A Guide to Cloud Security Assessment and Altium 365 Certifications

The cloud has become an integral part of businesses, offering scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency. However, as organizations increasingly migrate their data and business operations there, addressing potential security risks is top of mind. Cloud security assessment is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of safeguarding controls of your organization's data, reputation, and future. In this article, we look at the importance of cloud security assessment and its benefits, revealing also what certifications uphold the security of your data in Altium 365—your agile electronics development platform.

The Importance of Cloud Security Assessment

Cloud security assessment scrutinizes the safety measures of cloud-based infrastructure, services, applications, and data, specifying possible threats and weak points. This examination employs a range of security evaluation techniques and instruments to gauge the robustness of cloud defenses and verify if they adequately guard against unauthorized entries, data compromises, and other cyber threats. Either in-house security units or external security agencies can undertake these evaluations. Such assessments can be a singular event or a recurring part of a systematic review and testing strategy to maintain the enduring protection of cloud platforms. Cloud security assessments safeguard your intellectual property, ensure business continuity, and build trust with stakeholders.

What Are the Benefits of Cloud Security Assessment?

As an experienced engineer, you know the intricacies and nuances of electronic design and lifecycle management. The shift towards cloud-based solutions for managing these processes offers numerous advantages, from real-time collaboration to efficient version control. But with this digital transition comes the paramount importance of cloud security. Check the advantages of relying on a tested solution.

Safeguarding Intellectual Property

Your work often involves complex designs, proprietary algorithms, and sometimes even patented methodologies. Ensuring the safety of this data in the cloud is non-negotiable. Cloud security assessments delve deep into the platform's architecture, identifying potential vulnerabilities that could compromise your work's integrity, like possible breaches, unauthorized access, or theft.

Ensuring Business Continuity

It's essential that your workflow remains uninterrupted. Assessments signal that your lifecycle management platform is designed to minimize disruptions, ensuring you can meet your project timelines and avoid unexpected costs to maintain the smooth operation of your business. 

Trusting Your Tools

When you invest time and resources into a cloud solution, you want assurance that your data and designs are in safe hands. Assessments are commitments to your data's security. Knowing that your tool is tested and certified gives you the peace of mind to focus on what you do best—developing electronic innovations.

Staying Compliant with Ease

Tested cloud solutions with third-party certifications can help you stay compliant with industry regulations. This means less time worrying about compliance and more time dedicated to your core projects.

Why Is Cloud Security Certification Important?

Cloud security certifications are formal recognitions provided by independent bodies to validate that specific cloud solutions meet and maintain established security and compliance standards. Such certifications are rigorous attestations of a platform's commitment to safeguarding your electronic designs, schematics, and data. 

When a solution holds a cloud security certification, it signifies that it has been vetted against global security standards and has met the criteria. It's a beacon of trust, assuring you that your intellectual property assets are shielded from potential cyber threats. 

Moreover, in an industry bound by stringent regulations and compliance mandates, a certified solution ensures you navigate this landscape without legal pitfalls. Also, your stakeholders—be it clients, partners, or collaborators—derive confidence from these recognitions, knowing their data is handled with utmost security. 

What Are Altium 365 Certifications?

At Altium, we understand these challenges, and that’s why Altium 365 meets rigorous security standards. This electronics development platform turns the siloed processes into a smooth collaboration between engineers, system architects, product managers, procurement, and manufacturers in a safe cloud environment.

CSA STAR Level 1: Self-Assessment

The Security, Trust, Assurance, and Risk (STAR) program is an initiative by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) designed to offer a robust assurance framework for cloud computing. Altium 365 has achieved CSA's STAR Level 1, which is a self-attestation of compliance with the Cloud Control Matrix (CCM) controls, commonly known as the CAIQ. Altium 365 is thus listed in the STAR Registry.

SOC 2 Type 2 Attestation

Altium 365 is also Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type 2 attested, which confirms we uphold the highest standards of data and systems security for the security principle. This cybersecurity compliance framework was developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and requires businesses to undergo an audit by an external AICPA-accredited auditor.

After successfully completing the SOC 2 Type 1 audit, we proactively sought to undergo the subsequent SOC 2 Type 2 evaluation. While SOC 2 Type 1 focuses on the design of security procedures at a particular moment, the Type 2 report delves into how effective these controls are over a defined duration (usually 3-12 months). Essentially, the Type 1 assessment lays the groundwork for strong controls, whereas the Type 2 assessment demonstrates their consistent performance and efficacy over an extended period.

Visit Trust Center

Cloud security assessments and certifications are not mere formalities but are foundational to ensuring cloud platforms' integrity, reliability, and trustworthiness. Always choose solutions that are proven to protect your sensitive information. With Altium 365, you can confidently forge ahead, knowing your electronic endeavors are built on a platform that values security as much as you do. 

For more information, visit our Trust Center, where you can learn more about the security and compliance features of Altium 365.