IBM Cloud releases 2023 IBM Cloud for Financial Services Agreed-Upon Procedures (AUP) Report

IBM Cloud completed its 2023 independent review of IBM Cloud services and processes. The review report demonstrates to its clients, partners and other interested parties that IBM Cloud services have implemented and adhere to the technical, administrative and physical control requirements of IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services.

What is the IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services?

IBM Cloud for Financial Services® is designed to build trust and enable a transparent public cloud ecosystem with features for security, compliance and resiliency that are required by financial institutions. Financial institutions can confidently host their mission-critical applications on our cloud, enabling faster and more secure transactions.

At the core of our cloud is the IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services™, a comprehensive set of control requirements spanning 7 Focus Areas and 21 Control Families, designed by the industry to help address security requirements and regulatory compliance obligations of financial institutions.

What is the Agreed-Upon Procedures report?

As IBM Cloud services are onboarded to IBM Cloud for Financial Services®, IBM conducts a rigorous validation assuring that services meet IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services technical, administrative and physical controls requirements.

IBM engages a third-party professional services firm to complete an independent review of IBM Cloud services and processes against the Agreed-Upon Procedures (AUP). The IBM Cloud for Financial Services AUP Report is issued by a big four public accounting firm in accordance with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

The report addresses controls for all Focus Areas of the IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services, including the following:

Active Monitoring & Response

Advanced Data Protection

Automated Application & Workload Protection

Enhanced Authentication & Access Management

Focused Risk Management & Compliance

Operational Excellence

Unified Infrastructure Security & Resilience

Within each focus area, there are multiple control families and controls, and the report provides details on control descriptions, procedures performed and results.

The report demonstrates to IBM Cloud for Financial Services clients that IBM Cloud services have been implemented against, and adhere to, the IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services technical, administrative and physical control requirements.

In 2023, IBM Cloud expanded the AUP to include additional locations and services that articulate our commitment to expand our portfolio of compliance across IBM Cloud. The AUP report is available to clients for their internal risk management practices and for demonstrating due diligence and oversight of their cloud service providers to their regulators.

Contact your IBM account team to obtain a copy of the AUP report.

In addition to this report, IBM Cloud compliance and trust certifications further affirm IBM’s commitment to the protection of customer data and applications.

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Learn more about IBM Cloud® compliance programs

Learn more about IBM Cloud for Financial Services®