To understand current cloud infrastructure (IaaS) utilization and management practices, SailPoint, in partnership with dimensional research, surveyed executives and governance professionals who are directly involved with IaaS compliance and governance.

The report reviews the global research survey which investigates current issues, risks, and challenges with IaaS environments as well as the tools used to manage access and governance of those environments. 

In addition, the report found that a large majority (74%) of companies use more than one IaaS provider, with some companies reporting using as many as seven and eight – which can lead to significant security issues. Other main takeaways from the research include:

• Security, Compliance and Audit Issues Fueled by Visibility and Control Deficiencies -

• Compliance, audit, and security issues top challenges with IaaS environments
• 97% of companies experience problems managing IaaS access 
• 45% have dealt with cyber security attacks and 25% experienced a data breach 
• Nearly 1/3 of companies are managing access with different teams

• Governance and Access Processes Lacking -

• 91% of companies require manual processes to prepare user access reports for IaaS environments 
• Over 1/3 of companies do not perform governance reviews of IaaS user access and 32% admit they should 
• Surprisingly, 82% believe they have an acceptable user access control over their IaaS platforms which is counter to prior findings

This represents a significant disconnect between actual compliance issues and the business risks the company is experiencing. Companies looking to minimize risk and increase efficiencies need to look at optimizing governance processes, as well as upgrading and consolidating tools that manage IaaS access and control. 

To read the report, please click here.