Using COBIT 5 for risk to develop cloud computing SLA evaluation templates

Abstract

The use of cloud services as a business solution keeps growing, but there are significant associated risks that must be addressed. Despite the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing, service integration and alignment with existing enterprise architecture remains an ongoing priority. Typically, quality of services provided is outlined in a service level agreement (SLA). A deficient template for evaluating, negotiating and selecting cloud SLAs could result in legal, regulatory, and monetary penalties, in addition to loss of public confidence and reputation. This research emphasizes (or advocates) the implementation of the proposed SLA evaluation template aimed at cloud services, based on the COBIT 5 for Risk framework. A gap analysis of existing SLAs was done to identify loopholes, followed by a resultant template where identified gaps were addressed.