If you work on a product team, the word “audit” can raise some eyebrows. Businesses assume their cloud setup is secure simply because they follow industry best practices, but that’s exactly why AWS audits are so important! They go beyond basic checklists to uncover hidden risks, compliance gaps, and costly inefficiencies that most teams overlook. Whether you’re aiming to strengthen cloud security, reduce AWS spending, or stay compliant with frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI, regular audits provide the visibility you need.
Before dismissing AWS audits, let’s examine five common myths that prevent companies from effectively protecting their cloud environments.
Myth 1: An AWS Audit isn’t needed because we follow industry best practices.
Industry best practices aren’t always enough. Many industries and organizations are subject to regulatory requirements, including GDPR, HIPAA, PCI, and others. An AWS audit can help you ensure compliance with these regulations and take corrective action if needed.
Myth 2: I’m leveraging the cloud, so risk mitigation is not needed.
An AWS audit identifies vulnerabilities and security weaknesses in your AWS environments that you might otherwise miss. Remember, cloud service responsibilities are shared: AWS manages the software and infrastructure while you handle everything else, including data security. By uncovering additional vulnerabilities, you can address and reduce the risk of data breaches, unauthorized access, and other security incidents.
Myth 3: An AWS Audit is going to cost my organization a ton.
Security breaches and data leaks can be extremely costly, including fines, legal fees, and reputational damage. An audit can help you identify and mitigate these risks, helping your organization avoid future financial losses. Similarly, an audit can also optimize your billing. It can locate wasted and unused resources and opportunities to reduce your monthly bill by switching to lower-tier options for your active services.
Myth 4: Security best practices mean it can’t get any better.
AWS Audits verify that you are following security best practices recommended by AWS, including regular security patching, secure coding, and proper use of AWS services and features. AWS security best practices are at times more robust security measures than your industry standards. Therefore, an audit benchmarks what you’re doing against AWS, allowing you to understand the latest standards and redefine yours accordingly.
Myth 5: Infrastructure security is one and done.
Security is an ongoing process, and an audit provides a baseline for continuous improvement. Regular audits and assessments help you stay ahead of emerging threats and maintain a strong security posture. Conducting an annual audit helps companies stay current with the latest cloud practices, ensuring subsequent audits are more streamlined and cost-effective.
A Helpful Resource
AWS encourages and incentivizes companies to undergo an AWS Well-Architected Framework audit. It is when your infrastructure is audited by an experienced Amazon Web Services Partner Network consultant. As the recipient of an audit, you’ll receive credits to be used on future hosting costs, helping offset what you’ve spent on the audit. They can also help you unlock funding opportunities for your tech startup, so keep this in mind as you consider cloud opportunities.
The Bottom Line / TLDR
AWS audits aren’t something to fear. They help catch issues you didn’t even know existed, save you money, and tighten up your entire cloud ecosystem. Plus, they keep you aligned with changing security standards and best practices without the guesswork. When you check in on your infrastructure regularly, you stay ahead of issues rather than reacting to them.
Contact Uplancer to get started with an AWS audit of your cloud infrastructure today.
