CSP, MSP, & Shared Responsibility Model
The Cloud Ecosystem.
Cloud service providers (CSPs) offer subscription-based access to data centers, hosting the hardware necessary to support the needs of clients. These resources may be hardware for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) functionality or prebuilt cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, such as Microsoft Office 365.
The "Big Three" CSPs.
The following three CSPs make up the bulk of the global cloud service offerings. All three are in direct competition with each other and, therefore, offer many similar services but with different names. All three CSPs provide a vast number of cloud offerings via global infrastructures.
Web Services (AWS)
Azure
Cloud Platform (GCP)
Cloud Managed Service Providers.
It can be difficult for organizations—particularly small and medium-sized companies—to provide the broad range of expertise needed for every aspect of cloud computing.
There are third-party Managed Service Providers (MSPs) that are independent of the cloud service provider (CSP). Your organization may choose to outsource cloud design, migration, deployment, and management solutions to these companies, relying on their expertise and experience. Many CSPs also offer management services for their products (e.g., AWS Managed Services).
Outsourcing to an MSP can result in reduced operating expenditures, greater efficiency, and freed time for in-house IT staff to focus on other projects, while gaining expertise in cybersecurity, disaster recovery, and compliance.
You may wish to discuss whether your business has considered working with an MSP for cloud services.
Shared Responsibility Model.
In the shared responsibility security model, cloud service providers (CSPs) and consumers manage different aspects of cloud security. CSPs will typically provide physical security for the data center and isolate data between customers.
Cloud consumers are responsible for the direct user access security for their own data. In other words, the CSP secures the data center where files are stored, but the consumer secures the files themselves by using permissions and encryption.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) phrases it this way: AWS is responsible for the security of the cloud; the consumer is responsible for security in the cloud.
↗ AWS Shared Responsibility Model