What is Cloud-Based Data Governance?

definition

Cloud Data Governance in Modern Environments

Cloud data governance is the process of managing data policies, access, quality, and compliance in cloud environments. It supports consistent oversight of data regardless of where it is stored or how it is used.

Governance in the cloud must account for different infrastructure models, integrations, and the shared responsibility model. For example, in public cloud services like AWS, the provider manages the infrastructure, but organizations are still responsible for how their data is used and protected. This makes cloud-specific governance tools and policies essential.

Data Quality Best Practices

Best Practices for Data Quality in the Cloud

Cloud data governance helps organizations keep their data usable, accurate, and compliant. With the right tools and processes, teams can manage cloud-based data without losing visibility or control. Here are some important actions to take:

Secure Strategies

Importance of Secure Strategies in Cloud Governance

Cloud governance strategies must address more than data organization and access. Without integrated security and compliance controls, businesses risk exposure to misconfigurations, data misuse, and regulatory penalties.

Privacy regulations like GDPR, CPRA, HIPAA, and others require companies to apply strict rules to how they handle data. Governance frameworks that support secure workflows help reduce the risk of violations by aligning data handling with legal and operational expectations. For global organizations, this often includes managing cross-border data movement and applying geo-restrictions based on residency requirements.

Security controls should be part of the governance process, not separate from it. Aligning governance policies with a company’s security framework – such as zero trust or role-based access control – helps protect sensitive data while maintaining control across environments. This is especially important in hybrid and multi-cloud setups, where inconsistent policies can create weak points.

Secure Data Handling in Hybrid Cloud

Secure Data Handling in Hybrid Cloud: Step-by-Step Guide

Governance for hybrid cloud requires accounting for the security concerns of both public and private clouds. Here’s how to approach it:

1. Define classification standards across environments.
Use consistent tagging and categorization to identify sensitive, regulated, or business-critical data.

2. Apply encryption at rest and in transit.
Use cloud-native encryption tools and key management services to control how data is protected during storage and transfer.

3. Control access based on roles and context.
Use least-privilege policies that limit data access based on job function, location, and device posture.

4. Monitor all access and policy changes.
Use centralized logging and dashboards to track who is accessing what data and when, across cloud and on-prem systems.

5. Integrate governance with DevOps workflows.
Add automated policy checks in CI/CD pipelines to avoid manual gaps in data handling during development and deployment.

Multi-cloud vs. Siloed Processes

Unified Oversight in Multi-cloud vs. Siloed Processes

Multi-cloud strategies require consistent governance policies across all environments. Siloed on-premises processes often lack the integration needed to track and control data that moves between services. Without unified oversight, gaps in monitoring, classification, and access control become more likely.

Cloud governance helps address these challenges by integrating with APIs, automating workflows, and using real-time metadata to apply consistent policies. This approach helps reduce errors and provides better visibility across systems.

On-Premises vs. Cloud-Based Governance

Control Ownership: On-Premises vs. Cloud-Based Governance

Best Practices for Unified Oversight

Best Practices for Unified Oversight in Multi-Cloud Environments

If you operate a multi-cloud environment, we recommend you:

Transitioning to Cloud-Based Governance

Step-by-Step: Transitioning to Cloud-Based Governance

Here are the straightforward steps to take to transition from your current governance model to cloud-based governance.

1. Audit existing on-premises governance processes.
Identify where current controls fall short in terms of visibility, automation, or scalability.

2. Define a common data classification structure.
Standardize metadata and labels across environments to support consistent policy enforcement.

3. Deploy automation tools.
Use orchestration platforms and cloud-native services to apply policies in real time.

4. Integrate monitoring and alerting.
Implement centralized dashboards that track access, changes, and violations across all systems.

5. Update team roles and responsibilities.
Assign governance tasks across departments to support distributed models and reduce reliance on centralized control.

Operational Resilience

Operational Resilience with Cloud Governance

Cloud governance supports operational resilience by giving organizations more control over how data moves, how policies are applied, and how systems respond to change. It allows teams to adapt quickly while maintaining consistency across environments.

Automating Compliance and Audit Processes in the Cloud

Step-by-Step: Automating Compliance and Audit Processes in the Cloud

If would like to automate your compliance and audit processes in the cloud, here’s how:

1. Identify compliance requirements by geography and industry.
Document relevant mandates such as GDPR, CPRA, or HIPAA, and determine which data sets are subject to these rules.

2. Apply policy-as-code across cloud environments.
Use infrastructure-as-code templates to enforce consistent governance policies at deployment.

3. Use automatic tagging and classification tools.
Label data based on content type, use case, and sensitivity level to apply appropriate handling rules.

4. Implement continuous audit checks.
Schedule automated reviews to flag misconfigurations, expired credentials, or access violations across all systems.

5. Centralize reporting and visibility.
Aggregate findings into a shared dashboard to help teams respond faster and track performance over time.

By connecting governance to compliance and operational workflows, organizations gain more control without adding manual overhead. This approach helps reduce the risk of policy drift across environments and supports consistent service delivery under pressure.

Commvault’s Approach

Commvault’s Approach to Cloud Data Governance

Commvault supports unified data governance across cloud and on-prem systems by automating key functions like classification, access control, and retention. This reduces manual tasks and helps apply consistent policies across environments with different risk profiles and infrastructure models.

During cyber incidents, Commvault helps reduce recovery time by connecting policy-based controls with automated backup and restore workflows. These features give teams more control during high-pressure events and help reduce the risk of extended service disruption.

Onboarding and Configuring Commvault Automation

Step-by-Step: Onboarding and Configuring Commvault Automation

Here are the steps to onboarding and configuring Commvault automation.

1. Connect data sources.
Use Commvault connectors and APIs to bring cloud and on-prem systems into a single view.

2. Define governance policies.
Apply templates to set rules for access, retention, and classification aligned with business and compliance needs.

3. Set up automation workflows.
Schedule and execute backup, archive, and replication tasks that follow the governance policies in place.

4. Enable real-time monitoring
Use built-in dashboards and alerts to track compliance, access events, and unusual changes across systems.

5. Adjust policies based on activity and audit results.
Review policy effectiveness using operational and compliance data to refine configurations as needed.