our team at Securisea thoroughly enjoyed working with Altair. The audit process presented some real logistical and language challenges, which we were able to accommodate with ease. Altair has over 3,000 engineers, scientists and other team members spread across 29 countries. They have experienced, tenured professionals that were prepared, and able to quickly tackle any roadblocks that we discovered along the way. Securisea has personnel on the ground globally, which allows us to quickly adapt to country-specific needs and requests, while remaining agile and moving the certification process forward in a timely manner.
Despite their rapid growth, many acquisitions, and large global footprint, Altair has a tremendous open and collaborative culture, with some very security-minded controls in place that made this team a pleasure to work with, and we can’t wait to tackle our next project together.
Securisea Attains “STAR Attestation Auditor” Certification from Cloud Security Alliance
Firm offers SOC2, ISO + CSA STAR Audits
(Annapolis, MD, May 28, 2024) Securisea, a leading provider of security and compliance services, announced today that they have achieved CSA STAR Attestation (Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk) Auditor Listing from the Cloud Security Alliance. STAR encompasses the key principles of transparency, rigorous auditing, and harmonization of standards outlined in the Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM). Publishing to the registry allows organizations to show current and potential customers their security and compliance posture, including the regulations, standards, and frameworks they adhere to.
Securisea is one of only a handful of audit firms in the world certified to provide CSA STAR, ISO27001 and 27701, SOC2, SOC1, PCI DSS, FedRAMP/StateRAMP 3PAO, HITRUST & HIPAA assessments all under one roof. Their integrated compliance approach allows clients to leverage existing security controls from other frameworks directly into each engagement, reducing overhead and work duplication.
Founded in 2006, Securisea provides audit support for organizations of all sizes, from startups to some of the world’s most security-minded technology companies. Their customers rely on them to continue to evolve to meet an ever-changing security and compliance landscape, while maintaining a high level of expertise, responsiveness, and customer service to every unique engagement.
“We are thrilled to be able to add STAR Attest Audit services to our expanding portfolio of security and compliance offerings,” said Josh Daymont, CEO of Securisea.
“Our clients choose us again and again because of the efficiencies they can achieve with multiple assessments through a single auditor. Expanding our offerings to include STAR Attestation Audits, in combination with our strong team of experts, will fuel our growth in the years ahead.”
About Securisea
Securisea is a leading provider of security and compliance services, helping companies secure their sensitive data and systems. With a personalized approach to customer service and a deep understanding of the unique needs of large enterprise companies, Securisea has built a reputation for delivering reliable, effective, and efficient security and compliance solutions.
For more information, please visit http://www.securisea.com.
Contact Information:
Josh Daymont, CEO
sales@securisea.com
1 877-563-4230
Press Release: Securisea Authorized as HITRUST External Assessor, Expands its Range of Security and Compliance Services
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 25, 2023 -- Securisea, a leading provider of security and compliance services, is proud to announce that it has become an approved HITRUST External Assessor. As a HITRUST External Assessor service provider, Securisea can now offer its clients a more comprehensive range of security and compliance services, including assessment and audit services associated with the HITRUST Assurance Program and the HITRUST CSF comprehensive security framework.
"We are extremely proud to have become an authorized HITRUST External Assessor," - Josh Daymont, CEO of Securisea.
Founded in 2006, Securisea has a wealth of experience in helping companies secure their sensitive data and systems. With a personalized approach to customer service and a deep understanding of the unique needs of large enterprise companies, Securisea has built a reputation for delivering reliable, effective, and efficient security and compliance solutions.
The HITRUST authorization demonstrates Securisea's commitment to providing its clients with the highest security and compliance standards. HITRUST is a leading healthcare information security framework and one of the industry's most widely recognized and respected security standards. The authorization ensures that Securisea has the knowledge, experience, and resources to help its clients meet the complex security and compliance requirements of the healthcare sector.
"We are extremely proud to have become an authorized HITRUST External Assessor," said Josh Daymont, CEO of Securisea.
"This is a testament to our team's hard work and dedication, and we believe that it will help us better serve our clients and meet their evolving security and compliance needs."
Adding HITRUST authorization to Securisea's portfolio of services enhances their team's ability to help security and technology executives at large enterprise companies ensure that their sensitive data is protected. With its commitment to providing personalized, high-quality security and compliance services, Securisea is well-positioned to help its clients navigate the rapidly changing security and compliance landscape.
About Securisea
Securisea is a leading provider of security and compliance services, helping companies secure their sensitive data and systems. With a personalized approach to customer service and a deep understanding of the unique needs of large enterprise companies, Securisea has built a reputation for delivering reliable, effective, and efficient security and compliance solutions.
For more information, please visit http://www.securisea.com
Josh Daymont, Securisea, http://www.securisea.com,
1 877-563-4230, sales@securisea.com
Press Release: Securisea Becomes First FedRAMP 3PAO Accredited Through New Process
In June of 2018, A2LA initiated a new system for third-party assessment organizations (3PAOs) seeking to become FedRAMP accredited. Under this system, any organization seeking to become an accredited 3PAO must first become accredited to A2LA’s Cybersecurity Inspection Body Program. Organizations accredited to this program will spend approximately one year demonstrating their adherence to the requirements of the cybersecurity program before opting to transition to the FedRAMP program. This two-step process serves to first establish a level of more generalized technical competence in the cybersecurity field before organizations are considered for the more specialized FedRAMP program. We are pleased to announce that San Francisco-based information security company Securisea is the first company to achieve FedRAMP accreditation through this newly implemented A2LA process.
Securisea is an information security company that provides a diverse array of consulting and training services. They gained their initial accreditation under the cybersecurity program in July of 2019, and thanks to promptness and diligence on their part they achieved FedRAMP 3PAO accreditation just under a year later. Securisea made the decision to pursue accreditation to A2LA’s cybersecurity program shortly after it was launched in 2018, and many other organizations have now also achieved accreditation. Several companies not seeking to become 3PAOs are also now accredited through the cybersecurity program, as it provides confirmation from an independent third party that the organization is competent and compliant, which serves as a valuable competitive advantage in their field.
For those organizations like Securisea who are pursuing FedRAMP 3PAO accreditation, the newer two-phase approach streamlines and clarifies their overall process, in addition to supporting the stringent FedRAMP requirements. Accreditation to A2LA’s Cybersecurity Inspection Body Program establishes an organization’s competence in the cybersecurity field based on the requirements of ISO/IEC 17020, the international standard for inspection bodies, as well as the relevant program specific requirements. Maintaining this accreditation involves continuous monitoring that supports an organization’s readiness to move forward with the more stringent FedRAMP accreditation requirements.
For more information about Securisea and the services they provide, please visit securisea.com. To learn about A2LA’s Cybersecurity Inspection Body Program and the FedRAMP 3PAO Accreditation Program, visit A2LA.org or contact us directly through our online contact form.
