Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Cybersecurity

    Google Outlines Incident Response Process for Cloud Customers

    By
    Jaikumar Vijayan
    -
    September 13, 2018
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Google cloud

      In its ongoing campaign to build trust through transparency, Google this week released a white paper describing the company’s process for responding to incidents impacting the confidentiality, integrity or availability of customer data.

      The paper shows that Google has implemented a four-phased approach for responding to data incidents, which it describes as a breach of Google security that results in the disclosure, alteration or destruction of customer data in its care.

      The first stage involves incident identification. This is the stage when Google’s automated and manual processes detect potential vulnerabilities and incidents and report it back to Google’s incident response team.

      The second phase involves response coordination. Members of a triage team evaluate the incident report, make an initial assessment of its severity and assign an incident commander to lead the response. The commander is responsible for assembling an incident response team from relevant groups, based on a more detailed assessment of the original incident report.

      At this point the response process shifts to the incident resolution phase. Members of the response team are responsible for investigating the incident, gathering relevant facts and figuring out what additional resources might be necessary to contain the incident.

      A designated operation lead is responsible for implementing measures to contain damage, fix the issue that caused the breach, and restore impact systems and services. A communication lead separately assesses the incident to determine if the breach triggered any notification requirements and develops a communication plan if that indeed happens to be the case.

      The fourth phase is when members of the response team assess the incident and the response to it to see if there are any lessons to be learned and to be applied from them.

      Google’s incident response team itself comprises members from across multiple specialized functions. It can include members that are specialists in cloud incident management, site reliability engineering, cloud security and privacy, signals detection, digital forensics, customer support and legal.

      “Every data incident is unique, and the goal of the data incident response process is to protect customers’ data, restore normal service as quickly as possible, and meet both regulatory and contractual compliance requirements,” said Noela Nakos, lead technical program manager at Google, in a blog Sept. 12.

      Effective response is key to managing and recovering from incidents and preventing future ones. The combination of subject matter experts and the processes that Google uses ensures that incidents are mitigated quickly, Nakos said.

      Importantly, Google has also implemented a continuous improvement process as part of its incident response program. The goal is to use each incident to gain new insights for preventing such incidents and to improve the tools and processes that Google uses to ensure the security and privacy of customer data, Nakos noted.

      Google’s efforts at greater transparency are part of a broader effort to assuage customer concerns about the security of data in the cloud. Just this week, for instance, the company announced general availability of a tool that gives companies a way to monitor and audit access to their data by Google’s administrators and support staff. Google also has for several years now been making available a so-called Transparency Report giving details on requests for customer data by government and law enforcement officials in the United States and elsewhere.

      Jaikumar Vijayan
      Vijayan is an award-winning independent journalist and tech content creation specialist covering data security and privacy, business intelligence, big data and data analytics.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×