What is APRA?
APRA is an independent statutory authority that oversees institutions across banking, insurance, and superannuation and promotes Australia's financial system stability. It is the prudential regulator of the Australian financial services industry. In February 2018, Australia’s Notifiable Data Breach Scheme legislation became a law which introduced new reporting guidelines and penalties for organizations governed by the Australian Privacy Act. In response to this, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) updated its July 2015 paper. APRA stated that this was in response to its observation of the growing usage of cloud computing services by APRA-regulated organizations and the associated rise in risk and vulnerabilities. The update also specified the essential requirements that APRA-regulated entities must implement and maintain for outsourcing regarding cloud computing services. Furthermore, the update ups the bar regarding APRA’s view of cloud practitioners. In July 2015, APRA published an information paper titled’ Outsourcing involving shared computing services. The article focuses on the fundamental principles and prudential considerations that should be considered for utilizing cloud computing services.