Cloud Shared Responsibility

What you will be able to do

• Explain the five core cloud decisions involved in cloud shared responsibility.
• Choose a cloud resource or configuration that matches a stated workload requirement.
• Interpret provider state, workload behavior, and operational evidence before changing broader cloud state.
• Apply an inventory, select, configure, verify, recover, and document workflow to a realistic cloud decision.

01

Build the Cloud Decision Map

Map which security and operating tasks stay with a cloud provider and which remain with the customer for each service model.

Cloud services combine provider-managed layers with customer-controlled configuration. A useful design keeps workload need, resource scope, identity, network path, data, health, cost, and recovery visible instead of relying on a product name.

Start with an inventory and read-only evidence. Record the account or project, location, resource identifier, owner, configuration source, dependencies, expected behavior, and current observation before changing state.

02

Provider platform

The provider secures and operates the physical facilities, hardware, and service infrastructure within its published boundary. It answers one distinct architecture or operating question within cloud shared responsibility.

Identify the provider-owned layers for the selected service before assigning work. Keep the target, location, identity, configuration, and observed outcome together so another person can reproduce the reasoning.

Respect this boundary: Do not assume the provider manages customer data, identities, or every configuration. The expected evidence is a responsibility table names the provider-owned platform layers.

03

Customer configuration

The customer remains responsible for the settings, identities, data, and workloads exposed by the chosen cloud service. It answers one distinct architecture or operating question within cloud shared responsibility.

List every customer-controlled setting that can change access, exposure, or recovery. Keep the target, location, identity, configuration, and observed outcome together so another person can reproduce the reasoning.

Respect this boundary: Do not leave an exposed setting unowned because the infrastructure is managed. The expected evidence is each customer-controlled setting has a named owner.

04

Service boundary

The responsibility boundary moves when a workload changes between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. It answers one distinct architecture or operating question within cloud shared responsibility.

Compare the same workload across service models and mark each operating layer. Keep the target, location, identity, configuration, and observed outcome together so another person can reproduce the reasoning.

Respect this boundary: Do not reuse an IaaS responsibility list for a managed platform or SaaS product. The expected evidence is the map changes at the correct service layer.

05

Identity responsibility

Customers control who receives access and how privileges are reviewed even when the provider operates the identity platform. It answers one distinct architecture or operating question within cloud shared responsibility.

Map each human and workload identity to its minimum required role. Keep the target, location, identity, configuration, and observed outcome together so another person can reproduce the reasoning.

Respect this boundary: Do not confuse a provider login service with customer access governance. The expected evidence is every identity has a justified role and review path.

06

Responsibility review

A responsibility review joins provider documentation with the actual architecture, configuration, and operating team. It answers one distinct architecture or operating question within cloud shared responsibility.

Review one deployed resource against the responsibility map and record gaps. Keep the target, location, identity, configuration, and observed outcome together so another person can reproduce the reasoning.

Respect this boundary: Stop when a task has no owner or the service contract is unclear. The expected evidence is the review records owners, evidence, gaps, and escalation.

07

Verify One Cloud Change

Before changing cloud state, name the exact resource, required authorization, user impact, expected signal, cost effect, and recovery path. Preview the scope with an inventory or policy view and protect data or configuration that cannot be recreated safely.

Make one narrow change and stop. If the provider response, location, identity, dependency, or effective configuration differs from the plan, preserve that evidence and reassess instead of adding unrelated changes.

A successful API response or portal notification proves only that an operation was accepted. Repeat the original workload path, inspect health and security signals, verify the resulting resource state independently, and remove temporary access or test resources.

08

Recap Before Practice and Prove

Start with provider platform. Identify the provider-owned layers for the selected service before assigning work. Confirm that a responsibility table names the provider-owned platform layers.

Keep customer configuration separate. List every customer-controlled setting that can change access, exposure, or recovery. Respect this boundary: do not leave an exposed setting unowned because the infrastructure is managed.

Use service boundary as its own decision. Compare the same workload across service models and mark each operating layer. Preserve the resulting evidence.

Before a broader change, review identity responsibility. Map each human and workload identity to its minimum required role. Stop when do not confuse a provider login service with customer access governance.

Finish with responsibility review. Review one deployed resource against the responsibility map and record gaps. Record the final state, health signal, recovery boundary, owner, and next decision.