In a cloud environment, how can you best determine data/information security risks and potential controls?

Cloud storage architectures - object, block, and file storage - each have distinct access patterns, data boundary characteristics, and exposure points that directly determine applicable security risks. Knowing the architecture reveals where data flows, what access control mechanisms are available, where encryption can be applied, and where data may be inadvertently exposed. Without this architectural baseline, any controls selected may be mismatched to the actual risk surface.

Running a search on user data files is a narrow operational task that cannot provide a comprehensive or architectural view of security risks across a cloud environment.

Encrypting everything is a control measure applied after risks are identified, not a method for determining what risks exist in the first place.

Identifying operating systems provides infrastructure-level detail that does not directly reveal data security risks inherent to the cloud storage architecture in use.

Understanding regulatory requirements defines compliance obligations but does not uncover the technical risks specific to a given cloud storage implementation.