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Last reviewed: March 5, 2026 Owner: Security + Engineering Review cadence: Quarterly Status: Implemented This standard defines how cloud services are approved, configured, and operated with a consistent security baseline.

What this standard answers

  • How new cloud services are approved before production use
  • What minimum security requirements apply to cloud configuration and operations
  • How cloud security alerts and material service changes are handled

Current state (as of March 5, 2026)

Tero uses a defined cloud-service approval and operations baseline for hosted delivery.

Approval requirements before production use

RequirementBaseline
Business and data-scope reviewRequired before production onboarding
Security capability reviewRequired for identity, logging, encryption, and access controls
Subprocessor and contractual reviewRequired where third-party processing applies
Owner assignmentSecurity and engineering ownership assigned for each service

Minimum cloud security baseline

AreaRequirement
Access controlLeast-privilege IAM with role-scoped access and periodic review
Identity securitySSO-backed administrative access and MFA for privileged paths
EncryptionEncryption in transit and at rest using managed cloud security controls
Logging and auditabilityAdministrative and security-relevant events are logged and retained per policy
Network controlsInternet edge and service boundary controls with monitored ingress paths
Change managementProduction-impacting changes follow controlled rollout and validation practices
Backup and recoveryEncrypted backup and recovery procedures for hosted control-plane operations

Monitoring and response baseline

AreaBaseline
Cloud security alert intakeSecurity alerts from cloud/provider controls are monitored and triaged
Incident handlingSecurity-relevant events follow documented incident workflows
EscalationMaterial incidents are escalated and communicated through customer communication paths

Material change communication

  • Material security, availability, or data-handling changes are communicated in advance where required by contract or plan terms.
  • Incident-driven or emergency changes are communicated as quickly as practical with impact and remediation context.

Hosted vs self-hosted boundary

AreaTero-hostedSelf-hosted
Cloud service approval and operationTero-operatedCustomer-operated for customer runtime
Infrastructure monitoring and alert triageTero-operatedCustomer-operated for customer runtime
Product-level security controlsTero-operatedTero product controls plus customer runtime controls

Evidence map

TopicPrimary evidence
Architecture and trust boundariesSecurity Architecture
Network and perimeter controlsNetwork Security
Incident workflow and customer communicationIncident Response
Third-party service scopeSubprocessors and Third Parties

Exceptions and governance

Any baseline exception requires documented risk acceptance, compensating controls, owner approval, and a time-bound remediation plan. Questions: