Overview
The ASD Essentials for Cloud is a cybersecurity framework developed by the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) to help organizations protect cloud environments from sophisticated cyber threats. As part of the broader ASD Essentials series, it provides threat-informed and risk-based guidance tailored to organizations that rely on cloud-delivered technology services.
The framework is designed for organizations whose technology environments are delivered entirely through Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offerings, and that do not operate their own server or network infrastructure. It follows the ASD Essentials structure of Principles, Actions, and Domains, and focuses on security areas that directly influence a cloud consumer's security posture, including identity, data, configuration, applications, integrations, and provider assurance.
The primary purpose of ASD Essentials for Cloud is to help organizations prioritize and implement cybersecurity measures that have the greatest impact on reducing cyber risk in cloud environments. By providing structured guidance and implementation pathways, the framework supports stronger governance, improved resilience, and more effective protection of cloud-based systems, services, and data.