Compliance · Cloud assurance

CSA STAR — cloud security assurance registry

The public registry cloud buyers check before they call you.

CSA STAR is the Cloud Security Alliance's assurance program for cloud providers, built on the Cloud Controls Matrix. A STAR Registry listing is public, free to search, and increasingly the first place enterprise cloud buyers look during vendor selection.

CCM

Control basis

L1 / L2

Assurance levels

Public

Registry listing

How STAR works

Two levels of assurance built on the same underlying control matrix.

The Cloud Controls Matrix

The CCM is CSA's cloud control framework, mapped to ISO 27001, SOC 2, NIST, PCI DSS and more — so answering it once feeds several obligations.

Level 1 — self-assessment

You complete the CAIQ (the CCM as a questionnaire) and publish it to the registry. It's free, fast, and a credible first step — but it is self-asserted.

Level 2 — third-party

Independent validation, achieved as STAR Certification alongside ISO 27001 or STAR Attestation alongside SOC 2. This is what enterprise buyers actually weigh.

Who needs CSA STAR

Cloud and SaaS providers selling into security-conscious organizations.

  • SaaS and cloud service providers of any size
  • Vendors repeatedly sent the CAIQ during procurement
  • Providers who already hold ISO 27001 or SOC 2 and want cloud-specific proof
  • Companies wanting public, searchable evidence of cloud posture

How intSignal gets you there

We do the readiness, build and run the controls, and support you through the audit — we are not the auditor, and we keep that separation deliberate.

CCM assessment

We assess your controls against the Cloud Controls Matrix and identify what's real versus aspirational.

CAIQ completion

We complete the CAIQ accurately — overstating answers on a public registry is a risk, not a shortcut.

Level 1 listing

We get you published on the STAR Registry so buyers can find the evidence themselves.

Level 2 readiness

We prepare you for STAR Certification (with ISO 27001) or Attestation (with SOC 2), reusing that work.

Questionnaire leverage

We turn your CCM answers into a reusable response kit that kills weeks of questionnaire toil.

Maintenance

We keep the listing current as your environment changes — a stale CAIQ is worse than none.

How the engagement runs

1

Assess against CCM

Measure real control coverage.

2

Complete the CAIQ

Answer accurately, with evidence behind each claim.

3

Publish Level 1

List on the STAR Registry.

4

Pursue Level 2

Certification with ISO 27001 or attestation with SOC 2.

5

Maintain

Refresh as the environment and standards evolve.

Frequently asked questions

Is CSA STAR Level 1 worth it if it's self-assessed?

Yes, as a starting point — it's free, public, and shows you'll put your answers on the record. But sophisticated buyers know it's self-asserted. Treat Level 1 as the on-ramp and Level 2 as the destination.

Do we need ISO 27001 or SOC 2 for STAR Level 2?

Effectively yes. STAR Certification is performed alongside an ISO 27001 audit; STAR Attestation alongside a SOC 2 engagement. STAR Level 2 rides on one of those, which is why we sequence them together rather than separately.

How does the CCM relate to other frameworks?

The CCM ships with mappings to ISO 27001, SOC 2, NIST, PCI DSS and others. That's its real leverage — assess once against the CCM and reuse the answers across multiple obligations instead of restarting each time.

Other frameworks we support

Most of the work transfers. Once controls are mapped and evidenced, a second framework costs a fraction of the first.

CSA STAR for your environment

Tell us where you are and who’s asking for it — we’ll come back with scope, gaps, and a realistic timeline.