In the current business environment, many organizations use popular standards such as the ISO 27000x series, COBIT, and related frameworks to protect themselves against security incidents. However, these standards and frameworks are overly complicated for small to medium-sized enterprises, leaving these organizations with no easy to understand toolkit to address their security needs. This research builds upon the recent Information Security Focus Area Maturity (ISFAM) model for SME information security as a cornerstone in the development of an assessment tool for tailormade, fast, and easy-to-use information security advice for SMEs. By performing an extensive literature review and evaluating the results with security experts, we propose the Characterizing Organizations' Information Security for SMEs (CHOISS) model to relate measurable organizational characteristics in four categories through 47 parameters to help SMEs distinguish and prioritize which risks to mitigate.

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With pay-per-use pricing models, elastic scaling of resources, and the use of shared virtualized infrastructures, cloud computing offers more efficient use of capital and agility. To leverage the advantages of cloud computing, organizations have to introduce cloud-specific chargeback practices. Organizations have to allocate IT service costs to business users in a way that reflects service consumption. To help organizations become effective users of cloud services, this article provides an overview of the factors that influence chargeback in the cloud services. This is an initial work that determines the factors influencing the chargeback in the cloud services. The findings of this research facilitate organizations to realize the implications of the cloud for their chargeback .

Security issues are paramount when considering adoption of any cloud technology. This article proposes the Secure Cloud Architecture (SeCA) model on the basis of data classifications which defines a properly secure cloud architecture by testing the cloud environment on eight attributes. The SeCA model is developed using a literature review and a Delphi study with seventeen experts, consisting of three rounds. The authors integrate the CI3A—an extension on the CIA-triad—to create a basic framework for testing the classification inputted. The data classification is then tested on regional, geo-spatial, delivery, deployment, governance and compliance, network, premise and encryption attributes. After this testing has been executed, a specification for a secure cloud architecture is outputted.

Security issues are paramount when considering adoption of any cloud technology. This chapter outlines the Secure Cloud Architecture (SeCA) model on the basis of data classifications, which defines a properly secure cloud architecture by testing the cloud environment on eight attributes. The SeCA model is developed using a literature review and a Delphi study with seventeen experts, consisting of three rounds. The authors integrate the CI3A —an extension on the CIA-triad— to create a basic framework for testing the classification inputted. The data classification is then tested on regional, geo-spatial, delivery, deployment, governance & compliance, network, and premise attributes. After this testing has been executed, a specification for a secure cloud architecture is outputted. The SeCA model is detailed with two example cases on the usage of the model in practice.