Security Standards
Definition
Established guidelines and best practices designed to protect computer systems, networks, and data from various threats and vulnerabilities.
Use Cases
- Netflix: Demonstrating strong security and compliance practices while operating a large-scale streaming platform on AWS — Netflix uses AWS for infrastructure and applies security best practices such as encryption, least-privilege access, and continuous monitoring. For compliance evidence and third-party audit documentation, teams can use AWS compliance resources (including AWS Artifact) to obtain AWS reports and align internal controls to relevant standards. (Improved ability to answer customer and partner security questionnaires, support audits, and maintain consistent security controls at scale.)
- Salesforce: Providing assurance to enterprise customers that customer data is protected using recognized security and privacy standards — Salesforce publishes compliance and assurance information (including SOC reports and ISO certifications) and aligns internal security controls to recognized frameworks. This helps customers evaluate Salesforce against their own governance, risk, and compliance requirements. (Increased customer trust and smoother enterprise procurement by providing standardized, auditable evidence of security controls.)
- Google: Helping customers validate Google Cloud’s security posture for regulated workloads — Google Cloud provides compliance offerings and access to audit reports and certifications (for example, ISO/IEC certifications and SOC reports) and tools such as Compliance Reports Manager to help customers retrieve compliance documentation needed for audits and risk reviews. (Faster customer due diligence and clearer evidence for auditors when adopting cloud services for regulated or sensitive data.)
Provider Equivalents
- AWS: AWS Artifact
- Azure: Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager
- GCP: Google Cloud Compliance Reports Manager
- OCI: OCI Compliance Documents
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the difference between Security Standards and compliance?
- Security standards are the documented frameworks or rule sets (like ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS) that describe what good security controls look like. Compliance is the state of meeting a specific standard’s requirements and being able to prove it—often through audits, evidence collection, and ongoing monitoring.
- When should I use Security Standards?
- Use security standards when you handle sensitive data (customer PII, payment data, health data), sell to enterprise customers who require audit evidence, operate in regulated industries, or need a structured way to design and measure your security program. They’re especially useful when you want consistent controls across teams and a clear checklist for audits and risk management.
- How much does Security Standards cost?
- The standards documents themselves may be free or paid depending on the publisher, but the main costs come from implementation and verification: staff time to design controls, security tooling (logging, monitoring, IAM, encryption), consulting (optional), and audit/attestation fees (common for SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certification). Costs vary widely based on company size, scope, and how mature your security program already is.
Category: security
Difficulty: intermediate
Related Terms
See Also