FAQs
Have Questions?
Which clouds do you audit?
CinchOps audits Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform, separately or together for multi-cloud customers. The audit also extends to SaaS platforms with significant cloud exposure such as Salesforce and Microsoft 365 for customers who want a broader posture review. Findings get mapped to CIS benchmarks and provider-specific best practices.
What baseline do you compare configurations against?
The primary baselines are the Center for Internet Security Foundations benchmarks for Azure, AWS, and GCP, plus each provider's own well-architected framework. For customers in regulated industries, the audit also maps findings to applicable compliance frameworks such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, NIST 800-53, or SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria.
Will the audit slow our cloud workloads?
No. The audit reads configuration data through provider APIs and posture management tooling. There is no performance impact on running workloads. The only interaction with production is read-only inspection, scheduled with the customer's team and run during whatever window minimizes any operational risk.
How does cloud audit differ from a pen test?
A cloud security audit reviews configurations, identity, and architecture against published baselines. A penetration test simulates an attacker actively probing for ways in. The two are complementary. The audit closes the configuration gaps; the pen test validates whether the closed configuration actually withstands attack. Most customers do the audit first.
How often should we re-audit our cloud environment?
Cloud environments change faster than on-prem environments. A point-in-time audit is useful, but ongoing posture monitoring through tools and a lighter quarterly review is what keeps the environment from drifting back. Annual deep audits supplement the continuous monitoring with a fresh written assessment that captures changes the daily tooling missed.