Most organisations now rely on cloud services for critical business functions - file storage, email, CRM, financial systems, HR platforms. The convenience is obvious. The risk is less talked about.
Cloud dependency introduces a specific category of operational and information security risk that your ISO management system needs to address. The ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 standards require organisations to identify, assess, and control risks associated with their external providers. Cloud services are no exception.
What cloud risk actually looks like
The risk isn't just that your provider gets hacked. It's broader than that:
- Service discontinuation — providers cease trading, discontinue products, or change terms with little notice
- Data portability — can you actually get your data out, in a usable format, within an acceptable timeframe?
- SLA gaps — service level agreements rarely cover everything your business depends on
- Security and access control — who has access to your data, and how is that controlled?
- Regulatory and data ownership — particularly relevant for personal data under UK GDPR and for ISO 27001 certification
Each cloud solution your organisation uses deserves its own risk assessment, not a blanket assumption that because a provider is well-known, it's low risk.
The Cloud Computing Register
A Cloud Computing Register forces structured thinking. For every cloud solution in use, you document the provider, an overview of what data and processing activity runs through it, how critical it is to operations, and an overall risk rating. This gives management a single, auditable view of cloud exposure — essential for ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 compliance, and useful for any business that wants to understand what it's actually dependent on.
Our F-IMS39 Cloud Computing Register provides a ready-to-use template covering all of the above, including portability and exit strategy considerations for each provider.
Planning for exit before you need to
The exit strategy question is one most organisations avoid until it's urgent. That's the wrong approach. Cloud emergency exit planning should be done when you're calm, not when you're in crisis.
A proper exit plan covers the current service overview, SLAs and contract terms, a criticality review of data and applications, portability and migration planning, a risk assessment, and the post-migration steps needed once you've moved. It should be reviewed periodically, not filed and forgotten.
Our F-Q108 Cloud Emergency / Exit Strategy Planning form provides a comprehensive structure for documenting your exit strategy for each cloud provider, including a built-in risk assessment matrix.
Download the F-IMS39 Cloud Computing Register
Download the F-Q108 Cloud Emergency / Exit Strategy Planning form
Published: 23rd March 2026
