Know Your System’s Dataflow

Often, managers and developers think of a cloud solution as a black box—meaning, they know what the system does but not how it does it. Chapter 15, “Governing the Cloud,” discusses the role of internal controls in providing stakeholders with confidence, first and foremost, that a solution works correctly; second, that the solution cannot be manipulated by external factors; and third, that the solution is auditable.

Managers should create a detailed process-flow diagram, as shown in FIGURE 12-4, that shows the movement of company data throughout the cloud solution. They should also identify within the dataflow various points for the placement of internal controls or auditing.