Cloud Maturity Model

Why Use a Cloud Maturity Model?

Cloud security demands more than reactive measures; it requires a systematic approach to build resilience across every layer of your infrastructure. A cloud maturity model provides the framework to transform scattered security efforts into a cohesive strategy that evolves with your organization.

Organizations face mounting pressure to secure data across multiple cloud environments while maintaining operational efficiency. The path forward lies in understanding where you stand today and mapping a clear route to advanced security capabilities.

By adopting a cloud security maturity model, security teams can identify gaps, prioritize investments, and build defenses that adapt to emerging threats. This approach transforms cloud security from a compliance checkbox into a strategic advantage.

What is Cloud Maturity Model?

A cloud maturity model (CMM) is a structured framework that helps organizations assess and advance their cloud capabilities through defined evolutionary stages. These models provide tiered approaches to securing public, private, or hybrid cloud environments by establishing clear benchmarks for progress.

Modern cloud computing maturity models integrate zero-trust architecture as a core component to mitigate threats and enforce strict identity controls. Zero-trust principles eliminate implicit trust by requiring continuous verification of every user, device, and application attempting to access resources. This approach becomes particularly critical as organizations expand their cloud footprint across multiple platforms.

Maturity levels vary significantly based on organization size, industry requirements, and cloud provider specifications. AWS security considerations, for instance, require understanding the AWS shared responsibility model, where AWS manages security of the cloud while customers manage security in the cloud. Financial services organizations might prioritize compliance-driven maturity stages, while startups focus on rapid scaling capabilities.

A comprehensive maturity model integrates three essential elements: technology infrastructure, operational processes, and team expertise. Organizations commonly apply these frameworks across multiple domains including cloud adoption strategies, security posture improvement, cloud-native development practices, and hybrid or private cloud optimization. Each domain requires specific considerations but follows similar progression patterns from basic implementation to advanced automation.

Use a Cloud Maturity Model?

Structured maturity stages provide organizations with a roadmap to reduce risk while helping to maintain regulatory compliance. Each stage builds upon previous achievements, creating a foundation for sustainable cloud operations. This systematic approach transforms cloud migration from a technical exercise into a business transformation initiative.

A maturity model enables precise gap analysis and investment prioritization by revealing exactly where your organization stands vs. where it needs to be. Security teams can identify critical vulnerabilities, compliance gaps, and operational inefficiencies through objective assessment criteria. This clarity helps justify budget allocations and demonstrates tangible progress to stakeholders.

Zero-trust security plays a pivotal role in advanced maturity stages by restricting lateral movement through continuous authentication and micro-segmentation. Traditional perimeter-based security fails in cloud environments where resources span multiple providers and regions. Zero-trust implementation requires organizations to verify every access request, monitor all activities, and enforce least-privilege principles consistently.

Advanced maturity levels address complex challenges including data sprawl across multiple clouds, governance oversight requirements, and evolving compliance mandates. Organizations at higher maturity stages implement automated security controls, real-time threat detection, and integrated compliance reporting.

The dynamic threat landscape demands this progressive security approach, as static defenses quickly become obsolete against sophisticated attackers who exploit configuration errors and identty weaknesses.

Types of Cloud Maturity Models

Orgianizations can choose from several specialized maturity models based on their primary objectives and cloud strategy:

Cloud Adoption Maturity Model

This model focuses on the complete journey from initial cloud experimentation to full operational optimization. Assessment criteria include organizational readiness metrics, team skill levels, governance frameworks, and integration capabilities with existing systems. Organizations progress through stages that emphasize cost optimization, performance improvement, and business agility.

Cloud Security Maturity Model (CSMM)

The CSMM evaluates an organization’s cloud security posture across multiple domains including governance structures, technical controls implementation, and security processes. The Cloud Security Alliance CSMM and AWS Security Maturity Model represent widely adopted frameworks that provide detailed assessment criteria. Security maturity levels typically progress from basic ad hoc controls through intermediate standardized processes to advanced automated and proactive security operations.

Cloud Native Maturity Model 

This model measures organizational capability to build and operate cloud-native applications effectively. The progression follows five key stages: build (creating cloud-native applications), operate (running applications reliably), scale (handling growth efficiently), improve (optimizing continuously), and adapt (responding to change rapidly). Each stage requires specific technical capabilities and cultural shifts toward DevOps practices.

