Building a Secure Cloud Essentials

Welcome to the first post in a series dedicated to helping you securely set up and manage cloud environments on Amazon Web Services (AWS). As a seasoned security and technology professional, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges organizations face when balancing innovation with robust security practices.

In this series, I’ll be diving into how to establish technical controls in AWS that align with leading industry standards such as:

  • National Institute of Standards and Technology)
  • ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
  • CIS (Center for Internet Security)

These frameworks provide the foundation for a secure and compliant cloud infrastructure, regardless of your organization’s size or maturity.

Why Focus on DevOps?
Modern application development thrives on automation, speed, and scalability—principles at the heart of DevOps. However, with this comes the need to secure pipelines from development to deployment. We’ll explore how to:

  • Protect your CI/CD pipelines.
  • Integrate security seamlessly into your DevOps workflows.
  • Automate compliance checks and security baselines.

What You Can Expect
In upcoming posts, I’ll guide you step-by-step through:

  1. Setting up a secure AWS environment from scratch.
  2. Configuring security baselines using AWS native tools and third-party integrations.
  3. Building pipelines that prioritize security without sacrificing agility.
  4. Mapping cloud configurations and processes to standards like NIST 800-53, ISO/IEC 27001, and CIS Benchmarks.

I also plan to expand this blog into video tutorials to provide a more interactive learning experience. While videos are on the horizon, this blog will be a foundational resource for cloud security enthusiasts, practitioners, and DevOps teams.

Stay tuned for actionable insights, practical examples, and best practices to help you build a secure, scalable, and compliant AWS environment. Let’s navigate the complexities of cloud security together!

Your Input Matters
What challenges have you faced in securing AWS or your DevOps pipelines? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments, and I’ll incorporate them into future posts.

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