> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usetero.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cloud Services Security Standard

> Approval and operating security baseline for cloud services used to deliver Tero.

export const securityEmail = "security@usetero.com";

<Badge>Last reviewed: March 5, 2026</Badge>
<Badge>Owner: Security + Engineering</Badge>
<Badge>Review cadence: Quarterly</Badge>
<Badge color="green">Status: Implemented</Badge>

This standard defines how Tero approves, configures, and operates cloud services to a consistent security baseline.

## What this standard answers

* How Tero approves new cloud services before production use
* What minimum security requirements apply to cloud configuration and operations
* How Tero handles cloud security alerts and material service changes

## Implementation status (March 5, 2026)

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

## Approval requirements before production use

| Requirement                         | Baseline                                                        |
| ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Business and data-scope review      | Required before production onboarding                           |
| Security capability review          | Required for identity, logging, encryption, and access controls |
| Subprocessor and contractual review | Required where third-party processing applies                   |
| Owner assignment                    | Security and engineering ownership assigned for each service    |

## Minimum cloud security baseline

| Area                     | Requirement                                                                     |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Access control           | Least-privilege IAM with role-scoped access and periodic review                 |
| Identity security        | SSO-backed administrative access and MFA for privileged paths                   |
| Encryption               | Encryption in transit and at rest using managed cloud security controls         |
| Logging and auditability | Administrative and security-relevant events are logged and retained per policy  |
| Network controls         | Internet edge and service boundary controls with monitored ingress paths        |
| Change management        | Production-impacting changes follow controlled rollout and validation practices |
| Backup and recovery      | Encrypted backup and recovery procedures for hosted control-plane operations    |

## Monitoring and response baseline

| Area                        | Baseline                                                                                |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Cloud security alert intake | Tero monitors and triages security alerts from cloud and provider controls              |
| Incident handling           | Tero routes security-relevant events through documented incident workflows              |
| Escalation                  | Tero escalates and communicates material incidents through customer communication paths |

## Material change communication

* Tero communicates material security, availability, or data-handling changes in advance where required by contract or plan terms.
* Tero communicates incident-driven or emergency changes as soon as it understands the impact, including remediation context.

## Hosted vs self-hosted boundary

| Area                                       | Tero-hosted   | Self-hosted                                          |
| ------------------------------------------ | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Cloud service approval and operation       | Tero-operated | Customer-operated for customer runtime               |
| Infrastructure monitoring and alert triage | Tero-operated | Customer-operated for customer runtime               |
| Product-level security controls            | Tero-operated | Tero product controls plus customer runtime controls |

## Evidence map

| Topic                                        | Primary evidence                                                                |
| -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Architecture and trust boundaries            | [Security Architecture](/trust/architecture)                                    |
| Network and perimeter controls               | [Network Security](/trust/controls/network-security)                            |
| Incident workflow and customer communication | [Incident Response](/trust/controls/incident-response)                          |
| Third-party service scope                    | [Subprocessors and Third Parties](/trust/assurance/subprocessors-third-parties) |

## Exceptions and governance

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

Questions: [{securityEmail}](mailto:\{securityEmail})