Reflecting on Whether Checklists Can Tick the Box for Cloud Security

All Cloud computing standards are dependent upon checklist methodology to implement and then audit the alignment of a company or an operation with the standards that have been set. An investigation of the use of checklists in other academic areas has shown there to be significant weaknesses in the checklist solution to both implementation and audit, these weaknesses will only be exacerbated by the fast-changing and developing nature of clouds. We examine the problems that are inherent with using checklists and seek to identify some mitigating strategies that might be adopted to improve their efficacy.