Announcing Cloud Audit Academy AWS-specific for audit and compliance teams

Today, I’m pleased to announce the launch of Cloud Audit Academy AWS-specific (CAA AWS-specific). This is a new, accelerated training program for auditing AWS Cloud implementations, and is designed for auditors, regulators, or anyone working within a control framework.

Over the past few years, auditing security in the cloud has become one of the fastest growing questions among Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers, across multiple industries and all around the world. Here are the two pain points that I hear about most often:

• Engineering teams want to move regulatory frameworks compliant workloads to AWS to take advantage of its innovation capabilities, but security and risk teams are uncertain how AWS can help them meet their compliance requirements through audits.
• Compliance teams want to effectively audit the cloud environments and take advantage of the available security control options that are built into the cloud, but the legacy audit processes and control frameworks are built for an on-premises environment. The differences require some reconciliation and improvement work to be done on compliance programs, audit processes, and auditor training.

To help address these issues for not only AWS customers but for any auditor or compliance team facing cloud migration, we announced Cloud Audit Academy Cloud Agnostic (CAA Cloud Agnostic) at re:Inforce 2019. This foundational, first-of-its-kind, course provides baseline knowledge on auditing in the cloud and in understanding the differences in control operation, design, and auditing. It is cloud agnostic and can benefit security and compliance professionals in any industry—including independent third-party auditors. Since its launch in June 2019, 1,400 students have followed this cloud audit learning path, with 91 percent of participants saying that they would recommend the workshop to others.

So today we’re releasing the next phase of that education program, Cloud Audit Academy AWS-specific. Offered virtually or in-person, CAA AWS-specific is an instructor-led workshop on addressing risks and auditing security in the AWS Cloud, with a focus on the security and audit tools provided by AWS. All instructors have professional audit industry experience, current audit credentials, and maintain AWS Solutions Architect credentials.

Here are four things to know about CAA AWS-specific and what it has to offer audit and compliance teams:

1. Content was created with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
   PricewaterhouseCoopers worked with us to develop the curriculum content, bringing their expertise in independent risk and control auditing.
    
   “With so many of our customers already in the cloud—or ready to be—we’ve seen a huge increase in the need to meet regulatory and compliance requirements. We’re excited to have combined our risk and controls experience with the power of AWS to create a curriculum in which customers can not only [leverage AWS to help them] meet their compliance needs, but unlock the total value of their cloud investment.” – Paige Hayes, Global Account Leader at PwC

2. Attendees earn continuing professional education credits
   Based on feedback from CAA Cloud Agnostic, we now offer continuing professional education (CPE) credits to attendees. Completion of CAA AWS-specific will allow attendees to earn 28 CPE credits towards any of the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)², certifications, and 18 CPE credits towards any Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC).

3. Training helps boost confidence when auditing the AWS cloud
   Our customers have proven repeatedly that running sensitive workloads in AWS can be more secure than in on-premises environments. However, a lack of knowledge and updated processes for implementing, monitoring, and proving compliance in the cloud has caused some difficulty. Through CAA AWS-specific, you will get critical training to become more comfortable and confident knowing how to audit the AWS environment with precision.

   “Our FSI customer conversations are often focused on security and compliance controls. Leveraging the Cloud Audit Academy enables our team to educate the internal and external auditors of our customers. CAA provides them the necessary tools and knowledge to evaluate and gain comfort with their AWS control environment firsthand. The varying depth and levels focus on everything from basic cloud auditing to diving deeper into the domains which align with our governance and control domains. We reference key AWS services that customers can utilize to create an effective control environment that [helps to meet their] regulatory and audit expectations.” – Jeff (Axe) Axelrad, Compliance Manager, AWS Financial Services

4. Training enables the governance, risk, and compliance professional
   In four days of CAA AWS-specific, you’ll become more comfortable with topics like control domains, network management, vulnerability management, logging and monitoring, incident response, and general knowledge about compliance controls in the cloud.

   “In addition to [using AWS to help support and maintain their compliance], our customers need to be able to clearly communicate with their external auditors and regulators HOW compliance is achieved. CAA doesn’t teach auditors how to audit, but rather accelerates the learning necessary to understand specifically how the control landscape changes.” – Jesse Skibbe, Sr. Practice Manager, AWS Professional Services

CAA Cloud Agnostic provides some foundational concepts and is a prerequisite to CAA AWS-specific. It is available for free online at our AWS Training and Certification learning library, or you can contact your account manager to have a one-day instructor-led training session in person.

If it sounds like Cloud Audit Academy training would benefit you and your team, contact our AWS Security Assurance Services team or contact your AWS account manager. For more information, check out the newly updated Security Audit Learning Path.

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