Hybrid/Private Cloud Maturity Models

These specialized models address unique challenges organizations face when operating hybrid or private cloud environments. Key focus areas include integration between on-premises and cloud resources, consistent security policies across environments, and operational maturity for managing complex hybrid architectures. Organizations must balance the control benefits of private clouds with the flexibility advantages of public cloud services.

Typical Cloud Maturity Model Levels

Organizations progress through distinct maturity phases, each with specific characteristics and capabilities.

Cloud Maturity Level Framework

This table outlines the standard progression from initial cloud experimentation to optimized operations:

Note: Some models include six levels, starting from “None” to “Optimized.”

The Initial phase represents organizations just beginning their cloud journey. Teams experiment with cloud services without formal processes, often resulting in shadow IT and security gaps. Success depends on individual expertise rather than organizational capability.

Repeatable maturity introduces basic standardization. Organizations establish fundamental processes for provisioning resources, managing costs, and implementing security controls. Documentation begins but remains inconsistent across teams.

The Defined level marks organization-wide cloud adoption with comprehensive policies and governance frameworks. Security becomes embedded in processes rather than added afterward. Teams follow consistent procedures for deployment, monitoring, and incident response.

Managed organizations demonstrate proactive capabilities across all cloud operations. Automated monitoring detects anomalies before they impact business operations. Security controls adapt dynamically to threat intelligence, and compliance reporting becomes largely automated.

Optimized maturity represents continuous improvement through automation and machine learning. Organizations at this level predict and prevent issues, optimize costs automatically, and innovate rapidly while maintaining security. Zero-trust principles permeate every aspect of operations.

Advancing Through the Stages: Best Practices

Success requires clear business objectives and desired cloud outcomes before beginning the cloud maturity journey. Organizations must articulate specific goals such as reducing deployment time, improving security posture, or achieving compliance certifications. These objectives guide investment decisions and measure progress effectively.

Building a cross-functional team accelerates cloud transformation by breaking down silos between security, operations, and development groups. Include representatives from business units to maintain alignment with organizational goals. This collaborative approach prevents security from becoming a bottleneck while maintaining necessary controls.

Skills development and change management prove essential for sustainable progress. Technical training alone fails without addressing cultural resistance to new processes. Invest in certification programs, hands-on labs, and mentorship opportunities that build both technical expertise and cloud-first mindsets.

Security and compliance must remain priorities at every maturity stage rather than considerations for later phases. Early implementation of security controls costs significantly less than retrofitting them into mature environments. Establish security baselines for each maturity level and enforce them consistently.

Automation becomes increasingly critical as organizations advance through maturity stages. Start with basic automation for repetitive tasks like patch management and backup verification. Progress to sophisticated automation for cost optimization, security response, and compliance monitoring. Each automation victory builds momentum for broader transformation.

Regular reassessment keeps maturity roadmaps relevant as technologies and business needs evolve. Cloud providers continuously release new services and security features that can accelerate progress. Quarterly reviews help organizations adjust priorities based on emerging threats, compliance changes, and business opportunities.

Cloud Security Maturity with Commvault

Commvault’s unified platform can accelerate security maturity progression across hybrid and multi-cloud architectures by providing comprehensive data protection and recovery capabilities. The platform integrates with existing cloud environments while adding layers of security that support zero-trust principles through granular access controls and monitoring.

Automated recovery workflows within Commvault can eliminate manual processes that slow incident response and increase human error risks. When ransomware or other threats strike, organizations can restore operations quickly using immutable backups and isolated recovery environments. These capabilities directly support higher maturity levels where automation and rapid response define success.

Threat detection features provide visibility into suspicious activities across all protected workloads. Commvault’s platform identifies anomalies in backup patterns, access attempts, and data movement that might indicate compromise. This proactive detection aligns with managed and optimized maturity stages where organizations prevent incidents rather than merely responding to them.

Commvault can streamline the path to advanced maturity by consolidating multiple point solutions into a single platform. This consolidation reduces complexity, improves visibility, and accelerates time to value. Organizations can focus on advancing their security capabilities rather than managing tool sprawl.

A mature cloud security posture requires adaptation to new threats and changing business requirements. Security teams must balance rapid innovation with robust protection mechanisms across their expanding cloud footprint. Organizations that embrace structured maturity models and automated security controls position themselves to thrive in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

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